Nothing lifts the spirit like a tidy home—we speak to the experts to find out how to declutter and maintain a neat and streamlined living space
When Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo came out earlier this year, it instantly sparked a chord with homeowners across the globe with its approach to decluttering. As discussed in Marie Kondo’s best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the eponymous “Kon Mari” approach to decluttering advocates for being purposeful and selective about the objects you keep in your home—retain only the items you need and love, and discard items that no longer spark joy in your life.
While some may take issue with Kondo’s methodology, its far-reaching impact shows that the pressure of clutter is real. It’s all too easy for belongings to accumulate into a stressful, ever-growing pile instead of making one’s life easier or brighter.
With this in mind, we spoke to some of Singapore’s top designers, furniture purveyors and decluttering professionals to find out how to best go about tidying your home.
See also: 5 Ways To Declutter Your Home
1. Create storage solutions
Often, how easy it is to maintain a clean home hinges on the available storage. “The size of your apartment will determine the amount of storage,” comments Jeremy Tay, director at Prestige Global Designs. “You need to strike a balance with a good mixture of fixed and loose storage.”
Kris Tan, founder of decluttering and home organisation company The Declutter Professionals, says that it’s best to form an understanding of what exactly you plan to have in your home, then plan your storage around those items.
Different rooms in the home and different types of belongings require different storage, too. A bedroom should have a vanity to hold cosmetics and toiletries, while the bathroom might incorporate hooks for mops and other cleaning implements. A basement or dedicated storeroom would feature sturdy metal racks for luggage and other big items.
See also: Home Tour: This Modern House Embraces The Minimalist Lifestyle