These are some ideas about how to declutter your home that I had been pondering over for a while. I used them as a checklist to organize my room and begin to really define my style in my college apartment. I was really inspired by William Morris’ quote, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I began to go through my things, especially clothing and accessories, and get rid of all the junk in my life that just stresses me out and complicates my life by taking up so much space and creating a mess, and I was left with the things that really matter and I use on a daily or weekly basis.
How to Declutter Your Home
My desk tends to be a high-traffic zone that holds what ever I’m currently working on until I get around to finishing it. I haven’t gotten around to making or buying a real curtain or rod yet, so I’m trying to keep out the cold with this Mexican blanket (thank you Goodwill). I scored those awesome lamps for $12 together! (you guessed it, Goodwill). I use the wooden cigar box to hold small office supplies like tacks and post-its that I need more often, but don’t want to see because my desk doesn’t have drawers (the basic Ikea one), and the rest of my office supplies are in an Ikea storage unit in my bathroom. I love candles, incense, and just things smelling nice, so I tend to collect scents and have a lot on hand and burn them daily. Walmart has 40 incense sticks for $1, and that giant sized coral candle is only $5. I have a lot of the little strawberry baskets to hold all my random junk like candy and cards.
I have a lot of art and things that I’ve made or just find pretty, so I still have some paintings and posters laying around in corners because I simply have no more wall space right now to put up my own work, but I want to put them up when I eventually move to a bigger space. I tend to rotate things about when I get bored, so there’s a cycle to my visual inspiration. I am using my easel as decor and storage to hold my completed paintings, and I made the wall art / jewelry holder out of driftwood that I picked up along the shore of the Carquinez Strait in downtown Benicia. My friends thought I was crazy for shoving them in my purse and continuing on our shopping excursion, but I had a plan for them
This is my drop-off zone. It’s where my keys and jewelry end up landing, so I wanted to make sure there was a tray to catch the small things, and an empty corner to put the contents of my pockets when I get home. This is also an accumulation of things that I just find pretty and inspiring to look at. It makes my room feel brighter, and I can easily add whatever else I find pretty to my clip board or mood board. The box is made from California Redwood, and it holds all of my sewing kit supplies, minus the thread which is in the drawers of my Singer.
I really love old things. You can see it everywhere in my room. I especially love old books and furniture. I scored that antique Singer sewing machine for $25 on Craigslist!!! It makes the perfect little entertainment center for me by distracting from all the techy things that would otherwise just look junky and cluttered. I captured all of my memories from high school by putting up my best friends’ and family members’ pictures onto the large mood board. It keeps them all together without me having to have about 20 frames somewhere in my room or commit to making a scrapbook. I just recently hung up the California map to get it out from under my bed, and I’m thinking it will become an art project soon. It needs some embellishments.
Ugh. My closet is still a mess, but I like the direction it is going in. I recently cleaned it out right before I came home over break, so it looks better than this. I moved all the summer and spring clothes into the hall closet, so I only have cold weather clothes out. I love having my scarf collection visible because they’re so pretty, and it makes it easier to grab one to go with what I’m wearing. I had my mom pick up the vintage fruit basket from her shop to hold my hats, gloves, and random art stuff like string and washi tape. I use the vintage train cases on the top shelf to hold my painting supplies, sewing and knitting supplies, and sketching supplies. That dresser was my big project in the summer. ($50 from Goodwill). It used to be the cream and gold color that most of these 1960’s French style furniture were in, but it was really banged up, dirty, and scratched, so I sanded it down and painted it with ONE sample of Pantone Emerald Green which was about $3 from Lowes; plus the cost of sandpaper and a brush. Overall, a really cheap DIY for the size of project and the results I got. I left the hardware the same for a pop of contrast and a vintage touch. I still need to do a protective coating, but it’s my favorite project I’ve done so far. I used some old, beat up frames my mom found and cut out cork to make those jewelry displays. I can’t put necklaces in boxes or drawers because the knots drive me crazy, and I’m more likely to wear things if I see them.
I realized after I left Chico that I forgot to take a picture of my bed and nightstand. (oopsies) I didn’t want to make my bed and clean up all my medicines from being sick for two weeks. It’s not that fabulous over there anyways, haha. I did, however, finally set up my record player.
I hope this helps you figure out how to declutter your home. I’m looking forward to doing more updates and organization to make my small room more of a home.
xoxo, JT @ Duct Tape and Denim
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