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How do you organize the space?

(26 Posts)
JennyNotFromTheBlock Wed 26-Aug-20 05:49:10

As the subject goes- how do you organize the space at home so that everything would have its place but the whole room wouldn't look like a one big dump? Whenever I try to come up with something minimalistic I end up with my belongings being placed literally everywhere grin

Lucca Wed 26-Aug-20 06:31:25

Not quite sure I’ve understood what you are asking ? Possibly though it sounds as though you have too much “stuff” ? Or are you talking about ornaments etc and how to display them? Same applies !

tanith Wed 26-Aug-20 06:58:23

A place for everything and everything in its place I can’t abide clutter, I have one drawer in the living room for ‘stuff’ that I regularly sort out and deal with or throw away. Not many ornaments but quite a few family pictures.
Or are you talking about furniture?

BlueBelle Wed 26-Aug-20 07:25:52

I m not sure what you mean either, do you mean stuff you are using daily I have a small free standing ‘bathroom‘ cupboard which I painted to go with the room (I love upcycling) by the chair I use You can barely see it as it’s between the wall and my chair but I keep all my daily use bits and bobs in that

Furret Wed 26-Aug-20 07:49:20

Get rid of ‘stuff’ that isn’t useful or beautiful

JennyNotFromTheBlock Wed 26-Aug-20 09:40:49

@Lucca @tanith yeah, I probably didn't explain it correctly. I was talking mostly about furniture: I want my house to be minimalistic but at the same time I have many things I can't get rid of due to different reasons. So I don't want my stuff to be laying all around the house but I don't want too many pieces of furniture either so...

Lucca Wed 26-Aug-20 09:41:57

Well you’re stuck then. You can’t be minimalist or even tidy if you hang on to unnecessary furniture etc.

CorneliaStreet Wed 26-Aug-20 09:46:42

I'm kinda lost, Jenny, what do you mean by talking about organizing the space? Do you mean the furniture and how to place it? In this case I'd recommend to draw a plan of your room/s and make some kind of "origami" with paper pieces that will represent the bed, the suitcases, the drawers etc. Just move them around to see how all these things could be placed better. Or you can do it via your computer, there are many programs that will help you with your interior design (like this one or maybe there are some others, too).
But if you mean that you just have too many things- then maybe its time to get rid of some of them? Sometimes we have a lot of rubbish we never use and don't even like, and you can be surprised by how many of such things you might have.

geekesse Wed 26-Aug-20 09:55:46

I think there’s a simple enough solution. Get rid of almost all your possessions and evict all other people from the home. Then you can do the zen thing and have a simple, uncluttered and untroubled living space.

JennyNotFromTheBlock Wed 26-Aug-20 10:08:03

@geekesse PERFECT grin

JennyNotFromTheBlock Wed 26-Aug-20 10:08:28

@CorneliaStreet thanks

Illte Wed 26-Aug-20 10:23:51

Generally it creates the feeling of more space if furniture is arranged in "blocks" rather than standalone items.

OH and I moved in together last year and I had to wage a battle against items of furniture, like his display cabinet, being placed in the centre of a wall, leaving an unusable gap at either side.

Which then meant that another piece of furniture had to find a home and take up space somewhere else.

But hard to say anything else without actually seeing your space?

Calendargirl Wed 26-Aug-20 10:30:59

I re-organised the conservatory yesterday, just fed up where stuff was.
So same items, just shifted into different places.
My plant stand is now against another wall, table and chairs moved, cane furniture in fresh spot.

Looks roomier, and a change.

Callistemon Wed 26-Aug-20 11:00:32

We had two largish pieces of furniture which were full of 'stuff' and very useful. I thought we couldn't do without them and they did have sentimental value.

However, we emptied them, got rid of them just before lockdown and somehow the 'stuff' in them has been redistributed or got rid of too.
It feels so much better now, although we have a lot more to do.

geekesse Wed 26-Aug-20 12:20:01

Kidding aside, if everything, including sofas etc, is placed as close as possible to walls, that leaves a clear space in the middle. A single coffee table in the middle of a sitting room makes the whole room look less spacious and more cluttered.

Actually, I did get rid of almost everything. And I live alone. Bliss!

lovebeigecardigans1955 Wed 26-Aug-20 12:57:15

I've always had this problem. Too much 'stuff' which I don't want to get rid off and not quite enough space to store it. I see glorious photos in home interiors magazines which look fabulous but don't have the space to achieve such perfection.

travelsafar Wed 26-Aug-20 13:03:56

I too don't like coffee tables in the middle of a room they take up space, i use a nest of tables when i have visitor. The largest one has a container for tv remotes and the telephone on the top and it is placed next to where i sit so i use it for my coffee cup in the evenings. The two smaller ones slide underneath it therefore taking up no more room in the sitting room.

seacliff Wed 26-Aug-20 13:17:36

When I really look. I have several wall units around the house, filled with glassware, ornaments, vases, lanterns, shells. Photos on display, boxes of colouring pencils, Dads medals, board games etc etc . It is amazing how much stuff we have and I think I could live without it. It has accumulated over the years. If I steeled myself I could (possibly) chuck half of it, and have one less unit. I am getting to the age I think, as I haven't used it in the last year, get rid.

Cabbie21 Wed 26-Aug-20 13:26:10

Same here, seacliff. I do like it when we go away to a self catering cottage and there is no clutter, unlike home. So refreshing, but DH won’t get rid of anything. He is a collector.

Grandmabatty Wed 26-Aug-20 13:58:57

I downsized a year and a half ago and it was a great opportunity to get rid of lots of clutter, including furniture. I have created a gallery wall which runs the length of my hallway and I have put up family photos etc. Any other photos have been given away to my children apart from one small box. I have one bookcase and my rule is, if I buy a book, I give away a book. I hate clutter so have consciously got rid of most ornaments. It helps that I have a dgs who is a toddler so not much for him to break! Regularly I go through drawers and throw out stuff that has been loitering for a year untouched.

varian Wed 26-Aug-20 14:19:51

If you want an uncluttered space, make sure you have enough storage.

V3ra Wed 26-Aug-20 14:25:32

We had a major house fire three years ago and lost virtually everything. It certainly focussed the mind when we started buying new furniture and household items as to what we actually needed.
I've kept things as minimalist as I can, with "stuff" in cupboards rather than out gathering dust.
It's an uphill struggle with my husband though as he likes to leave things lying around, and my adult son's bedroom is a complete tip but he keeps the door shut so at least I don't see it!
I find it very calming not to have lots of stuff to look at and it's certainly easier to keep the place clean.

SuzannahM Wed 26-Aug-20 14:37:02

I agree with clearing out cupboards first to make some space to put things away.
Over the years our spare bedroom cupboards have slowly turned into a junk area for all the things we didn't quite know what to do with at the time. Three hairdryers, curling tongs, straighteners, electric razors - plus about twenty empty shoe boxes, amongst other things.
Most of the shoe boxes have now been covered in pretty contact paper and used all over the house for storing small or breakable things, including some of the ornaments I've since cleared off shelves. Apart from getting rid of junk the space is slowly being refilled with all the things we don't want on view or don't use much but at least our rooms are slowly being decluttered.

seacliff Wed 26-Aug-20 15:44:01

We cleared our kitchen last week as I wanted to reoil the wooden work surfaces. It looked so nice and pristine without all the clutter.

I have now rearranged some cupboards so I can keep more items in there instead of left on worktop. ie Container of Cat biscuits and also Dreamies, cooking oils, Pepper, various, cork mats. I checked the containers and some had nuts and seeds that were a couple of years out of date, so that's a bit more gone.

LadyBella Wed 26-Aug-20 15:51:20

Our house is fairly minimalist on the surface though there's a lot of stuff in cupboards. I feel better if everything is tidied away. Ebay is good for selling. So is Facebook Marketplace. Try Freecycle to give things away. Believe me, you probably don't need half of what you've got. Like another poster here, we had a major house fire and lived in rented for ages without most of our stuff and we didn't miss it. Another time we rented a caravan whilst renovating and, again, missed virtually nothing. We all need less than we think. I suppose.