Everyone's interior style and taste naturally evolves and changes over time depending on what the current trends are. Families might grow or what we require from our homes will change because of how we want to feel when we’re in them. A busy family home can easily become cluttered with items not being given dedicated places to store them in, or the room becomes boiled down to a functional living space as opposed to a room that inspires you. We spoke to the experts to get their advice on how to organize a living room when you don't know where to start by "resetting" your space, and what the best foundations are for a stylish and practical space.
1. RETHINK FURNITURE
Living room furniture is one of the key elements of any design. However, have you considered the best configuration for your room that makes the most out of the space that you have?
Professional organizer Ben Soreff from H2H Organizing says ‘one of the main goals of a living room is to create an open and bright feeling with flow. I suggest removing excess furniture from the living room, most people have too many infrequently used chairs. If you have lived in your space for a long time, you have probably accumulated furniture from relatives. Not to mention the furniture you bought with you from your first apartment’.
2. CLEAR SURFACES
Open surfaces such as shelves and mantelpieces can quickly turn into clutter collectors. These should be key places where we consciously display some of our most prized possessions, however this often isn’t the case. Ben suggests ‘removing as much as possible from the mantelpiece to leave it feeling clean and fresh and inserting decor throughout a bookcase so it is not wall-to-wall books’.
3. SCHEDULE A WEEKLY RESET
It’s often the most boring answers that are the most effective. But, once you’ve decided on a ‘living room reset’ and you’ve come up with a design and look that you love, set a weekly reminder to declutter your living space so stuff doesn’t start to build up again. It's one of the most important steps in how to declutter a room and keep it that way.
4. CONSIDER BESPOKE STORAGE
Decided to embark on a complete living room renovation? Then, you may want to consider incorporating bespoke living room storage into your design. Naturally, this will be a bigger investment but it will help you use every inch of your living space, avoiding unnecessary clutter to build up.