Do You Need to Redecorate… Or Reorganize?

There are two problems that getting organized can fix… that people never think about using organizing to fix!

One of them I’ve already talked about: achieving a clean house. People don’t understand that there are 4 distinct activities that add up to the phenomenon of having a clean house. Without all four of them, you’re never going to get there, but you’re constantly going to be pushing baskets and brooms around and driving yourself crazy! Refresh on the 4 essential elements of a clean house here.

The other problem is a significant dream for many people: achieving a beautiful house. The kind of home you can be proud of, where you can entertain and celebrate milestones and take family pictures. The kind you see in magazines, where things match and there isn’t clutter everywhere… oh wait…

Many people think that in order to achieve a beautiful house, they need to hire an interior designer first. Now, I’m not knocking interior designers - they are amazing at creating beautiful spaces and I could quite literally never do what they do! But if you are expecting new furniture, flooring, or lighting to fix the fact that your house is full of clutter, I’m sorry to tell you you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Here’s what happens. You find a wonderful interior designer. They do the amazing work they do to create the plan. You approve. Everyone’s happy! Now we need to install everything. Depending on the size of the project, they will either require you to pack and move everything out of the space, or shove it to one side/in another room.

After the install, it looks GORGEOUS. They take their photos, you ooh and ahhh, everybody’s happy! Now, you have to deal with all the stuff that got packed or shoved. If you’re like most people, you unpack it as you need it, and put it down somewhere when you’re done with it. Within days, your space has the beautiful new decor… covered with a layer of all your old clutter.

If you want that gorgeous new space to look the way it did on the day the installation finished for months and years, you’re going to need to deal with the clutter first. And that’s decluttering and organizing work, not decorating work. It’s not nearly as exciting as the glamor of perusing fabric swatches and picking paint colors, but it’s absolutely essential to get the finished product you’re looking for.

And guess what the best part is? If you get organized and declutter before you bring in the interior designer, they can do a better job for you! They’ll know exactly what you need to store where and recommend furniture and cabinetry that really fits your particular needs.

I work with interior designers all the time, and together we’re able to give our clients so much more than we would have been able to on our own. So if you’re thinking about redecorating, make sure you ask your interior designer to refer you to their favorite organizer! They’ll be so happy you suggested it, because it will make their job easier and you happier with the finished product.

LMW