Just wanted to say hi and show you the full living room reveal from the angle I gave you the before picture. Added to that, of course, are some tips and tricks as to how to move effectively if you are staying on rent and how to declutter your home for that perfectly coordinated look. Up for it? To be honest, I don’t like moving homes. I don’t like packing and unpacking and repacking and all that work related jazz and shelling out thousands on movers and packers: that’s just so annoying. While I cannot do anything till we can afford to buy that dream house, I have found ways to simplify the process.
Part 1 is weeding out to stay stylish. Part 2 is packing tips to move like a pro.
part 1: Say No to #Toomany and #Toomuch & Stick to a color palette. Why? Because-
No.1, as Rachel Ashcroft tells us- and i am sure we kind of take her words very seriously- Less is more. Decorating many homes, I vouch for less and minimal. I like less.
No.2, if you wore stripe, check, polka and an Ikkat print- all at the same time, how would you look? Your home is like you too. It needs a flavor, a type, a niche. It reflects you. We don’t need too many things to make it look beautiful. You just need things that speak for your love and taste. Keep that. Weed the rest out. I love things vintage and white and that’s exactly what I keep or even buy.
No.3, as a dear friends status message would say: Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
No.4, Though not necessarily connected to this- buy things thinking of your home decor. We are human beings. We get influenced and buy things out of impulse from time to time. One of the best ways to avoid such buys is to think of your home decor before buying it. In most cases, you’ll end up not buying. But ofcourse, some accent pieces must come home if they must. If your heart’s too much in it, buy it. Happiness is worth anything 😉
This is how my living room looks.
Weeding Out Things: The Biggest Challenge
Now, I know that throwing things that you have collected over years, from around the world, is not easy. The biggest challenge is perhaps the emotional connect that we find with certain things that restricts us from giving them away. God knows I am attached to each piece in my house but at one point, you must get over it and de-clutter. I look for one of those days when I care a little less about emotional things to weed out. I feel a lil weird after that but i know with someone else it’ll find use and I’d like that than the piece of China just sitting and rotting in my cupboard. I don’t know how you will do it but I do it this way
a) evaluate who gave and what he/she means to you
b) evaluate the circumstance under which the present was given to you. If it means a lot to you, keep it, and keep it on display. Work your theme around it. For me luckily, people just gave me beachy pieces which kind of goes with rest of the house. But a lot of old brass is now gone.
The little challenge: What if one day I want to use it? What if I never find something?
Okay. Now when did you buy it? Second question: When was the last time you used it?
If its not in the past 6 months then chances are you’ll never use it again. Give it away. Keep enough and 6 more for the road. The rest is not required.
Believe me you, I have benefited hugely from weeding out specially when i am about to move.
Part 2: How To Pack and Move Effectively Without Hassle
This is my 5th house in 7 years and I think you should take it from me when I tell you that whatever you read below will simplify your life manifold. here are the 3 rules to move homes without hassle.
Rule 1.
Take a week. Don’t Keep everything for last minute
Rule 2.
Pack rooms not things. One major mistake that i used to make it pack all likely items together. Now that can mean all glass items, all toiletries, all utensils etc. What I found much easier was to pack things room wise so when you unpack you know exactly where what would go.
Rule 3.
Finish it all off in one day or max two. The longer you wait to settle down, the longer you’ll take. Just breathe in, get everything done and sit down and relax.
We packed, unpacked and settled down in exactly 13 hours- we started at 8:00 and by 9:00 in the evening, we were sipping wine talking politics and enjoying the city line.
next time you move, take a look at this. Remember this girl who took a lot of pain to analyse and jot things down so your life can be a little less miserable 🙂
Toodles.
So true! I´ve moved 21 times and I find it decluttering is a must!
Hahaha okay Im faaar behind. 😛
Thanks 🙂
Don´t worry 😉 I think the most important thing is to find the elements that define home for you wherever you are.
True that. Oh, we were just talking and somehow the meaning of home came up and now your comment. The cosmos and its weird ways in letting you know the ‘true’ meaning of home. It’s never the sofaset or the expensive table. It’s probably the glass from your childhood and seashells collected in tranquility.
🙂
We haven’t moved in years. I cannot begin to imagine…
Lucky you…its a major pain in you know where 🙂
Some good advices to remember… I’ll be moving next year probably and I definitely have to declutter in the next months!
Oh, I say go full power with the declutter. It really makes your life very easy