We’ve all been there. Following a beautifully curated house of some interior design guru on instagram, imagining what it would feel like to exist in such a perfect space every day. All of their kitchen utensils matching and fitting perfectly with the general theme. Dreamy. It seems like this is unachievable for us, the “real life people” for many reasons, money, creativity or design skills to name a few. Although a bit of those wouldn’t hurt, see below for some simple steps anyone can take to wake up in their dream home in a few weeks of focused action.
Imagine your perfect home.
You’ve heard this before but that’s not what I’m asking. Imagine your perfect home in great detail.
The big picture. First, imagine the overall style. Is it modern with clean lines, greys and whites, and sleek? Is it boho chic with natural fabrics, plants, and daylight-toned lighting? Whatever it may be, create it in your mind, write it down, think of how you will feel living in this space, feel it.
The medium focus. Now that you know the style you are working with you will know what you are looking for in terms of furniture, decor, and other larger pieces. Some of your things may already fit the big picture well, that’s perfect.
The details. This part of the process may seem complex and it can be, but it is important. Imagine every little detail of your perfect existence. Writing this down may help. These details will depend mainly on two factors, what you love and how you want to portray yourself and your home to guests. Some things you could think about are
- The kind of tea you really love.
- Your perfect shelf.
- Containers for your grains.
- The doormat.
This may seem excessive, but read on to the next step to see why this part of the process is key.
Get rid of all that doesn’t fit the theme.
Doing a focused evaluation of “the details” will allow you to get a clear understanding of exactly what you want. In turn, you will know exactly what you do not want. Everything that does not fit the three concepts above has to go.
Steps to decluttering:
Start with the obvious throw away items. Broken and old things that should have been thrown away a long time ago, get rid of them.
Next, move onto the things that do not fit the overall theme, the medium focus, and the small details. You will realize a lot of things in this category will still be in great usable condition. These items should be resold to give you the extra cash you will need in the next step.
- Host a garage sale
- Craigslist
- Offer up/Let go
- Friends/family
Now go over everything again and be even more critical. If the item doesn’t make you feel complete and happy, there is someone out there who will feel that way about it. It’s a win win.
New pieces for new space.
Decluttering well would hopefully allow for some extra spending money for buying new things that fit your dream theme. When shopping for those new items, always keep in mind the bigger picture, the medium focus and the details. Anything you purchase should fit into one or better yet all of those categories.
Create a list of all the things you need. Stick to it in order to prevent impulse buys that may not fit in with your perfect imagined space.
Seek inspiration from the obvious sources (instagram, pinterest) but don’t forget the classics like magazines and decor books.
Keep the receipts. Bring your new purchase home. Check again if it fits the theme as well as you imagined or if it makes you as happy as you thought it would. If it does, great! If it doesn’t… You know what to do.
This is not a perfect process. Go over these steps as many times as you need to create the space you really love. Tweek and expand on these ideas. A guide can be helpful, but you are the master of the final result.