5 Tips for Decluttering Your Home in the New Year
I'm convinced that decluttering is an innate form of therapy. Sure, cleaning isn't usually a first choice of activity on a day off, but you have to admit it feels sooo good to clear out start fresh. How does the saying go—outer order, inner calm? Sounds about right! The talented team at Hibou Design & Co. seem to agree, naturally, and they're sharing 5 tips on how to do just that in your own home for the new year—along with this goooorgeous (and totally uncluttered) home they designed. That blue island? SO. good. Peruse the full gallery here, captured by Guillermo Castro.
From Hibou Design & Co.... There’s something so refreshing about starting a new year. It feels like a clean slate; a fresh opportunity to set new goals and create new opportunities. Making small changes in the way you live can start in the comfort of your residence. Here are our best tips for decluttering your sanctuary for the new year.
Look at your home from a fresh point of view.
Over time, we become very comfortable in our surroundings and it becomes hard for us to envision our interiors any other way. Try to think outside of the box, or get a friend or family member to help you. Is the placement of your furniture optimized? Is there another way to move around your large pieces to create a better flow or just give you a sense of change? Apply this to the smaller furniture like nightstands, hallways pieces, dressers, accent chairs. Moving your furniture to a new room in your home will make them feel new again while possibly proving more useful. Maybe your nightstands would make great end tables. Or perhaps that dresser works best in the entrance or hall. When we open our minds to the possibilities, our homes can forever evolve with our personal aesthetics, lifestyles and needs.
Maximize your closed storage.
One of the best investments in your home that will have a huge impact in its overall aesthetic is something that guests will never see; your closets. We often work closely with storage specialists, California Closets, and our clients to maximize their storage according to their needs. We realize that although a chunk of their budget will go to something that we won’t see, it means that our clients will be able to maintain their space as we’ve designed it. If everything has its place, there’s no excuse for visible clutter.
Make it less personal.
We collect and collect until we step back and realize that our home has become a storage unit for everything that we have a hard time throwing out. Holiday cards, photos, gifts. As William Morris once stated; “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Look at everything you own and ask yourself if you love it or if you use it. If the answer isn’t yes to one of these questions, then it has to go!
Clear out all surfaces and start from scratch.
When we stage a home for a photoshoot we start by clearing out everything, and we really do mean everything. We put away all small appliances, remove all throw pillows, picture frames, even if we know they may return to their exact same placement. Once all surfaces are bare, we go through our pile of accessories and start placing the items we love most where it really feels naked. This doesn’t mean filling every bare surface. Sometimes an empty coffee table, dining table or island is just what the space needs to feel clean.
Baskets, boxes and bowls.
The last step to creating a clean and functional space is looking at the everyday household items that you cannot avoid being exposed. Items that we use on a daily basis like our remote controls, phone chargers, extra throws, keys, sunglasses realistically need to remain accessible. This is where baskets, boxes and bowls come in to play. It’s so much nicer to hide your gadgets in a pretty box on your coffee table than lying around on the couch, plus it gives you a reason to always put it back in the same place, so you don’t lose it in your cushions! A decorative bowl or dish on your entrance console for your keys and glasses. A deep basket in the living room for your extra cozy throws. These are all great solutions that provide accessible storage while adding to the overall aesthetic.
About this home... Our Bellays Street Project is so dear to my heart because the client happens to be one of my very best friends. From the day Monica and Shawn mandated us for the renovation, we knew this was going to be a good one. We took their home completely down to the studs and started from scratch on both the main floor and the upper level.Our conceptual work started with reconfiguring the layout of the first floor. We flipped the kitchen and the dining room and after playing with so many layout options, we concluded that two islands would best suit the kitchen and how our clients would use their home. This allowed us to accommodate a larger kitchen with tons of work space and created an open flow to the dining room and the living room. The kitchen truly became the heart of the home, so fitting for an Italian who likes to cook.The layout was unique enough for us to be excited about working on this project, and then Monica told us she was open to a navy kitchen! And Shawn agreed!! We couldn’t be more thrilled. During the presentation, we confirmed most of the details that were carried through the main floor. We kept it contemporary and threw in elements that incorporate a touch of country like the shaker cabinets and farmhouse sink. Oversized pendants hang above the island and floating shelves above the bar.We went back and forth quite a bit about the fireplace. Monica and Shawn's first choice was to condemn it since they didn't think they would ever use it and we finally opted to keep the fireplace and make it a focal point of the room. We designed a clean and modern mantle that repeated the same oak wood on the hood detail and the floating shelves over the bar, stained to match the flooring.The decor is simple and comfortable since the living room was to be used as the main living space and TV room. It also had to be accommodating for several guests as it would also be used for entertaining. Between the sofa, armchairs, ottomans and three stools at the counter, Monica and Shawn can comfortably entertain a party of 10.With the blue islands as a starting point, they, of course, had an influence on the decor. We brought in different shades of blue and softened the palette with pink accents and accessories.Upstairs, their master suite was decorated in the same hues of the living room and leftover flooring was used as an accent wall. This column in the room was there to stay so we could have either ignored it or accentuated it, and in this case, it made more sense to give it some character and make it pop. The wood accent is followed by a white textured wallpaper on the headboard wall that brings depth to the room.The biggest transformation had to be in the main bathroom where we removed a giant step-up tub, enlarged the shower, and created a crisp, clean white palette. We worked with a great team on this project which made the experience quite enjoyable. We had close to no hiccups along the way and the project was completed exactly on schedule. Overall, we couldn't be happier with the results and we totally look forward to working with Monica and Shawn again on future projects!
Photography: Guillermo Castro | Cabinetry: Houzz | Contractor: Constructions Redev | Furniture (Bedroom): Maison Corbeil | Furniture (Coffee Table): Artemano | Furniture (Living Room Rug: Jaipur | Furniture (Sofa, armchairs, dining table, dining lighting, maste: West Elm | Hardware (Cabinet Pulls): Emtek | Interior Decor & Styling: Hibou Design & Co. | Interior Design: Hibou Design & Co. | Lighting (Master Bathroom): Montreal Lighting | Lighting (Pendants over island): CB2 | Plumbing (Powder Room & Main Bath Faucets): Ramacieri | Plumbing (Sink Faucet): Delta
