Who likes cleaning? I’ve recently been on quite the organizing frenzy in my living space. I’m sure if you’ve watched the Netflix series on Marie Kondo, you, like myself have had the urge to declutter your space.
Who is Marie Kondo and what’s the Konmari Method of tidying?
It’s all about finding things that “spark joy” in your life and only keeping those items. In other words, you’re getting rid of clutter and things that don’t serve a purpose.
In other words, It’s a method that is meant to help you only keep the things that make you happy and in turn, help you give up what you don’t need.
I’ve been organizing my space using the KonMari method and I want to share with you the Before and After with Marie Kondo:
Sparking Joy by being Grateful for What I Have
A big part of the Konmari Method is to thank your items for providing you with its purpose. Every episode of her new Netflix’s show Tidying up with Marie Kondo starts with her getting to know the house and thanking it for everything it has brought to that person. It’s definitely a cultural practice from Japan, and some people might not understand it fully. But, I’ve always been a firm believer that if you don’t understand it, you can still respect another’s practices.
I’ve never thought of my material items this way but it’s been a new way of thinking that I really enjoy. Being more grateful and thankful for what we have is something we can all work on. Being grateful for being able to own items at the very least.
The main reason I started to do a reorganization of my room is because I have so many cool stuff in my room but it’s just not placed in a way where I can see it aesthetically.
I have a record player, a couple vinyl from Christmas last year. One of the items on my list is a new diffuser and I found the perfect one from MUJI! It’s a great size and it matches the look that I was going for in my room. Also, I chose two different scents – one for relaxation purposes (peppermint notes) and one for more of a refresh- Ocean (citrus notes). My vanity mirror also broke and I found another perfect one at Muji as well! These are currently placed in my living space, and I’m thinking of putting the diffuser in my office soon.
Sparking Joy by Organizing and Clearing out my Closet
I have 2 closets- one attached to the wall and another smaller white Ikea one. I have a lot of clothes and do like being able to see stuff I wear regularly, so I also have a metal stand as well in front of my bed for the clothes I wear everyday.
That should give you an idea of the amount of clothes that I have. If anything, my closets are the biggest portion in my room that requires organizing.
One of the most popular parts of the Konmari Method is how to fold your clothes and organize them. Marie Kondo says to only keep clothing items that spark joy and the rest can be donated. So I did what she does on the show and took every single piece of clothing from my closet and laid it out on my bed (I did this in portions). I was selling a huge portion of my clothes, and then separated them into a pile that was heading to the donation bins. It’s like when I was spring cleaning but wayyy harder.
This took SUCH a long time, and I literally could feel my body just crashing. Basically my work out for the week (month).
I did some major shifting around, moving an open concept plastic drawer into my closet so that I could remove this cloth Velcro collapsible organizer from the inside. I wanted to use it as my new way of organizing items like underwear, socks, pajamas and everyday items.
THE MESS BEFORE:
AFTER :
One thing I reeaaalllyyy wanted to start doing is the folding method from the Konmari method. I used to just chuck my undies without really folding them, but after implementing the Konmari folding method, I am saving so much space in each drawer.
Folding method:
The Konmari Method suggests that you fold your clothes into thirds and actually store them upright in your drawer. All clothing should be able to stand up on it’s own.
Another great part of folding this way is when you pick clothes in the morning, you don’t mess up your piles by digging for your favourite shirt. It’s already there! Upright, visible and easy to access. This way of folding is actually perfect for packing as well, and I totally use it for vacation packing
Every item should also have it’s own spot. Another key aspect to the Konmari Method.
Even if we work on organizing and folding everything perfectly, our items need a place to live! Each item you own should have a special place to be kept. Whether it’s your socks or even you cozy sweater, find a place for it!
A new addition to my room and the absolute greatest for keeping my closets more airy, are these fabulous plastic stackables I got from Muji! I love buying these little drawer organizers for clothing that I can fold, such as my jeans and beauty products too.
My favourite part is that these Muji translucent drawers are not connected to each other, have wheels that you can install independently, and they stack over one another! This way, you can always detach them for other purposes, or get more if you need more storage.
I also bought these beautiful grey cloth boxes for my camera equipment, and items small enough to fit in boxes. These are SO beautiful and feel like felt, and are pretty large in size. It’s also so aesthetically beautiful – much better than boring boxes.
Organizing all my Jewelry and Accessories
Like clothes, I also have a lot of accessories! I think that jewelry and accessories can really dress up an outfit. Prior to cleaning my jewelry organizational space, I kind of just had it in some boxes within my second white closet. It isn’t too messy but many of the pieces go missing or entangled in one another so I was really looking to get something that I could hang necklaces on but not take too much space.
Voila! Found the perfect jewelry organizer, also from MUJI!
Side note because it’s one of my favourite purchases this year! My brand new standing mirror that I found from JYSK! I was really looking for a large full body mirror that wasn’t too expensive and this one was about $50 cad (on sale) and has a beautiful white antique feel!
Sparking Joy through Organizing Paper Storage
Another section of the KonMari Method of tidying is sorting through paper. I never realized how many notebooks, bills, and paper I have sitting around! Guys, I have so much paper, just everywhere- things that I would tell myself to get to later, receipts EVERYTHING.
Everything needs a home so I got some file organizers for my desk, and separated the papers that I needed to keep. To avoid paper clutter, you can move a lot of your bills and receipts online and just keep items within a designated tax folder.
I write letters to myself a lot to keep my mental health a priority and a huge part of mental health is that I wanted to keep my living space filled with things that makes me happy!
Sparking Joy by having a Designated Space to Keep Random Items
I have alot of random shit.
And not all of them can really be placed into a designated box. If so, I’d have so many mini boxes with 1-2 items. My way around that is to have one giant box to put all the random things in. At least then, I’ll know exactly where to find things – call it organized mess.
This large enclosed box is so good for putting in items that are heavier too because it’s so very sturdy. I can sit on it too because of the strong material. In case you’re interested, this is from Muji as well.
This is as far as I got so far with the Konmari Method. There’s still many places I need to work on and it’s more of a continuous effort to organize. This method of tidying has allowed me to really think about what’s important to me and to stop keeping clutter- because it all piles up!
I hope these tips help you out with your continuous decor and organization of your space. You can find more photos on my Instagram and feel free to tweet me some ideas! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my Samsational Mail! <- You can at the bottom of the page!
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Disclaimer: Some items showcased in this post is gifted product and in exchange for inclusion in this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Muji items are from the MUJI Robson location.
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Till next time,
xoxo Sam