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emmelinewe

Houzz Live Chat - How to de-clutter, Friday the 14th at 2pm

Emmeline Westin
9 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

In the run up to Christmas things can get a bit messy. There are Christmas parties to attend, lots of cooking to do and you might not have time to properly tidy up - it's no wonder that our homes tend to look cluttered in December. And let's not even talk about the Christmas hangover in January...

That's why we've invited Yasmin Chopin, from Yasmin Chopin Interior Design, to help us out. She will answer all your de-cluttering question and offer her expert advice. Whether you've got a cluttered hallway, bedroom, living room or children's room, Yasmin can come up with some great solutions for you (and your family)

http://www.houzz.co.uk/projects/users/yasminchopin

During this session we will ask Yasmin a bunch of questions, but all community members are welcome to jump in and ask their own questions (as well as answer questions too).

This is how it will work: I will post questions as comments to the thread. Each question will have a question number, for example ‘Q1)”. To answer a question, use the corresponding label, for example ‘A1)’.

Don’t forget to keep refreshing the page to see new questions and answers.

The LIVE CHAT will start Friday the 14th at 2pm and will run for 30-45 minutes.

See you then!




Featured Answer
  • pinklark
    9 years ago
    We sorted our loft before moving this year by giving ourselves 2 hours over each of 4 weekends (when the kids were out) doing a quarter of the loft each session. We tried to be
    ruthless - asking ourselves if we really wanted to pay a removal company to move the stuff and why it was in the loft in the first place. A lot of it went to charity and we sold some stuff on Ebay. I think doing it in smaller sessions rather than one long session really worked.

    • Comments (59)

    • triciapetriclark
      9 years ago
      Like maxcope, one of our bedrooms is small with no room for wardrobes. The best solution is to install a high level shelf around the walls where you can store folded clothes or use attractive boxes for small items or shoes (low cost idea: cover shoe boxes with fabric, wall or wrapping paper). Add Shaker style peg rails underneath for hanging clothes.. If you use hangers you can hang several items on each hook - colour code or hang by length for a decorative and uncluttered look (good idea: paint walls in a single light colour to also increase the feeling of space). For out of season clothes, under bed storage boxes or a divan bed with built in drawers are really useful. Good luck!
    • Lindy Flower
      9 years ago
      Are porcelain gloss tiles safe for a hallway?
    • PRO
      All Organised
      9 years ago
      Great Discussion topic! If anyone is still struggling with organisation and decluttering after Yasmin's fabulous advice and need some extra help, you will be able to source a professional organiser by visiting the Association of Professional Organisers and Declutters. The membership are based nationwide and many offer a consultation service.

      http://www.apdo-uk.co.uk/
    • muthonimwangi
      9 years ago
      we have just been denied planning permission to do the size of loft conversion we wanted. It now means we have to do a much smaller one and we need to be really clever in the design to make use of each and every inch of space. Is it best to get an architect to draw the plans and then we get a builder or will an interior designer work best for maximising use of space? any ideas will be much much appreciated.
    • Nick Van Praag
      9 years ago
      I will have a wardrobe around either side of my bed and above. Storage will be limited for 2 so I'd like to get ideas how to arrange the shelves etc to make most efficient use of the space.
    • pinklark
      9 years ago
      We have just laid high gloss porcelain downstairs, including the hallway. They look stunning but I wouldn't advise with young children/anyone unsteady on their feet. They had a very slippery wax coating when they were first laid and the tiler spent quite a bit of time removing it to make them safe.
    • dudds116
      9 years ago
      Where can l get a small glass or (light coloured wood) topped dining table table that doesn't have shiny chrome middle stand!? 30' by 30' or thereabouts. Fed up being offered oak and shabby chic. Edinburgh only
    • beautiee
      9 years ago
      A lot of our clutter is kids toys and I find it really hard to know what to get rid of. The problems is that we have a seriously TINY place so not much space and all the toys are either ones that are really loved or very educational. With younger children I've found they say yes get rid of a particular toy, only to want it later on, so they're not always best placed to decide what to keep or get rid of. How do I decide what to keep and what to let go?
    • rd66
      9 years ago
      My parents have recently downsized rather dramatically, as a consequence we have inherited some large pieces of antique furniture (built by my grandfather) and lots of antique/old ceramics. Some things are valuable but not to our taste, some meaningful but of no value!! What do we do? The house has taken an eclectic feel which is fine, but do we keep or cull the extras?
      My solution at the moment is to keep lots in the loft and display stuff periodically..... Or am I really harbouring clutter that I don't really need? Any advice?
    • R T
      9 years ago
      Also... What if you don't have a loft?
    • Asifa Sarwar
      9 years ago
      I'm moving house soon, the hallway is not very big and the size is 1.98m x 1.02m and I need storage for shoes. Can u please help me with that? Thankx
    • PRO
      Stella Michael
      9 years ago
      Once everything has a place I am ok with keeping things more or less clear and de-cluttering periodically but no matter what I do the place ends up overflowing with paperwork. No matter what kind of filing system I have it all ends up in piles all over the place. Any useful advice apart from the usual going through mail over the recycling bin etc?
    • mrsas
      9 years ago
      We have a long narrow open plan kitchen/diner. We are struggling to find a storage system that can go in the diner without it being in the way of the dining table and chairs as once we have guests seated down, we can't walk past them anymore. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
    • samgreen26
      9 years ago
      Could you please give me some tips on grouping items together, and also grouping artwork. I have lots of different paintings around the house but they look disjointed ;even though I love them all) I have thought for a while that I should take everything off the wall and swap things around but expert help on this would be appreciated. I'm worried about detracting from a painting of I group. Thanks!
    • PRO
      Stella Michael
      9 years ago
      Yasmin - I thought the talk was about de-cluttering but your intro say the talk is about interiors so lots of the questions here are about decorating/design advice. Would you please clarify what your talk is focusing on? I am not interested in the design advice so want to be sure what I will be tuning in for. Thanks
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Hi Stella, good point! The chat is about decluttering your home, not interiors in general. Although that might be a possible topic in the future!
    • moranga
      9 years ago
      I bought a modern house. One of the bedrooms is under the ceiling ,big and the prevoius owners put a modern bath out of the bathroom but in the bedroom. i cant move it . What can i do for separeting the area?
    • moranga
      9 years ago
      The bedroom is near the roof , sorry lol
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      Looking forward to chatting about Clutter later today! You have given me lots to think about in your comments - thank you. We'll cover as much as we can in the time allotted.
    • PRO
      Stella Michael
      9 years ago
      A previous Houzz article it talked about people who are "filers" and those that are "pilers" but didn't offer any suggestions to help work with each. I am a piler but try to file and struggle ... I may do it for a while and then it all falls apart as the piles grow ... any suggestions beyond the obvious of "try harder" would be much appreciated. Thanks
    • beautiee
      9 years ago
      What is the link for the live chat please because I can't find it!?
    • beautiee
      9 years ago
      Like stellahome I also have a real issue with 'to do piles' all over the place. It's impossible to keep on top of the jobs and I don't want to put the stuff away only to be forgotten about but I find that the 'to do piles' grow quicker than I can do them - help!!!
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Hi Beutiee - the chat will be held in this thread, we just haven't started yet. Tune in at 2pm and we'll kick off. You just need to refresh the page to see the new questions and answers.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      So many great questions, this will be a great Q&A session. 5 minutes to go and we'll get going! Welcome everyone!
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      Good afternoon Emmeline. Hello everyone! I'm warming up my typing fingers..!
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Alright Yasmin, let's begin! I thought this would be a good question to start with.

      Q1) Rathisha wants to know how you prevent clutter from building up. And also the best way to start decluttering ?
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A1 Clutter builds up over time and it takes time to reduce the clutter. Of course it's better to not get cluttered in the first place. Best to identify what 'clutter' means to you personally, (it's different for everyone), then work out what exactly is happening. What process is causing the clutter? Then work back from there.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Great! Moving on to the next question.

      Q2) chalkandbell is moving house and doesn’t know where to start. Her biggest problem is her loft, it's so full she can't see the wood for the trees. She can't bring things down to sort them out as there is no extra space downstairs - do you have any advice? How do you classify what to keep and what to throw away?
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A2 This is probably a common problem chalkandbell, you are not alone! If you are moving house shortly I would suggest you find somewhere to take your loft contents so you can see what you've got and have a good sort through. Maybe a friend has a double garage you could use for a week or so, or you could rent some storage space for a month. It's easy to say 'sort through it gradually' but I know that's difficult when there are time pressures and the move date looms. Have a go at doing it all at once. The criteria for keeping, throwing away, selling or gifting is really up to you. Just feel good about it - and make sure you have the space to take what you decide to keep and not put it all up in the loft again.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Organising your wardrobe space is a popular dilemma, here's a question on that topic.

      Q3) Vivienne has 2 x built in wardrobes, with just a single hanging rail and a shelf above it inside. She shares these half-and-half with her husband. Are there any solutions that are easy to install inside her wardrobe that will offer a better solution for storing all their clothes and accessories? She currently have plastic boxes stacked at the bottom!
    • R T
      9 years ago
      Thank you Yasmin. Sounds like a I need to break it down a bit more and 'see' the clutter in a different way in order to get rid of it!
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      A3 Wardrobes can get cluttered if things are not organised. It depends of course on what you have in your wardrobes. Many people tend to store things in their wardrobes that actually don't belong there simply because it's the biggest storage space in the house.

      Slimline clothes hangers mean your clothes take up less space. Shoe shelves that are shoe size and allow you to see the shoes without getting out lots of boxes make more sense. Basically you need to be able to see what you've got so you only get out what you want and don't disturb everything else. Ideally you need to design your wardrobe specifically for you - to suit the type of clothes you wear and the space you have.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      More storage/organisation questions coming up!

      Q4) Nick has a wardrobe around either side of his bed and above. Storage is limited for 2 so he’d like to get ideas how to arrange the shelves to make most efficient use of the space.
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A4 Let's consider the space inside a wardrobe as a big box - how you organise your possessions inside this box is very much to do with how you live your life. Do you need hanging space? If so, could you fit two rails one at high level, one low level? Do you need space for folded clothes? If so, what size are they when folded and could you make your shelves the optimum size? How many folded items stack comfortably before you end up making a mess of everything again? Deep tray type containers are pretty good for shelves higher up so you can pull out the whole tray to find what you want rather than stuffing things in and never knowing what's at the back. Work out what you have and need first and then design the wardrobe storage to fit is best.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      That's actually a really smart way of approaching it. Hope that helped Nick!

      Q5) Beautiee would like to know what do about her kids toys, she finds it really hard to know what to get rid of. Their space is tiny and all the toys are either really loved or very educational. How does she decide what to keep and what to let go?
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A5 Kids toys are a headache for most families. Space is always a problem because toys are bulky and tend to accumulate as a child grows up. I suggest you choose a date in each year when you take an inventory - probably best to do this well before a new influx of toys is expected (birthday/Christmas). So on this 'anniversary', call it toy day, reduce the toys to a minimum - the size of this depends on your space. But if you get yourself and your children into the habit of letting go of toys it will make the play area much easier. Even if a toy is educational remember the child's educational needs change over time. Getting your children used to gifting their toys to others (even if it's the bin men) is a good habit.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      We are running out of time, so a few more!

      Q6) Asifa would like to know clever shoe storage solutions for a very small hallway. Any good ideas?
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A6 It's not pretty to see shoes all over the floor in the hall so the first thing I suggest is to store them out of sight. But they need to be easy to get at so how about a slim cupboard of some sort? If your hallway is very small indeed the cupboard only has to be one shoe depth - that is the width of the shoe, say 15cm. Now how many shelves can you install along and up your walls? Hopefully enough to accommodate all your shoes! Put a cupboard door on it or neat curtain to cover. You can of course buy readymade shoe storage but a bespoke solution will be much better for you. How many people have bought a shoe rack yet still have shoes on the floor?
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      And the last one!

      Q6) rd66’s parents have downsized and she’s inherited some large pieces of antique furniture (built by her grandfather) and lots of antique/old ceramics. Some things are valuable but not to their taste, some meaningful but of no value. What should they keep and what should they get rid of? Their current solution is to keep stuff in the loft and display it periodically. What do you do about sentimental items that take up space but you don’t want to throw away?
    • Tom Flanagan
      9 years ago
      So true Yasmin - I have a shoe rack but still have shoes scattered across the floor. I think a bespoke solution is in order - great advice!
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      A7 for rd66. Furniture is so bulky and I understand the sentimental value. Unless you want your home to be a museum it might be a case of choosing a few favourite pieces and then letting the rest go. It's hard because there is always a bit of your heritage in each piece but remember every antique piece of furniture carries a story - a bit of history. We all treasure that. You might be able to find a lovely home for some of your grandfather's pieces. For the pieces you don't like or have no value.... you know what I'm going to say....
      Some people take photographs of the treasured items, or why not a video? It is a way of keeping the memory and then being able to let go of the piece, whether it's china, glass, furniture or ornaments.
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      That's a nice note to end on! Thank you so much Yasmin for your advice, tips and tricks. I think we all need some creative ideas to declutter once in a while. Our time's up, but feel free to continue chatting and give each other advice!

      Thanks all!
    • PRO
      Yasmin Chopin Interior Design
      9 years ago
      Thank you Emmeline. I hope we've been able to throw a little light on the subject of clutter. It's a big subject and I will be writing more about it on my blog and on the Houzz UK website. Bye for now!
    • User
      9 years ago
      Thank you so much Yasmin - truly insightful!
    • Tom Flanagan
      9 years ago
      Thanks again Yasmin, all really great advice and tips I'll be using in my own home, and your advice on the sentimental items was perfect - honest and touching!
    • chalkandbell
      9 years ago
      Thanks Yasmin, all great advice, sometimes it's just good to hear it from a pro and it gives you the push you need!
      I will be trying to remember your last point particularly about not putting stuff back up there!
      I'm off up there now, I may not be back down for a good while ;-)
    • beautiee
      9 years ago
      Thanks Yasmin, some great advice! Appreciate you taking the time to share your ideas, thank you!!! Feeling inspired....:)
    • Jane Eley
      9 years ago
      I struggle with storing Christmas presents. Where do you find spare storage? We receive 100 plus Christmas cards. Have you an effective solution to displaying these without looking cluttered. I tend to keep most in a pile!
    • Jane Eley
      9 years ago
      Hi Yasmin. Could I also ask about pictures. I love them especially grouped together but my husband thinks one or two is better or it looks cluttered. Any thoughts and advice on this?
    • Emmeline Westin
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Great to see so much activity on this thread. Just wanted to advise @70824, @LyndaPulver, @Muthonimwangi, @duds116 and @moranga to post your questions in the Advice section, under Design Dilemmas. As your questions aren't specifically related to clutter, they might get lost here and Houzzers won't be able to advise you.

      https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/home-and-garden-advice-dsbr0-bd~
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