Day Five :: Get Your Home Decluttered in 28 Days

 

We moved artwork around to give the room a new feel. Rearrange your pictures and see if you don’t find a new look!

 

 

 

Next in our Home Challenge of de-cluttering and redecorating in 28 days (on a dime) is a space we all spend a lot of time in – our living area.  I mentioned that I had some friends come by to help me reorganize this space to give it a more open feeling.  If you have a friend or two who could help you reorganize this space ask them for some help!  I was really surprised at the suggestions they made and I would not have thought to place chairs, vases, etc., where they moved them to – but it really made a difference to how the room feels.

 

Here are some pointers to declutter and maximize your living room:

 

 Image courtesy of HomeEdit

Hang up Photographs:

Hang up your momentos and favorite photographs on a wall.  There are a ton of different ways to arrange them – play around with how you want to place them by using a sheet of paper to represent the frames and tape them to the wall.  When you have the format you want – start hanging up your photographs.  Or you could always use some inexpensive shelving to place photographs and other favorite items.  Check out this post on Home Edit for some really great design ideas.

 

 Image courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Use Trays to Store Knickknacks:

I love this look and if your family situation allows (no really little children) you could place your TV remote’s, magazines and even a vase filled with flowers on this tray to help cut back on the clutter.

 

Have a Special Place For Keys:

We use a wooden basket by the front door to hold our keys, dog leash and other necessary items like parking passes.  By having one spot where everyone places these items keeps them from getting lost or cluttering up your space.

 

 

Use Things You Already Own:

When we reorganized my living room, we brought down one of my favorite chairs we own, our Eames Rocking Chair that I splurged on while pregnant and served as my rocking chair when my daughter was a baby.  I love this chair (there are inexpensive ones available online!) and plan to keep it forever – that is until my daughter asks for it!  Just adding this chair and moving out a rather large Asian chair to the corner of our dining area really freed up the space.  They also moved this fun clock from the kitchen into the living area and I must say it made the room so much more fun!

 

 

Move Things Around:

Think about what you want to showcase and move things around.  One of the recommendations they made was to place plants on the Asian Chair (eBay find).  I would have never thought to do this and I actually really like this idea.  Play around with items you really love and see if they might look better in a different location.

 

 

 

 

 

Arrange Things in Clusters:

We did this with some ceramics I have collected over the years.  By placing them on shelves or on top of tables in clusters cuts down on the clutter and offers a more streamlined design.

 

 Image courtesy of Pinterest.

Get Furniture That Works Overtime:

We have seen the ottomans that allow us to store blankets and other knickknacks.  This is a great way to hide extra toys as well.  Plus you can use them to kick up your feet and relax with the family.  Or use a vintage steamer trunk for a really cool look!

 

 Image courtesy of Coastal Living

Hide Clutter in Baskets:

I love straw baskets and have collected them throughout the years because you can always find a use for them!  I store our blankets in one I got at a garage sale beside our chair and TV console.  This would also be a great place to store toys quickly if you have guests coming over.

 

 

Add In Some Greenery:

Having some flowers and/or plants in your living room really brings in some cheer!  Check your local discount store for a cool vase or container.  I found this one for under $20 and it fits perfectly with our houseplant!

 

 

Keep Your Media Cabinet Streamlined:

I guess this is a matter of preference of course, but if you are looking to clear out the clutter, look to hide your DVD’s, toys, and other items out of the way.  We purchased this media cabinet years ago for just that reason and store most of our CD’s and DVD’s inside.

 

Now enjoy your new living area!

 

Take it a step further:

Get a rug for the area.

 

 

Paint the room a new color or just an accent wall like we did in a fun teal.

Add a scented candle or two.  There is just something so calming about candles!

 

Time Spent:  About one hour

Money Spent: $16 for new green pot.  $24 spent ($12 each on sale!) for new pillows for couch. Total for living room makeover: $40.

 

Make a list of things you would like to buy or redo in your living room.  Divide each room into sections and start making your wish list and major to-do list.  We need to retouch the paint in this living area (lots of little fingerprints) which can be done really quickly on a weekend.

 

What is your favorite décor style?

 

 

 

 

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