What inspires my work?

Before Marie Kondo became famous, many of us were already organizing. My Mom says I was born liking order and cleanliness. She should talk. As kids, she made my sister, brother and I clean every weekend. I remember my sister commenting as a teenager, “I like to vacuum first and then dust as vacuuming raises all the dust.” Wow, I thought, okay, got it. When I was very young I started cleaning homes and babysitting … the going rate was $1.00 per hour! While I tried to clean, their extra stuff got in the way. An idea was born! Could I clean better if they had less stuff, less clutter, less mess?

1) Minimalism

Minimalism has governed my life, for better or worse, since I was young. Spare and classical some say, boring say others. I like to know what I have and how much of it. I like to keep a running total of backup cleaning supplies. I have very few clothes, and regularly clean out my closet. (I think this is a leftover from wearing seasonal samples in the fashion industry) Marie Kondo popularized minimalism in her famous book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying” and “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying UP”. In her books, she also sees the value of knowing what you have and why. I see the value in a few important items that I inherited from my grandmothers - mostly their artwork, china, and old photos. I value people and what they have given me, not too many things.

2) Good Design

Being organized and being able to see what you have does not have to mean crammed containers and overflowing stuff. Good organization means good design. I work to bring high design to simple and organized spaces.

3) Buying what you already have

Containers and packaging now constitutes 32% of all household waste. Because I work in people’s homes, garages, storage units, and offices, I see the redundancies of purchasing what we do not need.

4) Holding onto something that we think we will use eventually. It takes hard work to think about our belongings and their usefulness. To look at it, hold it, thank it, and let it go or decide we could use it after all. These questions take a lot of mental work. We fill our homes with stuff until they are full. If you think about the last time you moved, how many bags did you take to your local charity? When we dive into these hard conversations with ourselves, the results are interesting. Making that transition to thinking about the usefulness or sentimentality of our things takes a bit of mental work. It does not have to be scary … and invite a friend or outside help in, to guide you through the process.

5) Efficiency

Going to graduate school while working full- time made me somewhat of a time- efficiency nerd. If you don’t have much time, you do your best in the amount of time provided. I feel the same way about homes, especially kitchens. Working with your particular space, you prioritize the main things you do in a kitchen. Putting your main dinner plates by the dishwasher, good idea. Putting your utensils and spices away in the pantry not near the oven, less than ideal. We spend our lives moving in certain ways throughout a house - the ‘high use’ areas. Think about how you move within your kitchen and the kitchen items will go in the appropriate place.

6) Cleanliness

You cannot clean a space if is too cluttered. Seeing what you have and having easy access to it, is why I organize. If you have too much stuff, you will not be able to clean. It is a vicious cycle. If you set up an overall organizing system in a closet, a pantry, or a storage cabinet, it will make it easier to clean. And if you hire a cleaner, they will thank you for organizing so he/she can clean.

7) Health

In recent years, there has been a lot of research about the stresses of a messy, untidy, cluttered home. Your cortisol level rises when your home is cluttered and messy. High cortisol levels mean extra stress. The visual stimulation of too much ‘stuff’ weighs heavily on your mental health. Clutter competes for your attention, distracting you from what you want to focus on.

8) Environment

You can be a good steward of your environment when you choose products that are more durable and last longer. It is important to buy what you need, use to its fullest extent, and say goodbye (by recycling) when something no longer serves its purpose. Every product has a life cycle - birth, life, or where it ends up. This might be something to think about when you do your shopping.

9) Simplicity

A simpler, more organized home means that you can relax, rest, sip a cup of tea, stretch, love your family, invite your friends over. A simpler home can mean beauty and style. It can mean relaxation, comfort, and coziness. Our homes are places of nurture and warmth, of family, and good friends.