5 Instagrammers' Clean and Uncluttered Looks I Can't Get Enough Of

While we wait on the new kitchen countertop installation, draperies to be installed, and some furniture to be delivered, the Mr. has started on his beloved project of the dressing room.  It'll take him some time to finish, as this won't be another IKEA PAX hack...  he's building from scratch:

... and while he was at it, he also started building some pull-out drawers for the kitchen's lower cabinets.  Testing a completed one here:

Meanwhile, I can't wait to start decorating after all these installations are in place!  We talked about how I've found new love of clean and uncluttered decor, influenced by the KonMari method, in my previous Small Space post.  Today, I want to share the 5 interior designers' Instagram accounts, whose feeds I pour over for their timeless minimalist looks.

Em Henderson

She's currently Target's Home spokesperon, and her style resonates with the brand - comfortably lived-in and unpretentious. I would say her signature look is mid-century with a modern/ Scandinavian vibe.  She styles a beautiful vignette with a few statement pieces and makes it seem effortless.

Studio Mcgee

They're a fast growing interior design firm that specializes in mixing a few eclectic statement pieces to enhance a room's bright and contemporary style.

Erica Cook

She just exudes style, from head to toe.  Just like her impeccable fashion sense, her home is styled elegantly.  I love her black and white decor with accents of warm metals.

Sally Wheat

You might've come across her work numerous times on Pinterest.  Her play of patterns and textures makes her rooms decorated but uncluttered.

Sophie Paterson

Her thoughtful mix of greys and taupes creates spaces that are serene and inviting.  She keeps her accessories simple and let the layers of textures and statement furniture pieces in the room speak for themselves.

With the help of these pros, I've come up with some key elements that they use to seemingly decorate effortlessly.  

How to achieve a clean and uncluttered look

1. Use neutral colours for walls or major furniture pieces - play on colours with accessories in vignettes, throw pillows, and other textiles.
2. Keep accessories simple, with one or two statement pieces per surface -  leaving some empty space between objects make it easier on the eyes to enjoy the uniqueness of each piece.  
3. Create subtle contrast - in textures, colours, and patterns to create interest and balance in the space.

When I can finally unpack and purge through the rest of our boxed up decor after all these installations, I'll be sure to keep these common themes in mind as I decorate our new spaces.  Looking forward to see our new house decorated in this clean new look!

Do share other home decor instagrammers that you love!

Small Space + Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Now into the second week of having moved in, we're still unpacking.  Well, we took a break after we've unpacked the essentials, and continued to unpack once the crown moldings were installed.  It was a nice break from all the boxes; afterall, there's no point to decorate just to have them be in the way for the crown installers, right?

We couldn't wait to decorate the entryway once the crown moldings were installed!

Unpacking may be an endless task, and I'm embarrassed to admit that, for a family of 3, we just have so much stuff!  I didn't realize we were such hoarders - it took our 4 movers 7 hours to move out of the rental and into our new house.  It's true that we don't have much furniture, as one of the movers said, but we have a lot of STUFF.  As a result, I'm always looking for more storage space.

Then, as I was browsing for organizing methods, I learned about Marie Kondo, a celebrity organizer in Japan and author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  It sounded magical for sure, so I delved into it further and read the e-book in one go.  

This isn't a book about cleaning, but more of decluttering by ridding of things that don't "spark joy" in us.  It has a spiritual undertone to it, and in essence, it's more about a lifestyle change.  That by knowing what you love, you become more grateful to your possessions, gain the ability to be a more decisive person (through the decluttering process), and make positive changes in life.

It's definitely an eye-opener and timing just couldn't be better!  We're in a smaller house now, and it's ridiculous to still have so much after rounds of purging.  We're at the best time to start with a clean slate as we unpack the boxes!  This is the easiest way to declutter all in one go, as Marie Kondo stresses.  Purge the unwanted, then store the remaining in its own place, to minimize rebounding back to clutter.  Afterall, "tidying is not the purpose of life."

Little did I know, I was actually already following the Konmari method's order of decluttering - starting from your least emotionally attached items:  clothing, books, papers/ documents, miscellany, and lastly, momentos.  

I first learned about the capsule wardrobe after we moved into our rental last year, and have subsequently purged bags after bags of clothes.  The essence of a capsule wardrobe indeed goes hand in hand with the KonMari method - keep and wear what you love, or "spark joy".

Gosh, this was embarrassing...  I've nothing to wear...

For the next category, books, I've finally gotten rid of my textbooks from university...  seriously, why did I even keep them?!  As for novels, I only kept the ones that are classics - and I consider my Harry Potter collection a classic :-)  I got rid of several boxes of books from this purge.

I'm currently tackling the miscellany category, and our biggest collection is undoubtedly home decor.  We love all the home decor and accessories, and I was all for a layered look in our previous larger house.  Though it's true a layered look is a feast for the eyes, too many home accessories would just make our current smaller home look cluttered.  Not to mention, having too much stuff out also makes it a pain to clean, and encourages procrastinating on cleaning (speaking from experience here). 

Our front hall table at the old house.  Layered look is "out" at our new house.

More and more, I find myself loving the clean home decor look of the instagrammers I follow.  They've shown me that I don't need a lot to make a space look comfortably lived in and welcoming.  Having some blank space lets the eyes rest easily on single objects and devour their beauty.   If I only display things that I love, I would opt to take better care of them with proper cleaning.  I can totally relate to Marie Kondo here:

"Human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time  As I am both lazy and forgetful, I can't take proper care of too many things.  That is why I want to cherish properly the things I love, ..."

So, I'll be purging some home decor items that don't "spark joy" this week.  Does a bowl with ratten balls on my coffee table spark joy?  I think I'm over that phase.

And onto momentos...  I'm a sentimental person, and naturally a hoarder of birthday cards and any occasional cards.  When we moved from our old house, I've purged all Christmas cards from previous years.  Sorry good friends.  And now, I'm more than ready to rid of the birthday cards I've collected over the years.  Though I still have a special box for all the cards the Mr. has given me since we started dating =)  Yes, that sparks joy in me, forever.

"Souvenirs" from our recent Europe vacation - "sparks joy" - KEEP pile.

This is our third house, and third time must be the charm.  I hope I've finally found a way to put our house in order!  It's been liberating to purge and I haven't been browsing online stores aimlessly.  My goal in following the KonMari Method is to have less, and buy less; spend less time in perfecting a layered look and more time enjoying our uncluttered house.   I'm sure the Mr. will also breath a sigh of relief for not having to build racks after racks for storage after all this decluttering!

Have you taken on the KonMari challenge?  Have you stay decluttered without rebounding back?

Easy Steps to a Successful Listing and Selling of Your House

This week has been rather gloomy and wet, which means that unfortunately, we couldn't take little man and fur-baby to the park and field across the street after dinner.  I would love to have them both enjoy that convenience while we can, before we move into our rental house.  Did you miss last week's post?  I made a special little announcement!

If you had been following, thank you for your continuous support.  You must know that we're now in the midst of some intense packing!  Rewind several months back, how did we prepare for our listing and home showing?  This week, I'm sharing some easy steps for a successful listing and quick sale of your house.

All homeowners have a common goal when they list their houses for sale - GET IT SOLD AT THE BEST PRICE QUICKLY!  And potential buyers also have a common goal - to get the best bang for their buck for a house they love.  It's a compromise to find a common ground between these two goals.  But first, the seller needs to attract potential buyers to their house.  You want potential buyers coming to your house to feel welcome and wowed, leaving with a feeling that they can see themselves living in your house.  Just like how you would say when looking at model homes, "I can totally see myself living here!"  Here are some simple steps you can take to prepare for a listing.

CURB APPEAL

You've heard it enough times - First impression counts.  Potential buyers and visitors are critical from the point they drive onto your street and arrive at your front door. You want visitors coming to your house to have a pleasant feeling right from the get go, and that starts with your front yard.  During warmer months, ensure that your front lawn and garden are trimmed and neat, rid of weeds and garbage.  Put some HEALTHY greeneries (ie. not wilting) by your front door if you don't have a garden.  In the winter months, your driveway should be cleared of snow, and sidewalk and pathway to your house shovelled and salted.  This is also obviously for safety reasons.  Do you have flyers on your driveway or at your front door?  Get rid of those too.  A welcoming front yard signals to visitors that the homeowners take pride of ownership of the house.   

PURGE AND DECLUTTER!

This is possibly the most important thing to do if you don't do anything else on the list.  Declutter as much as possible to give the impression of spaciousness in the house.  Potential buyers are not visiting your house to see your possessions, they're there to see the house and imagine how they can live in it.  If they're distracted by all your collection of trinkets, buyers won't be able to see beyond them.  You don't want potential buyers to feel turned-off by all the stuff around the house and thinking your house doesn't have enough space.  If you don't have space for your stuff, how could they fit theirs?

STUFF - We'll start right at the entrance.  Lots of families love to display their shoes collection at the front door out of convenience.  That's great and all, but when you're showing your house, you want visitors to see the house right when they walk in, not your shoes.  No matter how neatly you put them on a nice shoe rack, they take away space in your foyer, and especially so if you have a narrow doorway.  The less distraction, the less critical the visitors would be.

Shelves, tabletops and counters should be as decluttered as possible. As much as you think that blender on your kitchen counter is an essential daily use item, potential buyers may not agree.  Try to keep your kitchen counter as clear as possible of small appliances and other knick knacks until your house is sold.  It may be a bit extreme, but take note that the state of your kitchen make or break a first impression.  A spacious countertop gives the illusion of a spacious kitchen, even if your kitchen is small.  Most cooks of the house would take a wide open countertop over one that's cluttered with no space to stretch.  It only add points in the visitors' mind, and every little bit helps to get your house sold!  The Mr. even hid our countertop microwave on Open House days!

REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL PHOTOS - Visitors don't need to know how the homeowners look like.  They want to imagine how they can live in your house.  Let your house do the talking, not how you looked in your photos.  To replace our personal photos, we simply printed stock photos from online sources and placed them on top of ours.  You don't need to hide your beautiful photo frames, unless you have too many of them out in the open.  Use the frames to enhance your decor, but not too over-powering that there's all to look at.  Limit them to 1 per shelf or 3 to a space.

FURNITURE - If you've been to builders' model homes, you would notice that they keep their furniture pieces to a minimal.  Each room should only have the basic pieces of furniture, especially if the room is on the smaller side.  If you can't walk into a room without hitting some furniture, then you should probably remove some non-essential pieces from the room.  Maximize traffic flow, as most viewers flow through the house as a group, you don't want a visiting family feeling squished in the room.  Visitors hate the feeling of overcrowding and stumbling in and out of rooms.  You may also want to move your furniture pieces around so that the path into the room is not blocked.  You can purge, donate, or put them in storage while your house is being listed.  The choice is yours, but remember your goal - you want people to love your house, and you want it sold ASAP at the highest price. 

GARAGE - If you use your garage as storage, rent an indepenent storage unit elsewhere and free up your garage.  Potential buyers need to ensure they can park their cars in your garage, or use it as storage space themselves.  Also, during showing appointments, never park a car on the driveway, as it signals that you don't have enough space to park it in your garage since it's full of stuff (and that goes to say that your house doesn't have enough space for your stuff).  Remember, potential buyers are always looking for space!

A LITTLE FACE LIFT

It's only until after you purge that you can finally see the years of dust collected behind furnitures, scuff marks on the walls, knicks on baseboards, etc.  It's time for some renewal and repair.  Most buyers want a MOVE-IN READY house, as most listings would emphasize if they are.  Deep clean your house from top to bottom.  Get rid of that huge and growing dust web that you've been ignoring, sparkle your shower stalls and bathtubs, DEEP CLEAN YOUR KITCHEN, etc.  If your walls and baseboards show signs of wear and age, give them a coat of new paint.  You may be able to ignore them, but potential buyers see these little things when they walk through your house.  Don't skimp on a fresh coat of paint if you have a room in barbie pink, neon yellow, or whatever sharp colours you might have customized - repaint in a neutral tone.  Neutral colours are more pleasing to the eyes, and allow the potential buyers to have a "ready to move in" feel about your house.  

MARKET YOUR HOUSE IN THE BEST LIGHT

Now that your house is ready to be on the market, check with your agent if you can take the photos for their marketing materials (eg. on the realtor's website, feature sheets, etc.).  We opted to take the photos ourselves, same ones that are on our gallery.  We knew the best angles of each room, and we were able to take advantage of taking photos throughout the day to get the best natural light for each room.  For example, our entrance faces east, so photos of the entrance were taken in the morning.  Our family room faces west, so photos for that room were taken in the late afternoon.  The same goes for the rest of the house.  You want to attract potential buyers browsing on realtors' websites by showcasing photos of your house under the best lighting.  Just like how interior design magazines always photograph beautiful rooms in broad daylight, never at night with artificial lighting.  If, however, you're not comfortable about taking on this task yourself, then of course enlist your agent to do so.

THE PRICING GAME

"SOLD ABOVE ASKING!" realtors' ads abound, but how often are they relevant?  Is "sold above asking" all that great if the house was priced below average market price of similar homes in the area?  Then that "sold above asking" gimmick is more likely just "sold below market".  Potential buyers are now very informative, doing their own research online to find out the going market prices of the homes in the area they're interested in.  It's more important to price the house around the comparables in the area, so it would not raise a flag with potential buyers and deter them from looking at your house any further.

INCORPORATE SOME WOW FACTORS

With your house now in public domain, hopefully it's getting some great marketing exposure.  Potential buyers browse numerous online listings and may schedule multiple viewing appointments a day.  How are they suppose to remember all the different houses? Just like a store front's window dressing, you want to wow your potential buyers with some lasting positive memories. When we had showing appointments, we set our dining table as if we were having a dinner party, as seen in this post.  It's the easiest extra step to do!  "Oh, that house with the set table in the dining room" would be all that was needed for a potential buyer to remember the flow of our house.  

BRING IN THE FRESHNESS

A basket of fresh fruits in the kitchen or a vase of fresh flowers in the living area makes your house more lived in and inviting.  We had a basket of lemons in the kitchen and a vase of flowers for showings.  Little touches like these let visitors know that you care to make a good impression of your house.  

How about some fresh air?  Open up the windows to air out the house before a showing appointment.  It helps get rid of trapped odours that you've grown nose-blind to.  You may also add a SUBTLE, FRESH and PLEASANT scent with plug-ins or diffuser oils.  The key is subtle, and not using it to mask any existing odours!  I had my wall plug-in oil diffuser turned to the lowest to ensure that only a light scent was released.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...  MAINTAIN IT ALL!

The above tasks are not to be only done once and for all.  Ensuring your house is always in top-notch showing condition is key to a fast and successful sale!  These to-do's may seem like all the fuss about nothing and create so much inconvenience.  That's true, but you want to keep the time of being inconvenienced to a minimal.  You definitely don't want to have your property sitting idle for weeks, or worse, months.  Imagine if there're several houses on your street that are also for sale!  It happened to us, 2 out of the 2 times when we listed our house for sale.  Having a great layout definitely helped us in both of these cases, but making sure that our house showed to wow allowed us to sell in record time on our streets (sold 1st home in 2 days and sold current home in 11 days; only our builder's model home beat us to it, being sold in 8 days). 

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Throughout your listing process, keep in mind your goal as a seller - GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD AT THE BEST PRICE QUICKLY!  The longer your house sits idle on the market, the less buyers would be interested as it gives the impression of a problematic house.  Do all you can to attract potential buyers and wow them so you can get a quick sale.  Yup, it's just that simple!  And you know what?  Since you've already decluttered and purged before you listed your house, packing won't be too dreadful afterall!

We wish you the best of luck on your listing!  Let us know how it went!

SHERINA SO (sherina.so@century21.ca)