Photo: Maloney: Rick Guidotti; Walsh: Devin Pense
Because a home can't look sweet till it's neat, we've called in a dynamic domestic duo:
Carey Maloney, a high-end interior designer and cofounder of M(Group) in New York City, and
Peter Walsh, O's own organization guru. Together, they'll help you cast off what's weighing you down and make your surroundings brighter. Doesn't it feel great to doll the place up?
1. Carey Says...
"Paint your front door a happy high-gloss color."
Bright spring tulips make me think of Amsterdam—I love the quaint row houses there, with the cheerful shiny doors. What better way to welcome the warm weather and make a great first impression? Look for super-high-gloss Dutch paint in a bright color. I like Tulip Red by
Fine Paints of Europe.
2. Peter Says...
"And when you open this wonderful door, I don't want to see piles of mail."
If your entry table is a dumping ground for catalogs, receipts and credit card offers, replace this dispiriting detritus with a single lovely bowl or glass ashtray for keys—which you will never again lose. As for your mail, I suggest you take it into the kitchen. In stacking letter trays, create one pile for items that require action, like bills, and another for invitations and school reminders. Recycle the rest immediately, before it has a chance to take over your kitchen counter.
3. Carey Says...
"Wow! Your entryway looks fantastic. Let's finish it off with a big mirror."
It makes the space feel larger, and if you have windows flanking the door, you'll get a great blast of natural light. Plus, you can do last-minute lipstick checks.
4. Peter Says...
"Now let's hold a mirror up to your coat closet."
I'm guessing this is one of your black holes of clutter. Start by removing coats and jackets that have been warming their hangers for more than a year. (If you haven't worn it since the winter of 2012, will you really wear it in 2016?) Put them in a box for Goodwill. Move the rest of your winter outerwear, including hats, gloves and boots, into plastic bins in the garage, or seal them in a vacuum bag under your bed. Now you have space in your closet for that Goodwill box, which you're going to keep filling this spring with anything you no longer need or love—clothing that doesn't fit, books you don't want to keep. Presto! That coat closet is no longer a safety hazard—it's the halfway point between you and an act of charity.
5. Carey Says...
"Moving on to the living room: Add some black-and-white for an instant update."
Print a few family photos in black-and-white, put them in simple IKEA frames and hang them in place of your tired old framed posters or prints. I also like to lean larger frames on mantles. You can swap your dusty or mismatched lampshades for simple black or white ones, which you can find at Target or World Market. They'll go with any color scheme, and your room will look cooler and more modern.
6. Peter Says...
"You know what's black-and-white? My rule about surface clutter."
In fact, I, Peter Walsh, hereby decree that from this day forward, no more than one-third of any flat surface in your home—I'm talking coffee tables, side tables, your bedroom dresser—may be covered with tchotchkes. Remember, fresh spring air cannot breathe life into your domicile if every room is overstuffed with souvenir snow globes and your grandmother's vintage bird taxidermy.
7. Carey Says...
"To really breathe life into your space, add something alive."
I love to fill my rooms with people, pets and plants. But I don't have a green thumb, so I buy plants I can neglect. My favorites are pots of hanging ivy, big philodendra (the large-leaf variety) and cacti, which thrive not just on neglect but abuse. I've had excellent luck buying all these at big-box stores and supermarkets. Then I drop them into waterproof clay pots or jardinieres and plop them in my front hall, on a countertop, or in the corner of my living room. I keep the leaves dust-free with a weekly shower in the tub—or to add shine, I just spray them with some watered-down milk.
8. Peter Says...
"Speaking of shine—have a cleaning caddy under every sink in your home."
Keep a caddy stocked with spray cleaner, glass cleaner, a sponge and any other cleaning supplies under the sink in your kitchen, laundry room and each bathroom. If you have supplies on hand, a quick daily wipe-down will seem more manageable, which will keep your rooms feeling freshly cleaned. And hopefully, that will give you an incentive to avoid recluttering.
9. Carey Says...
"Summer-ize your fireplace."
After we clean our fireplace each spring, my partner, Hermes, and I put in white birch logs. They're an easy way to lighten up an otherwise wintry part of the room. We use this trick in clients' spaces, too: I scouted the woods around my house for months to find a downed birch big enough to use in the fireplace at the New York Public Library.
10. Peter Says...
"Now that you've lightened up... let's break it down!"
The hardest part of organizing is maintaining your hard work. So try not to make it seem like work. I suggest establishing a regular time of day when you spend ten minutes straightening up, and get the whole family involved—create a "declutter playlist" and pump it while you all put away your things. My playlist has Adele and Springsteen. Nothing puts me in the mood to declutter like "
Dancing in the Dark."
Dollhouse styled by Christine Ferrara.
