STUFF

Yesterday, at our installation, I overheard a handyman remark on our home staging work to his colleague. “Man, this is great. It’s so easy looking in here. I wish my house looked like this. I have no idea how I got so much stuff!” His reaction is commonplace in the post staging process. Almost everyone has too much stuff. It’s why so many of our occupied staging clients work repeatedly with our recommended decluttering expert, prior to our home staging.

One of the rare gifts of 2020, has been the opportunity we have all had to self evaluate our living space. At my house, we finally switched out the dated exterior lights we inherited with our move-in two years ago. It was our intention to switch them out immediately, but two years later, during our home stay, I finally executed my plan. My husband, seeing the new fixtures once installed, remarked, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?” We meant too…but the days passed, the months passed, and that turned into two years of neglect.

What have you noticed you have neglected in your space?

And now that we’re getting into it – what has accumulated in your home?

During home stay I finally found time to edit my closet. I had boxes still packed and shoved into the corners from our move two years ago. My sixteen year old is an expert organizer and I implored her to help me purge and make sense of my mess. So many clothes that no longer fit me were taking up valuable hanging space. Handbags I hadn’t used were dusty on high, unreachable shelves. My daughter helped me make a plan for the space. Cold weather sweaters are now stored in containers on the high shelving instead of the purses, since cold weather in Ojai, California is still far away. The bags I am keeping, are now accessible on lower shelving. I can use them! The joy of an uncluttered closet, lead me to expand my edit into the bedroom. Nightstand drawers were cleaned out. My dresser drawers are now half full for the first time in years. I feel lighter. It’s a new world.

Tips:

• Schedule time for de-cluttering and organizing
• Enlist help if you need encouragement
• Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit
• Throw out broken things or items missing pieces
• Give away belongings you haven’t used in years
• Make a “use plan” – make items more accessible that you want to use often like seasonal clothing.

A few years ago, I staged the home of a retired cancer doctor. She was a brilliant woman, renowned in her field. I was surprised to see how this smart woman was living when I first met her at her home. Her furnishings were extremely worn. Her bedding was faded and her pillows were flat. “When did you last do any updates to your home?” I asked.

“We never have. We moved in after we got married and I guess I just haven’t thought about it since,” she said. I knew my client had just celebrated her thirty fourth wedding anniversary. This explained the tired look and feel of her home. She also had a plethora of piles on every available surface. She had alot of stuff! Her home felt heavy, dark and filled with all she had accumulated over the span of four decades.

I ended up staging my client’s home while she was on vacation. She thought it would be best, as she was feeling overwhelmed just from talking about the process. The result of our hard work was another transformed, beautiful, light, spacious feeling and tranquil home. We execute these transformations on a regular basis and I was excited to reveal the outcome.

“Oh my,” she muttered, over and over again when she returned home. “It’s like a hotel. I never imagined it could look so beautiful. Do people live like this?”

“Yes,” I answered. “You can live like this from now on.”

I was thrilled to hear from my client months later, after a quick sale of her staged home and her move out of state. “I want to thank you for giving me permission to live better,” she said. “I bought new sheets yesterday. I feel like I’m twenty years younger.”

It’s always a good idea to lighten your load and beautify your life. You have time.