“Sorting means keeping only what we like.” 5 tips from an expert to tidy up the house

“The beginning of the year is a really good time to clear the air,” enthuses Enrica Magnalardo, inspiration and design manager at Ikea France. We turn the page, move on to something else. Therefore, we use this energy to sort, keep what is important and get rid of what is no longer useful. Sorting means making room for other things or freeing up space for an unexpected sense of volume that creates more comfort. This is the starting point of order.” And tidying up is an activity that is essential to our well-being. It makes the house more pleasant and “readable”.

We no longer waste time looking for sweaters in a “crowded” dressing room, we no longer tear our hair out to find salt in cluttered kitchen cabinets, and we know exactly where to place our favorite tablecloth. Tidying up is the key to peace of mind and eyes. And we are fully aware of it. As part of Ikea’s Life at Home 2023 report, 40% of people surveyed say they feel good in a neat and tidy interior. So shall we begin? Just follow Enrica Magnalardo’s advice.

1. Take your time and make a plan

“There’s no question of putting in 100% of the weekend, which can turn off the most motivated. We go slow. The simplest. we sit down, think about the time we have, the pieces that need to be put away first. And we make a plan. Two hours on weekends, for example, it’s a job like any other. And to stay true to that, we’re showcasing the program. If we live as a family, as a couple or as a shared apartment, we do not hesitate to have a meeting to discuss. Our research shows that 40% of French people say they hate living with other people’s objects around them. And 19% of them admit that at least once in their life they have thrown an object from the person they live with without telling them. So it’s better to speak up on the subject. And get everyone involved in the tidying up project by again posting the steps, for example, on magnetic boards and assigning tasks to everyone. And for everyone to agree, we start with the transition zones, the entrance, the hallway, which we have less influence on, but are still reception zones that we can make pleasant with small pieces of furniture and practical accessories that also make it possible. to optimize and facilitate the ‘storage’ of shoes, coats, etc., without feeling crowded.’

2. Update your wardrobe

“The wardrobe is often located in the bedroom, and for many of us it is overflowing. So we set out to sort through and preserve only the essentials. From this basis, we review the dressing room. You don’t need to buy a wardrobe or change the cabinets. There are many options to make your dressing room more practical without investing in major new equipment. You can simply add drawers, replace the shelf with a sliding tray that makes access easier, install sliding doors that take up less space instead of traditional doors, add dividers… There are many options that allow restructuring, organization more adapted to its way of life .

3. Consume in bulk

“For me, this sustainable gesture, which should become a reflex for the good of the planet, goes hand in hand with tidying up. For what ? Because buying in bulk requires canning and labeling. This rhymes with transparency. No more packages of pasta cakes, rice cakes…hidden in piles in cupboards. We put our cookies, grits, lentils…in transparent pots with nice labels. And we avoid mixing genres, we play harmony on containers. We can store them in cabinets, but we can also create rows of jars; it’s pleasing to look at, both decorative and practical, and avoids what I call ‘aesthetic fog’. Most finally allow us to eliminate plastic and ugly paper. We have everything to win.”

4. “Be yourself”

“Sorting means keeping only that which is similar to us, that which corresponds to our taste, our way of life. And it is in the living room that this dimension takes on its full meaning. The living room is essentially a reception area, the place where we will show what we like and therefore who we are. Therefore, I recommend to prefer the open warehouse. bookcases, glass cabinets, etc. This allows you to highlight your beautiful dishes, beautiful objects related to books. Small open cubes that hang on the wall are also perfect for this room, where you can place a plant like a vase, a beautiful accessory. They act as a frame, emphasizing what they contain. We can also hang them as we see fit to create a decorative effect. Choosing open storage allows you to manage spills. Of course, if you feel that you cannot do this, there is nothing stopping you from choosing sideboards and other furniture with solid doors. In fact, storage options should be durable.”

5. Box

“Crates are the real stars of storage. We find more and more of them in different sizes, patterns, colors. They fit into all spaces, all decors. For me, they are especially suitable for the bathroom. We can store medicine, soap, shampoo, etc. in closed boxes. They allow you to change everything without changing anything. In fact, all you need to do is remove the doors from a small piece of furniture, leaving the interior with visible but coordinated boxes. again like the kitchen jars, we play the harmony card, flattened and superimposed, and an impression is made. to revolutionize and to do so at a fraction of the cost. The boxes are also perfect for remote work. Especially when you don’t have an office and work at the dining room or kitchen table. There is no question of leaving your piles of files and notebooks in front of everyone all the time. Therefore, we keep everything in boxes, again selected in a single shade or matching palette. You can then store everything in a cabinet drawer for this use or place them beautifully like a totem. And we don’t forget that now there are all kinds of very aesthetic accessories designed for the interior, which allow you to hide cables and other professional equipment.”