We are PorchLight Home Staging popping on to welcome you back to our blog. The way this blog thing works is that on the first Friday of every month, we will celebrate the much needed weekend by releasing our monthly blog. In these short but sweet articles, we will mesh the world of home staging (our forte) with current events and fashion trends. This month’s blog topic is all about getting ready for the upcoming spring and summer seasons by decluttering your house. In our opinion, nothing feels better than doing a little spring cleaning! Most people would agree that a cluttered space equals stress. There’s enough stress in the outside world - let your home be a calming oasis. We are going to talk about three different rooms that often fail to remain the cleanest as well as give you tips on how to avoid clutter build up!
Images Courtesy of MyDomaine & StoneGable
The Heart of the Home
First up: the kitchen! As Betsy always says, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Some people have easier kitchens to prevent clutter than others. If you have a kitchen with numerous cabinets and vast counter space, then consider yourself lucky. Some of us (college students), have to be smart with what we put on our 1 square inch countertops… but, I digress. Like a lot of things in life, less is more when it comes to decorating your kitchen. If you have room to move your toaster or microwave off the counter, do it! You really want to expose as much countertop as you can. One side of the argument for keeping certain things on your countertop is that you use them too much throughout the day to be shoved in a drawer. Fair point. So, if you are going to opt into showcasing some spatulas or cooking spoons for example, pick a cute, minimalistic bowl to place them in. This way, your kitchen will be functional and stylish. Another way to spice up your space while keeping things from physically laying on your countertops and cluttering them is purchasing a stand for a cookbook to prop up in the corner. This makes your home look lived-in whilst adding some dimension to your countertops.
Image 1 & 3 found on @porchlighthome Image 2 found on Crate and Barrel
The Bathroom
Usually one of the smaller rooms in your home, the bathroom needs to remained uncluttered at all times. Because this space gets a lot of action though, it can be tough to keep it fresh and kempt. One of the biggest tips we abide by here at PorchLight is not decorating the toilet. This may sound silly or obvious, but more often than not, you walk into a bathroom with some form of decor on the toilet. I know what you’re thinking, a plant or candle on the back can look nice, but we urge you to avoid doing this! If you want to showcase a succulent or delightful diffuser, add a minimalist shelf to the wall. Keep the extra rolls of toilet paper under the sink, and ditch the magazines in your bathroom (hopefully no one is on your toilet that long to actually open one). As far as vanity tops go, keep it simple with soap and a little greenery.
Images courtesy of MyDomaine
The Bedroom
Ahh nothing like cozying up in your bed after a long day only to see the 14 cups that have accumulated on your bedside table as well as you book, candle, and tissue box… (anyone else?). For most people, the surfaces in your bedroom, whether it be on your dresser or nightstand, are for what we call “knick knacks.” Don’t get me wrong, here at PorchLight we have an affinity for succulents and jewelry boxes, but there’s a fine line. When decluttering your bedroom space, you want to decorate your surfaces in groups of three. Most likely, your nightstand will have a lamp - that counts as the first part of your trio. Try and mix textures and shapes when adding your other 2 elements. We know life gets busy, and you’ll probably have laundry piling up on your dresser before you know it, so leave a lot of open space on your surfaces for “life.” Below, you will see examples of how to decorate in threes. This method really gives any surface the necessary decor to spruce it up without looking tacky.
Images courtesy of Soho Home, Curated Interior and home-design.com
Where we come in
A big Part of PorchLight’s job are consultations. During a consultation, we come in your home and help you declutter your space before your house goes on the market. This is such a crucial step in selling your home because it makes your space look more professional and clean. Another obvious component to PorchLight is the actual home staging. This is where we bring in furniture, decor, wall prints, bedding (anything you can think of). We work to really bring your space to life and in doing so, allow potential buyers to picture themself in a space. This blog really hits home for us, because we abide by some of these rules everyday (and others that we have up our sleeve). Decluttering is one of the biggest ways to revive your space, and we are here to help in anyway that we can!