A home that looks neat and well cared for involves significantly more than a tidy kitchen and a clean floor, for example. It’s about creating a sense of ease and flowing style, but also about keeping clutter at bay and putting everything in its proper place. It’s about conjuring up a lived-in look without being messy.
Abiding by the proper etiquette of making a home look neat and practical can mean the difference between your house looking like a young student’s messy flat, or it resembling a stylish and mature living space. And seeing as this is homify, we all know which one you’d rather opt for.
But how do you know when your house has that ‘it’ factor? And more importantly, what is the ‘it’ factor? Fortunately, we know exactly what it is, or rather what they are, and we have all 10 of them right here!
First impressions are everything; thus, make sure your entrance has hanging- and/or hiding space for those jackets, handbags, scarves and goodness knows what else. Oh, and it should be clean and tidy too.
Good for you for keeping your kitchen floors immaculate, but how are those cabinet doors looking? Grubby handprints and splash marks can really add up over time, so give those vertical surfaces a good polish every so often.
This counts for your light switches and windows too.
Smart storage containers in the right places can make all the difference, like a laundry basket in the bathroom and/or bedroom. This also eliminates the need to go from room to room to collect those dirty socks, shirts and other clothing pieces for laundry day.
A messy desk is never a pretty picture, even if you keep your study door closed at all times. Make sure that home office is devoid of chaotic paperwork and piles of clutter (here is where bookshelves, a pinboard, drawers, and other storage areas will come in handy).
Household elements, whether it’s books or phone chargers, just seem to accumulate. Cut the clutter before it takes over your home: a ritual clean-out combined with enough storage spaces around the home is your best bet to win the war against a messy space.
Your home’s storage space should never be crammed with stuff. Put out a few attractive décor elements on those floating shelves, and make sure there’s a lot of clean space surrounding it.
Make sure the appropriate lighting fixtures are where they should be. A gentle ambient light is a good bet for the living room, while task lighting is required for spaces where reading/working is done. Warm and flattering lighting is recommended for the bathroom and dressing areas.
From lighting designers to interior decorators, we have them all here on homify, and much more. Check out our professionals page.
Opt for a set of white storage boxes that can be used for random bits of clutter. Stack these neatly upon an open shelf and watch them disappear against that white wall.
That closet with its abundance of fashion accessories requires more than a few coat hangers. Seeing as you’ll be needing to store shoes, scarves, belts and a lot of other elements, opt for clever additions like hooks, drawers, storage boxes, etc.
Just keep them out of sight to avoid the cluttered look!
You never know when you’ll be needing to put away that scatter cushion or those stacks of magazines on your coffee table to make more room. And that is why we recommend a spare basket (wicker is good). It can serve as both a practical storage element and a decent décor piece.
Want to find out more ways in which you can beat the clutter? These Cool simple storage solutions are sure to help.