Walls in French Grey absolute matt emulsion, £57.50 for 2.5ltr, Little Greene; encaustic tiles, from £71.76 per box, Bert & May; jug, £70, Sue Pryke; linen tea towel, £20.99 for two, LinenMe; similar Puritan teapot, £35, and mugs, £23 for two, all John Lewis; similar Hatton wooden bar stool, £129, Cult Furniture
✢ A clutter-free home ✢ Storage ideas ✢ 5-minute tidy-ups ✢ Eco swaps ✢ Money-saving laundry switches
Day 1
The LIVING
ROOM As one of the more sociable rooms in our homes, as well as the place we relax and unwind, the living room can be a magnet for all sorts of clutter. Start by identifying the problem areas – such as coffee tables, bookshelves and sideboards – then get to work.
WALL-TO-WALL TV
Frame your TV with drawer, cupboard and shelf storage. As you’ll be constantly looking at the surrounding shelves, you’ll find you won’t let clutter build up. Inglesham whitewashed oak TV and media storage unit, £1,999, Cotswold Company
SMART SHELFIE Choose a mix of open and closed storage, to allow for some display space. Dwell Alba shelving unit, £649, and Milani four-seater sofa in olive green cord, from £799, both DFS
GOT 5 MINUTES?
Get in the habit of doing a ‘living room sweep’ each morning or evening, tidying and returning things to their homes.
Kubu oval storage baskets with handles, £55, Click Style
Watford high steel and walnut bookcase, £675, La Redoute
Alera side table, £250, Nkuku
Ingo side table with hidden storage, £50, Habitat
Joules Thornton floral storage ottoman, £499, DFS
SOFA SIDEKICK Stash books, magazines and games in this smart sofa add-on. Shelfie side table, £595, Loaf
DECLUTTER YOUR LIVING ROOM
Professional declutterer Heather Tingle of Untangled by Tingle (untangledbytingle.com) says:
1 BE RUTHLESS WITH HIDDEN CLUTTER
in living room cupboards to free up space. Are you really going to use all those tea lights? Have a wires and electricals space for those random wires and chargers, or even better – let them go!
2 IF YOU HAVE A PLAYROOM
for kids/grandkids but toys always end up being in the living room, then create a space for those items where they are played with. Decluttering at this time of year is often easier, as children are still excited about new toys from Christmas.
3 BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF about what activities you do. Don’t read much? Let go of the pile of books and old magazines you’re kidding yourself that you will read ‘one day’. The same goes for board games and puzzles. Ask yourself when they were last played with and if it’s been over a year, donate them.
4 CLUTTERED SURFACES have a big impact on how your home looks, so anything that’s not decorative needs to be put away. Have set places like a basket for items you need regularly, like remote controls. If you like to keep coffee table books on display, make sure they don’t pile up with less decorative titles.