Is your bedroom a stress-free oasis? Or a messy hurricane, full of dumped clothes and wardrobes crammed with things you neither love nor wear. We asked three experts for their advice on how we can better reorganise and declutter the bedroom in order to spark more joy in our lives.
Transform Your Wardrobe
Picture credit | Lizzie Grant @simplify_stuff
Research has shown that messy bedrooms can cause stress, making it harder to relax. A disorganised wardrobe also makes it more challenging to find clothes. A well-organised wardrobe helps keep clothes where they belong, simplifies your morning routine, and can help you get some quality sleep.
Step 1: Declutter your wardrobe
- Gather up your clothing and group into tops, trousers, skirts, dresses etc. Don’t forget the items in the laundry basket!
- Pick up each category item and decide whether you love it and wear it.
- Can’t decide if it’s a keeper? Pick the top three items in each category that you love. For example, if you’re decluttering jumpers, pick your three favourites and compare those to each other jumper. If they don’t match up in feeling, say goodbye.
- Still struggling to part with items? It’s easier when you know they’re going to a good home. Donate saleable clothing to charity shops, and take other items to your local textiles bank.
Step 2: Organise your wardrobe
- A popular way to organise and display clothes is by type, e.g. all shirts together. Then within that type, by colour. Keep clothes you use often in the most easily accessible area.
- Make your wardrobe look instantly neater by using matching hangers.
- If you are short on space, store seasonal or seldom worn clothing in vacuum pack bags.
Fold Like A Pro
Image credit | bellephotojourney.com
Bedding can clog up wardrobes and other bedroom storage. You may also be holding on to far more than you need. Mastering the art of folding and storing your linen is easy and will help keep your bedroom clutter-free. It also ensures you’re prepared for unexpected guests.
Step 1: Only keep what you use
- Never hold on to more bed linen than you need. Keep three of your best sets – one in use, one in the wash and one in the closet. For a guest bed, just one or two sets will do.
Step 2: Be a master folder
- Folding for a standard-size 60cm-deep closet
Sheet
- Flat double sheets: fold the sheet once in half, then in half in the other direction and again in the opposite direction. Then fold it three times widthways so you have an oblong of roughly 30/60cm.
- Fitted double sheet: turn the top corners inside out, then fold the sheet half-way widthwise and put the bottom corners in the top corners. Next, fold in half lengthwise, and again, then in half in the opposite direction. This will create an oblong of roughly 30/60cm.
Pillowcases
- Fold one pillow slip in half, then in half the opposite way.
- Put sheets and slip in a tidy heap, then place inside the remaining pillow slip (if you have more than two pillow cases, fold all but one and add to the heap. This will keep the set together ready for instant use, and in convenient dimensions for storing.
Be Smart With Storage
Image | martingardner.com
Good room layouts and storage provide a ‘place for everything’, helping to keep common clutter culprits such as clothes and shoes in one place. Consider every piece of furniture as potential storage, even headboards. These can look great with a few built-in shelves for your favourite books.
Wardrobes and drawers
Built-in furniture is more space-saving than free-standing wardrobes and drawers. Have a closet cleanse, then measure the hanging and folding space you need before buying furniture or having any made.
Keep shoes in pull-out racks and integrate cupboard lights. You don’t want to be fumbling for clothes in the dark. Our clients find drawers are often the most useful form of storage. Go for wide, shallow drawers and use drawer dividers to keep things tidy. Allow your wardrobe to scale the full height of your wall - out of reach space is still useful for storing seasonal bedding and clothes.
Bedside tables & shelves
Bedside tables with a couple of drawers are handy for storing personal items and reading books - the things you take off or pick up each night. Keep open shelving to a minimum, using it to display only a few carefully curated items. Keep everything else behind closed doors.
Beds & bench seats
Ottoman beds and freestanding footstools at the foot of a bed offer practical storage without sacrificing style. A freestanding or built-in window seat can also provide attractive seating while storing bulky bedding and winter clothing.
Finally, storage doesn’t have to be constrained to furniture. Door hooks can be a useful place to store your best dresses. Simply rearranging your bed may also provide more space for a wardrobe that meets your needs. Whatever you do, break spaces into manageable sections. This will help you create a place for everything so nothing derails your morning or bedtime routine.
