A study published by the US National Library of Medicine found that people who described their homes as ‘restorative’ were less depressed during the time spent in the house than those who described their homes as ‘stressful’.
Keeping a well-organized living space is a key component in keeping those stress levels down, even in homes where space is in short supply and rooms have to be multifunctional.
Tips For The Living Room
In a busy household, the living room is often a place where clutter can accumulate. Luckily, there are things you can do to keep everything organized.
Emerald Park, Condo. Picture: iProperty
A coffee table with storage can be helpful for keeping remotes, books and magazines under control and out of sight.
A large toy box or an ottoman is a good investment if you have children: keep toys and games in a corner of the room, and encourage everyone to put things away when they’ve finished playing with them.
Hang pictures on the walls to declutter surfaces, and consider a magazine rack for storing leaflets and magazines.
Use space behind sofas and chairs for storing craft supplies and things you want to be kept out of the way, or perhaps consider whether the living room is really the best place to keep them.
Tips For The Kitchen
Kitchen. Silversea condo. Picture: iProperty
If your cupboards are full to bursting, simply finding the right pan can be stressful. Invest in hooks, and hang them beneath cupboards or from the ceiling.
You can buy over-door storage racks for keeping pan lids together and easily accessible.
Cutlery organizers will keep your drawers under control, and frequently used utensils could be kept in a large jar beside the cooker.
Open packets can be kept to a minimum by storing dry foods like cereals, flours and rice in glass jars or plastic containers. These look great too, and it’s easy to find everything when you can see it all in a well-organized space.
Tiered baskets are a great way to store fruit, snacks or ingredients, freeing up valuable drawer space for other purposes. You can also use a lazy Susan inside cupboards for storing spices and jars in such a way that you can easily find what you need.
Tips For The Bedroom
Regularly clear out clothes to make sure wardrobes and drawers aren’t crammed to bursting point, and make sure everything’s hung and folded properly.
Shoe storage shelves can be added to wardrobes to keep footwear out of the way, and over-door hooks are a great way of keeping dressing gowns and bags under control.
A storage bed is a useful place to keep bed linen and towels, but if you don’t have one, baskets or boxes can be kept under the bed and slid out as you need them.
Prevent clutter from building up on the bedside table by using a nightstand with cupboard space, and make sure you have a laundry hamper big enough to accommodate everything between washes.
Sims Urban Oasis, Condo. Picture: iProperty
Everything’s less stressful when you know where it is and you can access things easily, and a well-organized home will keep you in a calmer head space ready to tackle whatever lies ahead of you throughout the day.
This article is written by Cassandra Earlie.
