Our September competition to win fee access to the Downsize with Style online course has now closed. Drum roll please... the winners are: Marg, Marina Robins, Jacqueline Cunningham, Andrea Brown and Shari. I replied to the lucky winners in the comment section on my blog Overwhelmed with Downsizing? Here's What to Do.
If you missed this opportunity to get a head start on your downsizing journey you can learn more and sign up to the Downsize with Style online course here.
Even if you are planning a room makeover or would like to learn a powerful method to visualise your abstract ideas, this course will bring you great benefits. It is based on my 5-step process to downsizing with style and includes brand new content about preparing and making a mood board. Additionally, it will give you the freedom to start wherever you prefer. If you have de-cluttered already and feel you are on top of your stuff, begin with the module that interest you most.
What's great about this course is that you can dip in and out of the modules any time you like and as often as you want. All you need is an internet connection and the motivation to follow through. I added some actions steps at the end of each module to keep you accountable.
Here’s how to create a happy home in 5 steps
Step 1: De-clutter by Categories
Clutter builds up due to unresolved issues. Make a decision and de-cluttering a regular habit. See it as a means to establish your future lifestyle. Start with a room that is your biggest problem and begin de-cluttering by category, your clothes, for example. Empty your wardrobe completely and sort your clothes into categories: pants, shirts, jumpers, etc. then, decide for each item if you want to keep it. Only keep items that make you happy and add joy and value to your current life. Everything else, discard, donate, or sell. Collect all your clothing from other rooms in the house to finish this category completely. You will experience that this method will help you free up space in more than one area of your home at once.
Step 2: Find Your Decorating Style
Go on a self-discovery journey! Start in your home. Walk through every room and note all the things that inspire you: photographs, art, cushions, travel souvenirs, china, books, fabrics, or colours. Buy interior design magazines and start collecting tear sheets of interiors that speak to you. Once you have gathered all your inspirational images and objects, lay everything out on a table and see what pattern emerges. You will find common colours, textures and styles you prefer. Your collection is the starting point your mood board. Tip: the Downsize with Style online course includes brand new content about how to make and curate a mood board.
Step 3: Make a Mood Board
A mood board is a type of poster design including images, text, colours, textures, patterns, and inspirational objects. Anything really that inspires you and transports the mood you would like to achieve in your home. Mood boards are fantastic tools to rediscover your creativity and to visualise your abstract ideas. They will help you gain clarity about your project and communicate your ideas to others – your family, friends, or an interior designer. There is no necessity for any design knowledge to create a mood board. All you need is an open mind and the courage to embrace this creative process.
Step 4: Plan Your Space
Small spaces require clever space management and room layouts. Every square metre needs to be used. Once you have decided on the look and feel of your room, it is time to layout the space and work out if and how your furniture will fit into your new dwelling. By drawing up your rooms, you will get a better idea of the size and proportion and the overall look of your new home. All you need is a scale ruler and grid paper. Measure your furniture and draw each piece to the same scale as your apartment floor plan. Cut the pieces out, place them on your floor plan and move them around to find the best layout for your apartment.
Step 5: Decorate from Your Heart
To inject your personality into your new apartment, be courageous and mix styles, price points, shapes, textures, colours and pieces from different origins and eras to create your unique interior. Just follow the rule that everything you use or purchase has to mean something to you, and your interior will work.
