My kids will, out of the blue, ask if we can stay in a hotel. This is unrelated to how close to home we may be.
And often, I wish I could say yes.
Why?
With a better than average home, with all the comforts of home, why oh why would we want to stay in a hotel? We only choose the budget ones anyway, so what's so special?
Well, what do you see when you open a hotel room door? No problems!
Uncluttered - mostly, you just see furniture. Invitingly made beds, clear tables, tidy sink spaces.... You can only clutter it with what you've brought, and you left most of your stuff at home. You probably brought so little you can pack it all in less than 1/2 hour - compare that to your last house move. Yes. I know.
Clean - someone else cleaned this already. It's so uncluttered that it probably didn't take long. If you have to wash dishes, there aren't many supplied anyway - about enough for one family meal.
Cosy - Those dishes? You can wash them a couple of steps away from the dining table, while still chatting to the slower eaters.
Easy!
Most of us don't want to live in a hotel all the time, although I am in love with tiny houses and The Everyday Minimalist did spend some time this way. Most of us would eventually miss something that we can only find at home - and that might simply be space and privacy.
But we can get some of the goodness of hotel living in our own homes.
Declutter!
You can't say too much about decluttering, and most of it's been said before. Having only what you really need is the key to sanity and cleanliness in the home.
Here's just a start on decluttering tips:
- Should it stay or....?
- Outsmarting your inner hoarder
- Zen Habit's tips and more Zen Habit's tips
- Down with clutter
- And almost anything at 365 Less Things
Work on your entrance
You won't get the "ahhhhhh" factor if you open your door into chaos. Try it for yourself - step outside and do a grand entrance and really look!
- What's there that doesn't need to be?
- What's messy that could be organised?
- What's visible that could be hidden?
After you've made a perfect entrance, choose one other space in the house to keep as your "hotel away from home."
If you can't keep the entire house sane, make sure you have this one retreat where you can relax and unwind.
And if you sell enough of your unwanted stuff, maybe you can hire a cleaner for your "hotel"!
You gotta have dreams...
Have your say...
What are your favourite tricks to make your house look professionally fabulous?
I find hotels unappealingly sterile. Totally agree about the sense of calm that there relative emptiness brings, though.
ReplyDeleteYes - the sterility probably comes from the neutral decorations that won't offend anybody. In your own hotel, you can choose things that feel positive!
DeleteMy one and only trick is to only have the necessities and some very carefully chosen decorations /sentimental objects. There is no way around it.. I've chosen our bedroom as the "sanctuary" for our home that is kept absolutely bare-bones austere (though DD recently wanted a bed of her own and now her bright red little bed and a few decorations are on one side of the room..) and the rest of the 600 sf apartment is furnished cozily, but with nothing extra. We have very little clothing that all fits in the bedroom built-in closet and we have no coffee tables, end tables, side boards, bedside tables, or other clutter collectors. We do have two desks because we use our computers quite much. I do "maintenance decluttering" every once in a while, because stuff like old medicine and a broken blender tend to stick around, as you have to take them to a special location to be disposed of...
ReplyDeleteI'm not into the sterile minimalism, but I find Shaker style and my native Scandinavian cabin style inspiring :)
Here is a great way to dispose of that clutter! there is a new website called AskShareGive or www.asksharegive.org.nz It is a nationwide not-for-profit website where you can list your unwanted gear to give away! you can also request stuff, although as you are decluttering you won't want to do this!
ReplyDeleteWhen you are having a clean out and listing that stuff that you feel is not worth selling on, or if you can't be bothered to sell it - the nice thing is by using AskShareGive people collect things from you so no need to clutter your house with paper and parcel tape (as if you were selling it on Trademe), just let them know what day you are home, leave outside the front door, if you don't feel like meeting anyone and its quickly and quietly removed from you before you get sentimental and change your mind. However if you are highly sentimental about something and are only just able to part with it; you can choose someone to give it to, could be someone that promises to love it like you did, a community organisation etc.
I am currently decluttering my shed using this system and I can't tell you the relief I am feeling. I am a horder from way back! My goods are going to hand picked individuals who are so grateful!
Hi Tanya,
ReplyDeleteThanks for passing on that link. I use Freecycle a lot, which sounds similar.
Cheers,
Jess