Hey you lovelies, I'm wondering what everyone does to view their space with fresh eyes once in a while? I'm packing my bags for a weekend at home and am a bit excited about the opportunity to maybe notice some things that don't work or something that still pleases me the way it is, but it's not as easy when we're constantly at home. Have you even given this much thought? This topic might be extra important if/when we hit a plateau in our decluttering efforts.
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Posted 1 year ago #
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It does seem to 'refresh the eyes' to get away to an uncluttered space such as a hotel room. I do see my clutter more objectively after that.
My other thought is to ask a friend if I get a bit stuck in an area. I have a friend in mind because she will tell the truth and I'll still love her!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I have a pile of decorating books from the library hoping to find inspiration. I've been wanting to paint all the woodwork in the house. The woodwork has taken on an orange hue over the year, which doesn't work well with modern colors. The plan is to paint this summer when it's too hot to do anything outside. The painted woodwork should give every room a fresh, clean look.
Other than that, the framed print above the sofa is dark and lifeless. I need to start looking for a new print for the frame. Something with more color, that's for sure.
There are other changes I'd like to make, but the 2 things mentioned above would make a huge difference.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hi ninakk, my strategy is to invite people over for dinner. :-)
When I'm preparing, I try to imagine the space through the eyes of a visitor and not let my own eyes pass over things that are out of place, or out of balance, just because I am accustomed to them.
The other thing that generally works is to go window-shopping in one of the import stores we love. We'll find something beautiful (and NOT buy it) and then go home to see "where could we put it," LOL. Once in a great while, we go back to get it! And consequently, we try not to make a habit of window-shopping!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I "channel" various people and pretend they are coming to visit, and try to see the house through their eyes. For my house's level of cleanliness, for example, I channel Aunt Emily and Aunt Alma, both long gone, who were able to spot a dust speck at 500 meters. For the garden I channel my father, also long gone -- and for the general look of the house I have various friends and relatives, some still alive, some not, who have either never been here or who have not made the 1,500 mile trek west in several years. If my brother and SIL were coming to visit, what would i want to change -- and if I feel it needs changing for THEM, why not change it now, for ME?
Posted 1 year ago # -
JuliaJayne- just wanted to put my 2 cents in about painting when it's hot- I painted my previously unfinished doors in my house a couple years ago during a heat wave and the paint started to peel pretty quickly. Apparently it has something to do with the fact that the paint dries before it gets a chance to adhere properly. Painting is so much work, it's rough when something like that happens! If I had to do it again I'd rent an A/C unit just for the painting week.
But, I do have to say, after painting all of the trim in the house it looked a million times better. Painting is the ultimate facelift for a house.
Posted 1 year ago # -
JuliaJayne: do-it-yourself painting is inexpensive, too. Can you come over to our place when you're done?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Susanintexas....I love that idea! If my grandma (long gone) was coming for a visit, I would have everything spotless and perfect!
We always enter our home through the kitchen door so sometimes I'll come in the front door and walk through the house to get a different perspective. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts but at night if I'm outside I look in the windows and the rooms really look different.
I've heard you should sleep in your guest room so you will know what it may need and sit in a different spot than you usually do in your rooms for a new view.
Interesting, ninakk
Posted 1 year ago # -
i take a photo of the room that I'm stuck on at the time -from different angles and that always helps me. plus-a through vacuum and clean always makes a room sparkle. oh- and flowers or grass or some flora in the space always adds life.
Posted 1 year ago # -
What I do is close my eyes, picture the room empty, then think "what would I put back?" - starting with furniture, then appliances, then smaller items, ending with decorations. Then I open my eyes and compare the image in my mind with reality. Most of what is "extra" will be removed.
Posted 1 year ago # -
i had a professional cleaning company come here this week.
we have a really high ceiling and as long as we've lived bere it has been a dingy off-white.
we've never really thought about except to say: we must get that painted one day.
they said they could clean it and i said go right ahead.
they dropsheeted the whole huge room, rolled up rugs and went to work.
the ceiling is now perfectly white and i am thrilled.
it has made a huge difference!they got other things cleaned like new also.
they had fantastic equipment and they were incredibly thoroughi used to throw dinner parties when i needed a big clean up, but nowadays i am more into the idea that if i can go the extra distance for a guest, then i can also do it for the people who live here permanently.
Posted 1 year ago # -
^Exactly!! I bang my head on the table every time I watch a decorating show in which people are finally doing home improvements they always meant to do, only because they're about to put the house on the market.
Fix it up the way YOU want to live in it. WHILE you live in it!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Rather than painting the woodwork -- which starts you on a cycle of eventually painting over the paint (repeat for several iterations) and then stripping down to bare wood again -- couldn't you just sand, stain, and seal the woodwork? If a nice dark stain doesn't work, how about some of the pickled or antiqued looks?
Posted 1 year ago # -
@cha cha1 Exactly!
We're planning on selling the house later in the year, and nothing makes you look at a house with fresher eyes :-) I'm noticing every paint chip, mark, scratch on the floorboards. The painting touch ups will get done, but I want every surface to be clear, apart from a couple of vases of flowers. I quite like living in a serene uncluttered environment now. The only real decoration are all the bookshelves.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Camellia - we use air conditioning in the summer. If I wait until summer, I'll have to use latex paint. If I do it in spring, I be able to use an oil-based paint, which really is the best.
SunshineR- I would be happy to help you declutter, not paint. We've lived in this house for 10 year and all the woodwork still isn't painted.
Zora, I know it's more maintenance, but some things are just worth the extra effort. I love the look of painted woodwork.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@chacha and bandicoot - sooo right. Which is why I keep bugging DH about turning our laundry room into a half bath (i.e. sink and toilet) which just happens to have a stackable washer and dryer in it. :)
I've also come up with a plan for our bedroom to accommodate a king-sized bed. It involves riping out my closet, and turning the alcove which has his closet, desk and the linen closet into a large walk-in closet. However, we don't have - or intend to have - a king-sized bed, so that can wait til we're ready to move (not in any near time btw). Having watched way too many DIY and decorating, etc. TV programs, I know that people want room for a king bed, and I would hate to lose a sale on that point. (They also want at least 1.5 bathrooms, hence the need to change the laundry room, never mind that my office and crafts room are adjacent, and it would be nice to have a bathroom closer than upstairs at the other end of the house!)
Posted 1 year ago # -
@juliajayne: thanks, I can relate...just hoping for a painting buddy. Good luck on your project, when the weather breaks a bit.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I also do the visitor thing. My best friend is coming to visit with her baby this weekend. Baby-proofing has definitely made me realize how much we neglect the spaces below knee level. I keep finding new places to latch, it never seemed like I had so many drawers and cabinets until this week!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'll echo another poster here, take a picture of the room, preferably from a few angles that you don't normally view it from. Take a few pictures, load them up on your computer and look at them as a slideshow, you'll see things poking out from behind cupboards that you've not noticed for the two years that you've been looking at them in person, I promise.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Thanks for your thoughtful replies with very good ideas for all of our benefit! I'm at home now and although it seems little and a bit crammed, I realize that the worst part are the stuff that float around still. Not necessarily because they are superfluous, more because the storage space is limited and I haven't assigned homes to everything yet. A positive situation!
Posted 1 year ago #
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