Before + After photos

KonMari® is a judgment-free zone - I'm not about to shame anyone for the fact that life can just take over sometimes and you don't know how to begin to dig your way out. I've been there, too! This gallery is made up of photos from my earliest efforts to tidy my house (I've moved 3 times since then!). It's provided to inspire you to understand the way your home and your life can be transformed. No one will pressure you to become a stark minimalist; the only encouragements is to share the pure joy that comes from knowing what matters in your life and surrounding yourself with only those things you love!

My closet

My closet was stuffed with 3 rods of clothing, shoes, purses, hats, and more, and I had a separate chest of drawers for folded items. My joy-checking reduced the volume to roughly one-third of what it was previously, resulting in elimination of the chest of drawers, an entirely empty lower closet rod and much breathing room on the other 2 rods. Shoes were placed on 3-tier shelf below the lower rod. I also freed up the space on the built-in shelves for folded clothing and bras (each in boxes that can be pulled out easily), and a larger shelf area for jewelry and keepsakes - right where they can inspire joy daily! 

Kitchen

As one of the last subcategories of Komono, the kitchen is often a source of intense frustration for many. By going through every item with a 'joyful usefulness' filter, my kitchen Komono was reduced to a manageable size and - just as importantly - ultimately reorganized to maximize efficiency after years of frustration. One of the exercises, going through all the spices, was very enlightening - those in the container on the counter were all expired. Once removed, there was plenty of room in the cabinet for the fresh spices that are used regularly. After eliminating what didn't work, wasn't used, or just didn't spark joy, I reimagined my organization by utilizing drawers and lazy Susans for large and awkward sized items, and repurposing cabinet organization for pantry items (near the food prep area). Only those serving pieces commonly used were allowed to take up valuable real estate in my cabinets.

Linen Closet

This closet was chock full of linens and so much more that it was hard to find things and duplicates were all over the house. When I finished, I had discarded old sheets for beds I no longer owned, made a first aid station, and consolidated surplus consumable bathroom and haircare supplies in one convenient place.

Laundry Room

Another hard-working space is the laundry room, often stuffed into a small footprint with limited storage. By the time I got this far, I was great at assessing what should stay in the room and what should go (either somewhere else in the home, donated, or discarded). Another fun touch is that all the brushes for scrubbing specialized items were collected into a favorite vase and tucked into the cabinet. It puts a smile on my face to see the vibrant blue vase every time I open the cabinet! It even inspired me to add some artwork to the walls to help make it a place where I enjoy spending time.