DISCOVER YOUR VALUES
Here's a list of five values, and examples of how you can make them tangible in your home.
Emotions/Feelings It's crucial for you to share your feelings. Family and friends are your priority, your home nurtures those who dwell within and those who visit. Your furnishings promote comfort and are arranged to encourage conversation.
Adventure You love to travel without an itinerary - even if it's just a drive in the country. Honour this value by thoughtfully displaying your photos or treasures from your travels.
Beauty You're drawn to beautiful objects and exclude anything that you don't find beautiful from your home. Even a good-looking can opener has the ability to turn you on!
Creativity You love to write, pursue hobbies and make art and handicrafts. You give yourself space to create and to organize the material you use in your creative play/work.
Catalyst You love to get projects going and to motivate people. You have a command-central desk to organize your family's activities.
DISCOVER YOUR STYLE
Clip magazine photos of rooms, furniture and accessories that you find inspiring. It might take a few months worth of magazines to build a collection that captures your sense of style. If you already have a very large collection, edit it down to your favourite shots.
Paste all the photos in a scrapbook. Don't worry if a Parisian apartment is on one page and a pared-back contemporary home is on the next.
As you paste each photo, study it carefully and write a few words on the page about what drew you to it, For example, do you love the mood? A lamp? A colour? Your note can be short: "The room is so peaceful."
When finished, look through the book you've created. You may find that you have page after page of rooms that look similar. If so, you've found your style.
If you still feel there's a jumble of different styles, wait a week and flip through the book again. I bet you'll find one or two clippings that synthesize the different looks you love. Let that room or home inspire your decorating plan.
Read more in Organizing and Organizing Ideas
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4 Comments
When I moved into a smaller space, I found it really difficult to get rid of all the 'stuff' I had. I'm still tackling it, so these tips are super helpful.
keep it up... it feels great with less stuff Regards, still working on my place after moving to a smaller space too
Love your article! I wish everyone could read it. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't benefit from your advice.
Yes when I lost my dad and moved into my first small apartment I had boxes of stuff from home that I had a hard time to let go. But with time and after feeling more confadent with my self and new home I enjoyed sending stuff to the Bible thrift shop and consinment stores...and then had more space for the stuff I loved like my petal ware dishes... I kept this with me when I moved again and slowly but surely I am getting the things I love and can enjoy the things that I have kept since I was a child of 4 or 5... I need to print out some of this stuff too but have had a bit of an issue with what you mean by value? I thought that was about honesty integrity wizdom empathy faithfulness etc.? do you mean what are my passions like creativity proses learning growth ballance etc... Heidi12