Chaos and clutter vs minimal and bare help me find a balance

[peoplepleaser1]

I'd love to find a balance between chaos and clutter and the starkness of minimalism.

I'm not naturally tidy, I have to work hard at it. My job, family, volunteering and hobbies mean my family and I are often dashing about and often the house takes a back seat. I do love it when it's tidy, and I find it affects my mood when it's upside down but I struggle with it all.

At the moment it's a tip. I will tidy up this evening but it never looks sort of finished. I clear the mess and the clutter and it looks kind of bare.

I'd love to have a home full of warmth and character but which is not cluttered.

Does anyone know what I mean and can anyone share any tips please?

Isn't it just a case of having everything away and having colourful/textured soft furnishings?

Obviously the challenge is having a place for everything.

You have to sort through each area and go what is the purpose of this, do I need it, and how can I organise the space so it works. Make a decision about every single drawer, cupboard, storage area, living space, where you do your work etc

I don't know, that all seems to work for me (getting there).

Ah a place for everything- that may be part of the issue. Most things have place but the place is cluttered and overflowing!

I'm not much of a role model as I struggle with the same but I do try a bit.

I have a charity bag that I put things in as I go along and drop off as soon as its full. Getting rid of stuff is half the battle - especially outgrown clothes and abandoned toys.

I've been trying to use things up instead of buying more. Quite a slow way of improving things but does at least mean I'm not adding clutter.

We've recently had shelves built into recesses in the sitting room. At last we have a place for computer games, dvds, x box controllers etc. Prevoiusly they were scattered about the TV stand and it looked awful now they look tidy and make the room feel more homely. We've also got holders for DPs 6 guitars and put them on the wall.

We got a shoe rack for the hall. Previously we had shoes just scattered about - now the children leave them scattered about but at least we have somewhere to put them.

Basically its a mix of more storage, getting rid of stuff and using stuff up instead of buying it.

Have things in your house that you love and/or are useful. Declutter everything else.

Join us on the declutter one thing a day thread. It's great to slowly chip away at the clutter without it being overwhelming. You can get rid of more than one thing a day if you like but one is the minimum.

My house looks much tidier, I save time by not searching for stuff and I value what I have more, thanks to that thread!

You need to thin out the stuff so it fits in the space. For example out of season coats/shoes don't need to be in the hallway all year. Sort out books/games etc so they fit on shelves. Have a place to put keys/post.

Then have some artwork /ornaments/accessories so that your tidy space has a splash of colour and texture and some visual interest.

What sort of clutter specifically in what rooms is the problem?

I try not to buy anything. If I can't find the right place i can often find a better place to put stuff.