Empty spaces always seem to work according to the principle of communicating vessels, even when we are not dealing with liquids. Our homes all appear as welcoming and tidy empty spaces when they are new, newly built or refurbished. Inevitably, however, with the passage of time, due to a sort of magical magnetism, they begin to fill up.
The objects settle in the wardrobes, in the drawers, in the cupboards, in the crevices of all the chests. Then they begin to threaten every surface. The shelves of the lower furniture, but also the upper part of the classic wardrobes on two levels become surfaces where objects that are no longer able to be contained in the internal volumes, enclosed by doors and drawers, are attached like mussels. Even the chairs and armchairs and sofas possess the inexplicable power of retaining clothing, magazines, games, books, umbrellas, and products of all kinds. Empty spaces have the irrepressible tendency to transform into full spaces. Beyond a certain threshold, this fullness which is a sign of lived life becomes disorder. What to do then
The solution is to act. The starting point is to focus on the problem:how to keep the house in order Tidying up the house with method: the book by Marie Kondo and the series on Netflix
To answer the question “how to keep the house in order” you need to put your heart in peace: you need a method. You cannot rely on the momentum and inspiration of the moment. The tenacity of objects is stronger than common sense that pushes us to run for cover. Common sense alone is not enough. We must be aware of the need to radically change the approach to managing everything that is inanimate and populates the space beyond our control. Tidying up the house methodicallyit means identifying a criterion on which to base a series of choices. Marie Kondo, author of the book The magic power of tidying up, understood this well. The Japanese method that transforms your spaces and your life, published in Italy by Vallardi in 2014. Objects fill the house, but they also fill our spirit. They take away space and energy from the ability to concentrate. “Chaos is the worst enemy of introspection and knowledge.” This is the assumption from which Marie Kondo’s reflections start. In her book he gives advice on how to tidy up every room in the house with the Japanese method which, from the name of the writer, has been renamed KonMari . The success of the book The Magic Power of Tidying up inspired a television series on Netflix, “Let’s clean up with Marie Kondo”. The episodes started on January 1, 2019 and the format is that of the reality show. In each episode Marie Kondo faces a desperate case and finds the solution to the most extreme disorder, like a current Sherlock Holmes of the reorganization. Tidying up the house with the Japanese KonMari method
The first teaching of the Japanese KonMari method can be traced back to one word: essentiality. So let’s learn to understand which objects we really need and which ones are superfluous, usurpers of attention and energy. Tidying up the house with the Japanese KonMari method means making drastic choices and getting rid of everything that clutters volumes, surfaces and emotional and cognitive resources.
In English we speak of “decluttering”. With the verb “to declutter” the Albion language indicates “to make space”. The sense of liberation typical of when we get rid of a burden is inherent in its meaning. The clothes scattered around the room, the magazines abandoned on the sofa, the ornaments abandoned out of place are all annoyances that we may not realize, but they act in our unconscious perception, like a background rustle. The wardrobes are now full. The pantries are overflowing with whims and sweets that we forget about. The bags of open dough multiply, as well as those of biscuits. We think it’s a shame to throw away this or that object that maybe one day it could come in handy. When we make our purchases we are convinced that we always need something else, while in reality the spaces of our homes are already filled with the superfluous. The perspective suggested by Marie Kondo is categorical. The most famous home economics expert in the world invites us to get rid of what we no longer use without regret. In Western culture, this peremptory exhortation is mitigated by the increasingly shared need to recycle products that have a long life cycle. For example, old clothes that are still in good condition can be donated to charities who will give them to those most in need. In Western culture, this peremptory exhortation is mitigated by the increasingly shared need to recycle products that have a long life cycle. For example, old clothes that are still in good condition can be donated to charities who will give them to those most in need. In Western culture, this peremptory exhortation is mitigated by the increasingly shared need to recycle products that have a long life cycle. For example, old clothes that are still in good condition can be donated to charities who will give them to those most in need.Tidying up the house with method even in the kitchen: Marie Kondo’s suggestions
In her most successful book, translated into the main languages ​​of the world and published in thirty countries, The magical power of tidying up, Marie Kondo transforms her KonMari method into practical precise to be put in place in every room of the house.
The Japanese KonMari method is applied in the different rooms with specific modalities for the intended use. Therefore, there are ideal measures for the kitchen environment, for the bedroom wardrobes, the management of household linen and the rearrangement of the living room library. How to keep the kitchen in order
In the kitchen, the trouble of clutter begins with the accumulation of utensils. Often they take root in drawers and are individually moored in these crevices without ever setting off, never approaching a cutting board, a pot, a plate or a salad bowl. Simply put, they age unused.
Consequently, the first step to putting an end to the chaos of the kitchen is to make a careful selection of the tools that are really indispensable to us when we cook. Those who do not respond to the call of our habits and lie forgotten in some hidden corner of dressers and cupboards must be thrown away. Books also want order: how to keep them perfectly at home
Books are objects that tend to accumulate in a disorderly way. They are small and light. We can easily take them with us to any space in the house and we often forget them out of place. For students who study it becomes a typical habit to create mountains of books, notebooks and notes on the desk.
To tackle even a simple task like rearranging books, Marie Kondo suggests never losing sight of the principle of categories . Fixing on the separation of the rooms does not help the overall harmony of the spaces. If we tidy up one room at a time we end up in the endless vortex of always putting the same things back in place.
The mindset we apply to the problem must change. In fact, it is a question of learning to think by categories, by homogeneous sets. Thus , reordering the books we have at home with method means in the first instance identifying them as objects sharing the same purpose and therefore classifiable in a single category. Secondly, it will be necessary to define subcategories to give an ordered structure to the library.
The classic living room curtains can however also have a more limited extension. It is possible to choose custom-made curtains that do not touch the floor, but still remain soft and sinuous for a dynamic and captivating visual effect. Curtains made to measurethey can at most touch the floor and are made with heavy fabrics that fall neatly along the window opening, such as velvet and double cotton. Choosing custom-made curtains for the living room allows you to enhance the characteristics of the floor. A beautiful parquet, elegant marble, warm and welcoming terracotta are highlighted by the slight swaying of the fabrics suspended along the window panes. How to keep the wardrobes in the house in order
A problem common to many men and women overwhelmed by objects is represented by this question: how to keep the wardrobes in the house in order
According to Marie Kondo, the volume of the wardrobes must be fully exploited. Therefore, she does not recommend hanging clothes, as we usually do using hangers and sticks. Each closet needs to be tapped with boxes and drawers where each garment needs to be folded neatly. In this way it is possible to store in order a greater number of items of clothing, which always remain comfortably available, without getting confused and missing. How to keep household linen in order
Sheets and blankets are sore points when dealing with the thankless task of tidying up the house methodically. Marie Kondo’s suggestions are also good in this circumstance. To best preserve the fabrics of the sheets and blankets, it is necessary to protect them from humidity. In fact, the linen tends to hold it back. If it is stored in plastic bags it can undergo the development of mold, a process that definitively ruins it. Therefore, it is good to give to those who need them the sheets and blankets that are not used, while instead the linen usually used must be kept at hand in the closets. Tidying up the house with method: and the towels
Towels deserve a separate discussion in the broad discourse of tidying up the house with the Japanese method by Marie Kondo. Logic constitutes the resistant substratum of the whole argument of the consultant and writer. Therefore, towels should be stored in the place where they are most useful: in a bathroom cabinet, or in any case near the space of the house dedicated to hygiene and moments of peace in the shower.
Each towel must be folded carefully so that it takes up little space. Even worn-out towels that become useful rags must be carefully put away so as not to create a harmful encumbrance. Keeping a small house in order: the fruit of Marie Kondo’s suggestions
The most difficult question of those who approach the issues of the domestic economy in practice: how to keep a small house in order
Once you have assimilated all of Marie Kondo’s advice, it will also be easy to cope with the difficult task of keeping a small house in order.
We keep and buy only what is really useful to us, that really responds to our needs, that inspires us to calm and calm, letting our energies flow and boil in view of what really interests us. Thus, even when the square footage of your apartment is not generous, order is assured, as is tranquility.
