Sometimes you just need to make that hard decision, to chuck something out!
We loved the first season of ‘Get Organised with The Home Edit’, first released in 2020, so we were very pleased to see the return of Clea and Joanna to Netflix- the founders of The Home Edit.
For those who are unfamiliar with their work, they’re friends and business partners who first found prominence on Instagram as they promoted their efforts in helping others tidy up their spaces. But after gaining the attention of celebrities and having their own Netflix show, the ladies have further grown their business on the back of their successes from season 1.
In season 2 we see firsthand the fruits of their labour, they now have a residential property which has been transformed into an office space for their business. They’re flying around the US, working on projects (which inevitably takes them away from their families). They have their own line of products and merchandise which joins them in a vehicle, so they always have their trusty storage containers when they need it. And the Clients they help out, they’re all huge fans of Clea and Joanna, Clients ranging from your average US family to a growing list of celebrities! And guess what? No matter who their Clients are, or who you (reader) may be, we all have the same problem! We have too much stuff to be stored in our limited spaces! And the main problem is, we accumulate stuff, stuff which might be sentimental in value, or perhaps it just cost us a bit of coin to acquire, but now we’re stuck with all this stuff which weighs us down. And what Clea and Joanna help with, is to help their Clients make those difficult decisions to keep, trash, or donate! And once those difficult decisions have been made, they use their experience, clever use of storage containers, and their creative flair to transform tired spaces into spaces people want to hang-out in (or at least use again).
And the spaces up for transformation, can be as simple as a kitchen pantry, a child’s bedroom, right to a musician’s mobile home!
Although I personally enjoyed season 1 a whole lot more than season 2 (S2 felt more like 8 episodes I had to endure). However, The Home Edit occupies a special place in my heart. Because it was after watching season 1, back in 2020- when we were inspired to edit our own place.
And the key for us was to say good-bye to a very nice and very expensive racing chair. We had to break it all down, before we could build it all back up again.
So, when we first got married and were planning to move into our new apartment. We scheduled 3 consecutive trips to purchase all our furniture to furnish our new place. I remember so clearly that one of those trips we purchased all of our white goods, all our electronics, and all the furniture for the bedroom and the study- all in this mega 6 hour spending spree! And although I had a clear idea what I wanted, but I had a moment of weakness and was talked into buying an expensive office chair which I hadn’t planned for. I’m a motorsport fan, and this office chair is literally a racing bucket seat on wheels! It was super comfortable, looked the bomb, and it was so me! However, I’ve always hated chairs with arms, as it feels too constricting but because it was an entire package, I went through with it- putting up with the good and the bad.
But what happened after we moved into our apartment, was that we found that the internet signal into the study was hopeless; I didn’t enjoy sitting in the racing chair (due to said armrests); and the study ended up being a dumping ground for all of our crap! My desk became a showroom for the over 20 1:18 diecast model cars I had collected, so much so that I couldn’t even place my laptop onto the skinniest of ledges. My wife’s desk was stacked with boxes both under and on top of, so she couldn’t even get near it, let alone work from ( this was after she inherited all of her mum’s stuff after her mum sadly passed away in 2017). And one entire corner of the study was a no-go zone, with things on the floor, piled up, balancing precariously on-top of each other. So, our study became an unused space, which was a shame as we only live in a 2-bedroom apartment.
But after watching the first season of The Home Edit, we decided that we needed to reclaim the study (as this was 6 months into the COVID pandemic and we were spending so much more time at home). The first decision was to get rid of the racing chair (we gave it to my dad). It was occupying a space against the wall like an armchair, and once we freed up that space it allowed us to bring in an extra shelving unit. With the vertical storage we were able to clear up 60% of the boxes which occupied my wife’s desk, and stowed the things which were previously piled up haphazardly, now with it’s own spot on the shelf or placed into a container. We also sorted through my wife’s mum’s stuff, keeping the most sentimental items, while editing out the rest. And I placed half of the model cars onto the top tier of the shelving unit, which allowed me to move back into the study and use that space as my WFH home office. Not to mention, we purchased a Google Nest WIFI router, which now gives us stable internet in the study. And no joke, 2 years on I still look back fondly at what we’ve done to the study. How we’ve transformed it from the ‘Room of requirement’, to a multi-purpose space which my wife and I both love using, it’s both a home office, and a home music studio- with all of our guitars and Roland musical instruments. And all of this was made possible, because of Clea and Joanna, as we were inspired by their Netflix show to finally take back control over our space.
So, if you can relate to my re-count of how we re-claimed a space in our home, and you’re looking to turn talk into action? Check out ‘Get Organised with The Home Edit’, as you’ll learn so many tips and hints in how you can turn your home back into a treasured space! To watch The Home Edit now, just click HERE! Ah, home sweet home!
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