From Chaos to Calm - Creating a Space for Me

It's so easy to imagine living in a calm, uncluttered space. I often daydream about what my living space would be like if I were the only one living in it.

As it happens, I share my living space with three other people so the calm, minimalist space I dream of isn't always my reality.

One of the spaces that bothers me the most is the laundry room. I really struggle to keep this space clutter free. As I was heading into the small room earlier this week to tidy up I realized that 99% of the stuff in there was mine. And I am the person who uses that room 99% of the time.

I made a decision right then and there to clear it and clean it - to transform it from chaos to calm - and to do it for no one other than myself.

Before

I literally took everything out of the room - including the cupboards. Then I cleaned it from top to bottom, and very selectively put things back. I was amazed at some of the things I had shoved into those cupboards.

I'd love to give this space a complete make-over, but I think keeping it clean and clear is a good start. I'll probably hang something above the sink to brighten up the room. I'd love to add a reading chair so I could escape to my calm space for something other than laundry, but it's not big enough. Maybe just a big pillow in the corner on the floor would suffice (I'm kidding - sort of).

After

So far I found that one family member had thrown something on top of the dryer. I simply threw it back out into the hall and later found it had been put away. No one (including myself) is going to mess up this space again!