Cottage Style Guide :: Day #1- Decluttering & Keeping What You Love

Cottage style decorating is easy to achieve if you have the desire to make your home into a cozy, comfortable, and welcoming haven for you, your family, and those who come for a visit. Yesterday we defined Cottage Style, now over the next 10 days we will explore the different elements that make cottage style unique from others.

Day #1 – De-clutter

This first step may not seem like a decorating step.  However it is one of the most important steps to getting your house ready for creating the home you desire.  We all have clutter or extra things in our house that we don’t necessarily use or need on a daily basis. In order to see our home in a new light, de-cluttering really helps us get a new fresh start.

By decluttering, you will also find cottage style treasures right in your own home, but not know it because they’re hidden or buried under the clutter.

As you begin to go through the rooms of your home, you’ll very likely find furniture, fabrics, fixtures, accessories, and more that will fit easily into a cottage decorating style.  Once you’ve completely de-cluttered and organized the rooms of your home, you’ll have a clean slate on which to work your cottage style magic.

How To Get Started: Gather 3 boxes or bags.  Label them, “donate”, “keep”, and “throw away”.  Choose the room in which you want to start.  Keep in mind that no drawer, closet, nook, or cranny goes unturned.  Keep a running list of organizational items you may need as you go through stuff.  Don’t run out that day and purchase anything because you may still discover gems in your home that will help you organize what is leftover, while achieving cottage style at the same time.

 Keeping What You Love

As you sort through items, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I absolutely love it?
• Does it serve a purpose?
• Is my life simpler or more frustrating because of this item?
• Do I use it often or would I miss it if it was gone?
• Does it fit into a cottage style home or could it be transformed to fit?
• Can it be painted and fixed up to fit in cottage style?
• Does it help create the feeling and atmosphere I want in my home?
• Does it bring a feeling or emotion for me?

As soon as your “donate” bag is full, lug it to your vehicle.  When you’re done de-cluttering for that day, take those items to the local charity that same day if at all possible.  Otherwise, there is a good chance you’ll bring bits and pieces of the clutter back into the house.

Keep moving through the house.  Include the attic, basement, storage area, and garage in your de-cluttering process too.  You never know what you’ll find that will help you transform your home into a beautifully charming cottage style home.

As we move through the next 9 days you are going to have a great idea of the types of home accents, furniture, and items to keep that will help you in creating cottage style.

See you tomorrow for Day 2 of our Cottage Style Guide!

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