Clutter Free Challenge Day 4: The Living Room

Day 4 of the 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life Challenge is here and it's all about shaping up the living room.

Today we are challenged to take an honest look at our living space and remove all that isn't currently useful, in good working order, and that we don't love and want to see daily.

Here are the before photos:

Um, yea... not terrible, but also not a space that I look at and sigh in peace.

On the far wall is a stack of red IKEA crates, that I don't love, full of books and topped with a basket of toys.  "Why do you have two lamps in the same corner," you ask?  I would also like the answer to that question.  On the couch are some spring/summer pillows that should be stored and a couple of pillows that came with the couch that I don't like.  There are also some place-mats tucked behind the cushion, because you never know when you might need one...?  On the table is some random clutter and a laptop.  And then there's the leaning tower of blankets.  We top this room of with a Dingo bed and blanket.

Dingo Before.  She is tired of the living room clutter.

I took the crates away because I don't love them and they weren't very functional for what I was trying to use them for.  I may paint them and try to use them somewhere else.  The basket was a gift I actually do like and will keep, but we don't really need to keep toys in our main living space, so I moved it.

I moved my husband's laptop to his new "office" area and returned the random clutter to it's proper home.  Then, I ruthlessly weeded out that massive pile of blankets and pillows.

All that remains of the leaning tower of blankets, ready for donation.

Here are the after photos:

Aaaah, so much better!

I moved the little electric wood stove from Home Depot that was hiding in the corner to the far wall, and moved one of the Target lamps to the other side of the couch.  The much more reasonable blanket bin is from Marshall's.

I don't remember where I got those pillows... probably Marshall's, Target, IKEA, or World Market... and probably on sale or clearance.  Dingo's bed is from T.J. Max.

Dingo After.  I think she approves.

I like that my living room feels much more peaceful.  I don't know why it took me so long to simply remove the things I don't love.  I am learning that I would rather have fewer things around me, but enjoy the things I do have.  Now I will be much more deliberate about what I bring into my living space. 

Do you ever hold on to things because you don't have something to replace them with?

Cheers,

Caitlin