DECLUTTERING YOUR SPACE USING JAPANESE PRINCIPLES
Japanese design principles are rooted in simplicity. The goal is to create a serene, uncluttered space that fosters a sense of balance. To achieve this, it’s not enough to rely on simply tidying up every so often; it requires embracing a more fundamental, long-lasting approach to interior design. This approach to decluttering is influenced by Japanese minimalism and Zen principles. It focuses on human-focused interiors that support your sense of wellbeing and calm, with effective storage solutions playing a key role.
The KonMari Method
This modern organising approach was developed by Marie Kondo and inspired by Japanese ideas of simplicity. Unusually, her KonMari Method takes the opposite approach, shifting the focus when tidying your living spaces. Instead of thinking about what you want to get rid of, the KonMari Method focuses on what you want to keep, based on whether or not an item ‘sparks joy’. If it does, it stays. If not, it’s time to let it go.
You don’t necessarily have to replace it with another object that instils joy, but if one comes along later, it has a place and a purpose in your interior design. It’s a beautifully simple and extremely positive way to think about the world around you.
Storage solutions
The Japanese approach to tidying up doesn’t simply rely on throwing everything out and going for a completely minimalist look. Neither does it mean stuffing cupboards full of your everyday items and then closing the doors for an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. Instead, it embraces storage solutions as part of the overall design, with the closets and storage just as much a part of the overall effect.
Within these closets comes a sense of order as well. But how do you organise a closet to emulate the larger, room-size principles of Japanese minimalism?
How to organise a closet
According to the KonMari Method, storage should support your lifestyle and not merely hide it away. How you organise your closet depends on the objects you place in it but always allow easy access to each item without disturbing the others. Closet organiser ideas can include folding clothes vertically and storing items upright, so they are instantly visible.
Allocate each item its own space. This ensures that if it’s removed and used, it naturally returns to that spot. It also makes things much easier to find because they are ‘where they should be’.
When you’re tidying up, do so by item category, not by room. This allows you to focus on each item individually and to question whether it ‘sparks joy’ and needs its own space, or if it’s time to let it go. Organise clothes together, then books, sentimental items, papers, and finally, ‘Komono’ or miscellaneous items that don’t fall into any other category.
Turn tidying up into a pleasure, not a chore
In many Japanese-inspired approaches to living, tidying isn’t a daily chore to rush through. It’s a way to reconnect with your surroundings and to ‘reset’ your mind and position within that space. Instead of treating tidying up as something that has to be done, turn it into a small ritual. This can include the simplest of actions, such as opening the windows to let fresh air fill the room, blowing away any negativity that may have accumulated, and recharging your space with a more positive, organic energy.
If this article has inspired you to explore the principles of Japanese minimalism and the KonMari Method in more detail, have a look at the array of storage solutions and closet-organiser ideas available at CB2.