Is KonMari a Con or a Bona Fide Genius?

While waiting for my payment to process, I got to chatting with the lovely guy at the weigh-in station about the impact of COVID to his industry, the rubbish/recycling business (ah, the glamourous life of an Interior Designer, striking up conversations at the tip!) He said they have had a 40% increase in customers since the start of the Coronavirus lockdown and, at their busiest, had waits up to 30 minutes or more to weigh in and check out. That’s a whole lot of people Marie-Kondo-ing their homes. With no other options to hand, homeowners have crash-tackled closets, cabinets, drawers and garages. Out went things they don’t want, no longer need, are broken or damaged or have outlived their usefulness. Hopefully, this then ushered in order and calm. So, there’s a little silver lining to isolation.

First We Organise…

But, what does this have to do with design? Plenty. When starting any design process, before selecting the colours, the materials or those gorgeous brass handles you want, it’s important to first understand and assess what you truly need, what you really want to achieve, and, if everything were possible, what your dream outcome would be. And, when designing custom joinery, you also need to assess want you want that joinery to accommodate.

Often, when we meet with clients to discuss a new design project, one of the biggest issues they are facing is not having enough storage and this is a key driver of their decision to start a new project. As we begin to develop the scope of work and document requirements, there is a tendency for clients to say ‘here it all is’ in terms of what needs to be stored.

But, why invest in a custom design for things that you don’t actually want or need any more? Not only will the resulting design be compromised, and the end result not be what you actually want, but custom joinery is expensive, and you will be investing in something you don’t need. And, while cost may not be a key driver for you, why not invest in getting the outcome that you truly want rather than compromise for things you don’t want or need?

How Many Shoes are Too Many?

Closets are classic examples. We rarely get around to truly tackling the contents of our wardrobe and donating or disposing of things that a) no longer fit, b) never really suited us and therefore have never, or have very rarely, been worn, c) are outdated (but we paid a lot of money for!) or d) are irreparably stained or damaged. But, if you don’t address the above before planning a new wardrobe, you’ll be compromising the design of the new wardrobe.

I have a favourite client that I was designing a walk-in-wardrobe for a few years ago. As I was working with her to inventory her wardrobe before starting the design process, I had to stop counting shoes at 200 pairs because there was no way we could accommodate any more, as well as her clothing and other accessories, in the space we had available. She warned me she was a shoe-holic but even she didn’t estimate she had that many pairs! And, as usual, the 80/20 rule held true – there were 30-40 pairs of shoes she wore regularly, another 10-20 that she loved but didn’t wear often and the rest she forgot she had. In the end, she realised she had to do a big cull and we were able to design a beautiful space for her to accommodate and showcase 40 pairs of shoes in the main walk-in-wardrobe with a secondary closet tucked into the hallway to house an additional 80 pairs. This worked brilliantly for her as she now could see, and easily access, her most oft-worn shoes, but still indulge in her passion for collecting shoes.

Assess then Diagnose

So, if you are thinking about contacting a designer to help with your joinery project, whether that is a kitchen, laundry, wardrobe, bathroom vanity or linen cupboard, take some time to review and assess what you have, what you need (whether or not you have that now) and what you will get rid of. This will help tremendously in getting the outcome you want.

Below are a couple of tips that can help with this task:

Give yourself time to do this. On the surface, it should be a straightforward, easy thing to do but there is a surprising amount of emotion that is wrapped up in things. It could be for sentimental, financial or pragmatic reasons but it can be tough to let go of things.
Ask a friend to help or bring a professional organiser in. Often, someone who doesn’t share the same emotional connection to things can help us release and move past those connections.
Know that there is going to be a “maybe” pile that you just aren’t going to be able to make a decision on straight away. It often takes more than 1 pass to accomplish this kind of task. Don’t fight it. Set aside another day to tackle it again and again, if needed.

If you need help with designing your joinery project, why not get in touch? We’re here to help.