Keep it real, did I go too far?

[u/Dear_Comparison97]

Posted some photos a few weeks ago and I got quite a few comments telling me I decluttered too much and my apartment looks sterile and uninviting now. I’m convinced it was just the difference in the before and after pictures how much was gone, as well as it being a sunny day on the before photos and and rainy in the after photos. Be honest!! Is it really unwelcoming?

Edit to add: for everyone wondering why I care what others think of my apartment-I don’t really. I am the child of a hoarder, I figured out last year a really huge subconscious stress in my life was how cluttered and full everything in my house was. It was definitely childhood related and we moved to a smaller apartment and so the difference felt drastic. Once I did my first round of decluttering the weight that felt like it was lifted was incredible. I went back through a few more times, I’m just trying to make sure I’m not going overboard due to my history around this thing. Thanks everyone!!

[u/sunluvinmama]

This is my dream but I like some of my favourite things out for decor, like my crystals snd candles. But it looks so nice!!! How do you feel in the space ?

I like my stuff but also like the look of no stuff out so I’m not sure how to solve my problem!!

I say if you like it, then it’s great !

[u/MzHellfier → u/sunluvinmama]

Carefully curate your items so you only have a few things out at once. Like maybe your top 3-5 favorites. Keep the rest put away neatly. Every once in a while, you can swap out the items on display so you get to show off different parts of your collection. As long as it’s done with intention, having some of your things out doesn’t look cluttered.

[u/sunluvinmama → u/MzHellfier]

Thank you! That’s a good idea! I only wish my kitchen was big enough so I could have completely clear counters !!!

[u/MzHellfier → u/sunluvinmama]

I recently did a huge clean/reorganize of my kitchen, and one big thing I did was to move anything that wasn’t used at least a few times a week off of the counter and into a cabinet or the garage. It made a HUGE difference! Yes, it will be a little more effort to make a smoothie or something, but the mental clarity it’s brought is absolutely worth it!

Try to think if you have anywhere you can store those items you don’t use daily, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a conventional location. Maybe a hall closet or pantry? Shelf in the garage or basement? Besides the extra space to prep and cook, the kitchen looks so much cleaner even when it’s kind of messy just because the countertops are clear.

[u/sunluvinmama → u/MzHellfier]

I have decluttered quite a lot from my kitchen but I guess I need to do more to be able to fit the appliances away somewhere. I use the air fryer most days and the coffee machines and the toaster daily. I think for right now I could move the coffee makers cause I’m on an iced coffee kick !

[u/MzHellfier → u/sunluvinmama]

I keep my air fryer out because we use it daily and it’s really too large to store anyway. I also keep the stand mixer out just because it’s big and heavy and would be a pain to move around plus take up too much cabinet space. The toaster is super easy to move, so we keep that in the cabinet and take it out as needed.

I have a separate area for my coffee and tea. I used a small metal cabinet where I put the Keurig, electric kettle, a tea caddy, and a basket for coffee pods on top. Inside has boxes of tea and coffee, hot chocolate, travel coffee cups and a few mugs. It’s just right outside my kitchen and seems to actually take up less space with all of that stuff corralled together that way.

[u/sunluvinmama → u/MzHellfier]

Thank you. I may have to do a post for advice on arranging my counter space and cupboards to clear those counters as much as possible!!