Happy Summer everyone! I can’t believe how fast most of summer is flying by. I have been using nearly ALL of my summer free time to do some serious cleaning and de-cluttering of items that have been here, there and everywhere since moving here last September.. We have been working on several projects around the house and everything has been messy and cluttered, causing me to have a cluttered mind as well! Lately I have really started thinking about making some drastic changes to my decor, which is right in line with clearing the clutter.*This post contains affiliate links.

My goal for our new house has been to refresh my style by purging a lot of things I have just been hoarding for far too long, and I am really enjoying the idea of moving more toward a more elevated design aesthetic. 

Decorating with meaningful items such as family heirlooms or special artwork like my husband’s paintings in the photo below will make our new house feel more like home. Even though I do want less, I think you can still have “grandma-core” or have cottage core style in a neat way if you are strategic with design and organization.

Okay, I realize that being a born junker, I will never be a minimalist when it comes to decorating, but I can still edit my collections and refresh my interior decorating style a bit. Even though I will always love to collect vintage items and create charming vignettes with found treasures, I am really wanting to streamline my collections, especially when it comes to my dishes and silverplate hoards.

Instead of having pieces spread out all over the house, I love the idea of neatly curating my favorite pieces in a beautiful display cabinet or hutch and simply rotating some other pieces in and out seasonally.

I recently shared how I use baskets on the countertop to showcase favorite items yet keep the countertops clear. The baskets can easily be moved and all the contents within when more space is needed for cooking. Decorating with Baskets is one of the easiest ways to clear clutter!

Marion at Miss Mustard Seed has a mastered the look I am beginning to explore. She uses a lot of beautiful vintage pieces, but each space in her home has some “breathing room.” This hutch is not crammed full of collectibles, but instead is carefully curated with select pieces of beautiful ironstone and artwork. The floor area is kept clear of baskets, bins, crocks, etc. allowing the hutch and the contents within to steal the show.

Here she has many more vintage  pieces on display (more similar to my own style) but note that there is nothing on top of the blue cabinet such as a basket, artwork or even more dishes. The beauty of the gorgeous blue cabinet and contents within is the focal point. I also took  notice of the simple table centerpiece. With the stunning chandelier and beautiful chairs in addition to the blue cabinet, anything else would possibly be distracting. This is a perfect example of “less is more in decor.”

I love that when we moved purged a lot of my ironstone but I have found ways to still have it around in tidier displays. I have been working on getting rid of other miscellaneous knick-knacks and junk that seems to be contributing to the cluttered look.

I have come to realize that sometimes less is more in decor, and I am challenging myself to see if I can still create a warm and welcoming home without having to have vintage collectibles displayed in every nook and cranny. Because our home is large, clearing the clutter will help keep chores maneagble.  Since Since starting on clearning the clutter, I have been sorting items into keep, sell, or donate to charity boxes. It feels so good to be tackling this “problem” that has been building up for some time!

There are likely plenty of items that can be repurposed for organization too. For example, shoe boxes, old jars, and baskets can all be used in to organize. It has been tricky not having a garage, but we have seriously been looking into DIY garage ideas which would help a lot, especially since I don’t have a garden shed either.

Everyone knows there are significant emotional benefits to cleaning clearing the clutter, and I am feeling less stress already. I can’t wait to see how everything turns out with my spring decor refresh! I hope you will keep watching for updates to see what I come up with. I will be sharing more tips and tricks for spring cleaning (which can be any time of year!) and clearing the clutter throughout the process.

Thanks for visiting today!

Amber