Tips to declutter your home, office space

Team L&M

Janavi Javeri, Interior Stylist & Founder of Walls and Things shares a few tips to declutter home and office space. 

Start with a blank slate
Get rid of any clutter that has to be thrown out, eliminate anything you do not use anymore, and donate anything that may still be good but you don’t longer love. A frequent shelf styling mistake is using too many objects and accessories. Think of it this way: The more items you have on a shelf, the less of an impact each item will make. Some pieces are large and dramatic enough to stand alone on a shelf.

Have a healthy mix
Shelf styling is an enjoyable activity that allows for creativity as also declutter home. You can curate a collection of decorative items, including objects, sculptures, vessels, flowers, and more, to add beauty to your shelves. It’s important to aim for a balanced combination and to consider the sculptural aspect, especially when working with built-in bookshelves.
Home is where we tell our stories through the things that we choose to surround ourselves with. Show off treasures brought back from recent travels, display your accomplishments, and finish it off with a bunch of things that reflect your personality and styling taste.

Start with larger objects first
When it comes to styling your shelves, it can be overwhelming to start with small decorative items. Instead, a good approach is to begin by filling your shelves with larger pieces such as statement sculptures and vases. This will assist you in establishing the correct scale and balance, providing you with a solid foundation for your layout. You can then fill the rest with filler accessories like plants, coffee table books and small accents.

Display items that vary in size
To achieve a layered look, it’s important to mix and match bigger and smaller pieces. Begin by incorporating a few large staple items and then add smaller, more intricate objects as accessories. This combination of larger and smaller pieces creates a sense of balance. You can use boxes, baskets, large bowls, and big pictures as excellent elements to either establish a foundation or fill in empty spaces.

Stack and Layer
One of my favourite ways to give your shelf styling confidence is by layering, and an easy trick to do this is by placing items on top of stacks. For example: If you’ve created a few book stacks on your shelf, simply place a small decorative item on top.

Propped Artwork
In a world where pictures are usually hung, leaning your artwork is an elegant way to break the rules. In addition to being incredibly stylish, open-shelf art displays are very practical for small spaces. Long shelves also give you the option to group your pieces together. Consider placing artwork towards the back of the shelf and layer smaller decorative items in front — using the depth of the shelf will create interest.