Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Quieting Your Home


I first read about quieting the house in The Nester's book. I am not a minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but neither do I thrive in clutter and little pathways through clutter in my home! Lately, I've been feeling a bit more closed in by clutter and things laying around.

One reason I painted our school table earlier this year was this very thing. When I would look towards the Living Room from the Kitchen it felt like all I could see was chairs and the clutter was noisy. Now that the table/chairs are gray, they are so much quieter. Does that make sense?

For some inspiration on quieting the house, try any of these posts:
Quieting the House @ Jones Design Company
Summerize Your Home Part II:: Keep it Calm {how I quiet the house} @ Nesting Place
How to Edit a Room @ Nesting Place

I had recently chosen a couple of places in our house that were noisy to me and calmed them. This is my favorite space - I cleared a stack of books off, removed a couple of other things and loved how just one simple pumpkin looks.



For today, look around your home and pick 1-3 areas that are adding noise to your life. It could be a pile or it could be decor - how can you quiet it. I spent one hour and attacked three places in our house one afternoon while our children were having piano lessons in the Living Room. My kitchen counter pile {if you know me, this is a constant problem/struggle for me and if you've been reading here a while, you've definitely seen it before!}, the top of the art cabinet and the kids linen closet.

Here are my before/afters - I made myself deal with everything before taking my photos, there are no hidden piles that I moved back later :)







Ok, your turn - how will you quiet your house today? What is the number one area causing the most noise? It was amazing to me how it only took one hour and I got a lot done which felt like a great accomplishment. But more than that, I did instantly feel quieter and not only that, it motivated me to want to pick another couple of areas the next day!

11 comments:

Simply Quaint said...

Mine is craft room and front room...I will spend a hour or so in there today and do the same.....organize and remove unnecessary....light a few candles and add some warmth to the rooms....
Thank you for lovely post....and sharing.....your ideas and creativity is awesome......

Blessings
Rhonda

Unknown said...

Yes keeping thints as uncluttered as possible help keep the home quiet. Playing Christian or classical music also. Christina

Tina Leigh said...

Our kitchen counters are also "catch alls" & it screams at me. A room I would love to calm is our study. It's a small room & since we built our house, I've never been able to make it a desirable area. I wish you could have your way with it Monica.

Loving these posts.

Shelby said...

Love, I have a stack of paperwork on my kitchen counter that desperately needs attention. My desk really needs to be cleared off and organized. I'm going to try those 2 projects today;). I have a really hard time with 5 kids and their art work as to what to do with it all. Sit of times I have to throw it out. Any ideas or suggestions?

Rachel said...

My main noisy area is our kitchen island. Always. I need to rethink my systems because the things there are really things that have no other home. But it is driving me crazy. I will commit again to clearing it off completely because even when I just leave a little there it grows and grows. Another area is in need of attention is our mudroom area in the garage but I'll certainly be enlisting the help of the kids for that job. It is out of control and we haven't even brought out the winter things. Off to tackle those areas now.

Jen said...

I love this! I am definitely a "minimalist" and, while I know it's not the "right way" or the only way and certainly isn't for everyone, I DO think it makes such a difference in the overall "tone" of the home-or at least is certainly has for our family. Simply put, our home is uncluttered, and I work hard to keep it that way. It helps, of course, that I am not terribly sentimental and that our children are teenagers but, even when they were small, I made active choices to "declutter" and keep only those things that were necessary and much loved. I have had people say our home is "empty" because it isn't full of photographs and "chotchkes" and stacks of things. I have had others say our home is like a breath of fresh air because it DOESN'T have all those things. :-) Perspective.... For my family, our home is inviting and cozy in its own way. It's not sterile and it's not even entirely free from dust and dirt, but it IS uncluttered and for us, that means our home is a quiet haven.

A word of encouragement: we have four children, two of them have moved out of the home but ALL of them have thanked me at one time or another for their "quiet" and uncluttered home. And, please don't misunderstand, people whose homes are "cluttered" or more busy can certainly have children who enjoy and appreciate that environment. But, for MY children and OUR family, this is what has worked and it has blessed MY family--which is all I am responsible for. And, for me, that is what matters.

Your home is lovely, Monica but, more importantly, your heart and spirit are lovely. THAT will impact your sweet kiddos more than any decorating or decluttering endeavor! Happy Tuesday!

Elise said...

I think you read my mind! I just got a can of oops paint in a pale grey shade to repaint my kitchen chairs, and possibly the table base, too. I love the funky green shade that some of the chairs are, but lately I have been feeling like I live in a fun house with no exit. I'm hoping the painting will spur me onward to some de-cluttering as well. Like you, I'm not a minimalist, but definitely don't thrive in clutter.
Elise

Bevy @ Treasured Up and Pondered said...

I so enjoyed reading this today...

Thoughts of quiet... even in decor. Something to think about and I know one area for sure is the kids clothing closet and drawer. Seasons change and it's time - to tackle.

Who knew there could be so much noise coming from the closet? lol!!

jen medeiros said...

I have been inspired to declutter lately and now with your "quieting the home" post....it motivated me to tackle a couple of areas today.
I love uncluttered spaces but I am also very sentimental and find it hard to part with certain things :) I also love to decorate for the seasons.....I loved how you placed a simple pumpkin alone....perfect.

Thank you for your heart and I am LOVING this series.

God Bless

Lauren said...

I also thrive when my house is uncluttered. I feel like since we homeschool and the kids are home all day it is hard not to look "lived in" (lol). Also.....when we run errands and are not home the house stays a mess. When my van died a few years ago we wee home almost every day ALL DAY and the house stayed much neater. I notice a biggie for my family is that we leave out things that we are in the middle of doing or plan to do. I plan to paint my nails so the polish is out. My girls are in the middle of an art project or the whole polly pocket village is out so it stays out. What works best for me is the fly lady 15 (or I do 30) minute clean up in each room. It keeps me from leap frogging room to room. I set the timer and do not allow myself to leave the room. If something needs to be take to another room I put it in a pile near the door and when the timer rings I take it out.

Mom said...

Lovely post! As you well know, I dislike clutter - but I never thought of clutter as being "noisy."