Do you ever feel like you stuck in a rut? Like your home isn’t “working well,” but you can’t figure out why? A recent vacation reminded me how a fresh perspective can improve the functionality of a space.
Winter is not my favorite season, so I typically take my annual vacation during this time. This year, I had the opportunity to visit St. Thomas and St. Croix. It delights my soul to get warm and soak up some sunshine.
Here is a photo of one of the bedrooms I stayed in.
Looks nice, right? It was! As I moved through the room for the first couple of days, it appeared to me that everything was in order. However, one morning I got a fresh look at the space. As part of one of my exercise routines, I kick up into a handstand against a wall. [I know, this is a little weird, but it works for me.] What surprised me was the view I got when hanging upside down with my head near the floor.
Do you notice what I noticed? The bed was actually sitting crooked in the room. Now, this didn’t really matter, and I was able to easily push the bed back against the wall. However, what struck me was that I did not notice that the bed was crooked when I was upright and walking around, only when I saw it from this different perspective.
It is a fact that human beings habituate – or get used to– seeing things in our space. It’s an interesting phenomenon, and I wrote a post about it a couple of years ago. Some people call this the “wallpaper effect,” meaning that stagnant items in our space blend into the background like the patterns on wallpaper. Our brains initially register their presence, but as time passes (and nothing changes), we stop noticing them. This is one of the many ways our brains maximize efficiency.
At the same time, this tendency may become a barrier to optimizing the functionality of our spaces. We get used to seeing our belongings in certain places, everything from a stack of paper on the kitchen counter to a piece of furniture sitting in front of the closet door. Even when these situations are less than ideal, we become so accustomed to them that we can’t imagine them being any other way.
Of course, if you love the way your furniture and/or belongings are arranged, this is not a problem! However, if you are dissatisfied with your system(s), this can be frustrating. You know it isn’t as good as it could be, but you may struggle to figure out how to make it better.
This is where the concept of a fresh perspective comes into play. Looking at room, cabinet, drawer, or closet through a new lens can help you maximize the functionality of your space. But how do you do this? There are a couple of approaches that can be helpful.
Take it All Out
First, if it is an option, simply emptying a space can be a simple and cost-efficient way to get a fresh perspective. Most organizers will tell you that they prefer to completely empty a closet or chest of drawers when organizing a space. The reason we do this is:
- Bringing items out into the open makes it easier to review them.
- When a space is cleared, it can be cleaned and measured.
- Seeing everything that needs to go back inside helps us design a plan.
This is also true when you are deciding where to put furniture. You begin with a blank plan of the room, then consider your traffic patterns, and end by replacing the furniture and decor.
If you have a space that isn’t working, you may gain fresh perspective just by taking everything out and starting over. Seeing this “blank canvas” helps you envision new options and new approaches, unhindered by the way things have always been.
Move Things Around
If emptying a space isn’t possible, such as with a room full of furniture that is big and heavy, an alternative approach is to move things around. I always have furniture movers in my bag for this very purpose. Many people have difficulty picturing how a space will look simply by talking about a layout or looking at a drawing. In contrast, physically moving pieces makes it much easier to tell what you like and what you don’t. You can practice walking between two pieces of furniture or reaching to an upper shelf.
Declutter
If you follow me, you know that I regularly encourage clients to declutter before they start organizing. A good decluttering session may reveal a space that looks different enough to spark ideas. For instance, if the corner of your bedroom is full of boxes from your last move that never got unpacked, reviewing, purging and relocating these items may free up enough space to change the way you think about the room. Getting rid of all the old suits you used to wear, but will never wear again, may open your eyes to the possibility of moving some other articles of clothing out of a crowded space and into your closet.
Get a Change of Scenery
Another way to gain a fresh perspective is by seeking a change a scenery. Again, let’s remember that what keeps us “stuck” is seeing the same setting day after day. In contrast, exposing ourselves to a new setting can prove very inspiring. Maybe you visit a friend and like the way he/she has laid out a room. Or, you go on vacation and see a storage solution you love in your VRBO. Even watching design shows and following social media experts can be a great way to get ideas. I have a variety of solutions over on my Pinterest boards.
Harness the Power of AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more efficient. Did you know there are AI apps and programs to help you reimagine your space? I confess I am new to these myself, and still experimenting, but I love the idea of uploading a photo of my room, selecting a color scheme and style, and seeing what options pop up. Here’s one you might want to play around with.
Bring in an Outsider
Depending on the specifics of your situation, you may benefit greatly by hiring a professional (e.g., professional organizer, interior designer, floor planner, etc.) to come in and reimagine your space. Since we haven’t lived in your space, we see it with fresh perspective. We are not limited by the way things have been set up or done before, and therefore often have ideas that you may never have considered. Additionally, our experience in the field means we bring a variety of choices and tools for you to consider. I’m often told, “I never would have thought of that.”
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Spring is springing and new beginnings are in the air. Where might you benefit from getting a fresh perspective?
This week, I had two opportunities to reimagine spaces with fewer furnishings. In both cases, the rooms had gotten very stuck with too much clutter. Moving these furnishings gave new energy and lessened the clutter. I love that you mention that we get in a rut with our spaces. Removing one thing, big or small, makes such a difference.
It’s easy to forget how big furniture actually is! It looks small in a store, but in our homes, it can really be overwhelming. How wonderful to get to help two clients this past week!
I know exactly what you mean — I’ve called them “tolerations” in my blog, and there are things we fail to see as the clutter or obstacles they really are. We become inured — blind to them.
The blank canvas is an excellent way to approach things, provided you have enough time. I think the problem many of our clients — before they become clients — is that they tackle crowded spaces by pulling everything out but not having the time, inclination, or insight to tackle everything, so now it’s not only a crowded mess, but it’s not even tucked away. But when we CAN empty a space and start fresh, almost as if we had just moved in, you’re right that the perspective can be brand new!
I have to admit, while I move (small) pieces of furniture with clients, in my own home, with the exception of adding bookshelves in two different rooms, almost every piece of furniture is exactly where I put it when I moved here in 1998; then again, I anguished over finding figuring out the “perfect” arrangement before I moved in. But it very well might be time to start fresh!
I love the idea of letting AI play around; I’m a renter, so I’m not going to paint, but seeing how things might look when rearranged is quite intriguing. Thanks for sharing the app!
I think this is an area where AI might really be helpful! It’s certainly the easiest way to consider a few options. Sort of like seeing what I might look like with blond hair or something.
There are lots of memes on social media about what happens when you take everything out but then stop. It does get worse before it gets better, but you have to push through to get to the “better” part. This is often when we get called in, right?
What a great reminder that sometimes we just need a new angle to see what’s not working in our space! I love your handstand story as a perfect example of how easily we miss the obvious when we look at the same thing every day.
It’s crazy what I have noticed doing my morning handstands in various locations LOL!
Yess! A friend and fellow organizer and I traded spaces. I went to her place and We organized her kitchen and she came to mine. It was so fantastic having that fresh perspective! She got me thinking of things I never thought of before and pointed out different things that helped so much!
What a fun experiment! Reminds me of the old TV Show “Trading Spaces.” I loved that show. It’s funny what a fresh set of eyes can see, right?
I like your term “wallpaper effect.” The concept sounds adjacent to “clutter blindness,” in that you stop seeing the things in your environment.
It’s wonderful when you can completely empty a room to reimagine it. I had that experience last year when we redid our guest bedroom. It hadn’t been empty like that in decades. Even the acoustics changed without any furniture or stuff in it. The advantage was enormous. Even before clearing it, I had an idea of how I wanted the room to be. However, that changed once it was empty. My mind was freer to design and perceive things in a new way.
This reminds me of how grooves form in our brains (and get deeper) the more we revisit a thought or engage in a regular habit. This makes it more challenging to stop doing those things which could be beneficial or not-so-beneficial. Changing a habit is less about undoing an established pathway and more about creating a new one. So, room cleaning facilitates creative options similar to establishing a new groove in your brain.
It can be so hard to get your brain to take another groove. I see this in my self and in others all the time. We just get set in one way of thinking, even though we may not consider ourselves in this way.
I had a friend who once suffered great damage to her home from burst pipes while she was away. Prior to that experience, she was not open to changing much in her space. However, once she had to gut the space, she ended up making different decisions and loved it. Nice if we can seek that fresh perspective without catastrophic loss, of course, but you get the point.
Love that you re-imagined your guest bedroom!
Excellent observation, Seana. Interestingly, our wood floors were resanded last week, which required removing all the items in our living room, dining room, and foyer area. It was cleared out two years ago; we cleared and downsized several items in this space when the entire area was painted and refreshed. I was so glad we did that and did not have to declutter and move them out. It does pay to move things out. We purchased extra furniture movers and felt pads to replace those that were broken or worn out. Before putting things back, I did my regular spring cleaning (cleaning windows and blinds, dusting the walls, etc…). Now that everything is back in place, I am so happy that the process worked smoothly. It is important to plan when moving furniture out of a room. Think of where these items can be stored, will you need help with some of the items, (I had our son help with the dining room table and the entertainment center). How long will it take to move the items out of the room? How much time will you need to move the items back into the room? Will the room need a cleaning before? How much time will that take? These are questions I had to answer before moving anything. I made a list so I would not forget tasks.
Sounds like you had an excellent plan for how to move the furniture. Getting wood floors refinished is no joke! I’ve done this once, but we were not living in the space at the time. You really do have to clear the space as the dust gets into everything.
How lucky to have a strong son nearby to help move things. I often wish I had one, but for myself and for my clients LOL!
Congratulations on completing this big project, and on getting a result you love. 🙂
I like to map out the space on graph paper, with cut-out pieces to represent the various objects that need to be placed there. It takes a while to measure everything, but that’s less strenuous than actually moving heavy furniture around, especially if you don’t like the first layout and have to keep moving it.
That’s a great approach, and definitely easier than moving the furniture. Nice that some of this can be done online these days, even providing a 3-D image of the result!
Years ago, I had a very old square water heater start leaking water in my small kitchen. It had to be removed and at that point it was discovered that my floor had asbestos. Everything that sat on the floor had to removed and a special crew to remove and replace my flooring. I got used to having a refrigerator in my living room for a while. But with everything out it was my chance to completely redo that kitchen area, and I loved the end result.
Now, I am repurposing my living room, some of my main bedroom, and what was my husband’s office. I am using a Professional Organizer to work with me. I thought I wanted my living room one way but when she started laying it out, I could see what I wanted was not practical. Having someone else input ideas is a great help!
All of us – even professionals – benefit from a fresh perspective. Sometimes it just helps to have another person think about something to which we have become accustomed.
Sorry about the water heater leak. That sounds like a big and expensive mess. I’m glad it all worked out to your benefit in the end. It’s important to remember that might be gold at the end of the rainbow when the rain is pouring down!!
I love emptying a room of everything and then creating a fresh space as you move back only what’s needed and decide where each item will live. I wish I could do this with each client, but usually, there isn’t enough room to do so.
Once in a while a client will hire us because they need help moving stuff out to do renovations or to get new flooring installed (or paint). I’m always surprised by the changes that they make when we help to move the stuff back in.
An empty room invites fresh ideas, right Janet? I know it can be hard to move the furniture out, but wow, the ideas we get when we do!
How fun to use AI to redo a space with new options! I had no idea it could do that.
I call the wallpaper effect “wearing blinders”. I completely agree that we become so accustomed to that which is in our space that we don’t see the possibilities.
When I’m working with a client in a full home, I ask them to leave the space once we have finished for the day. To take a break, get a glass of water, clear their head, and then walk back into the space. They are always amazed at the difference – which they hadn’t noticed when they were sitting in the space.
I love that “close” with clients. It is so wonderful to step back and notice what has been accomplished. Sometimes the job feels so heavy and overwhelming that we can forget to celebrate progress. What a gift to give your clients, that fresh perspective on their space!
I definitely like the idea of changing things up if possible. Even jus changing paint colors. It makes it feel new. It’s hard if rooms are such that furniture can only go one way. Even then-changing knick knacks or sofa cushions can make a difference. Thanks for the ideas.
I’ve been looking at a room of mine and considering alternatives. I might try out that app to see what it would look like! Agree that changing paint and decor can also make a big difference.