4 Affordable Ways to Declutter Your Home with Style

Clutter has a mind of its own. It starts with a few clothes thrown on a chair or two, and soon the dining room looks like a garage sale stand and the kitchen like a sales rack at a thrift store. So without spending a fortune, here are 4 types of containers or screens you can put together yourself for decluttering your home in style, while leaving the stuff you need close at hand.

Convert cardboard boxes into decorative containers

You’ll find free cardboard boxes at grocery stores. All you have to do is coat the boxes in beautiful wrapping paper using a glue stick. Look for wholesale, over-sized rolls of wrapping paper, which are typically sold in groups of four matching patterns (great for creating a variety of boxes). After storing away your clutter, stack your decorative boxes against the wall or in a corner to add style to the room.

Hide the mess behind a stylish curtain

When large items clutter up your home, set them up against the back wall of a room. Then hang a curtain pole from the ceiling at a distance of twenty or so inches from the wall. At a fabric store buy a beautiful curtain and no-hemming tape to fashion a charming curtain. Once you draw the curtain, the storage area behind it will be hidden from sight, while your decluttered home will look more stylish.

Put up fashionable shelving

Smaller clutter, like office supplies, school work, bills or craft materials fit well in cardboard shoe boxes. Ask for free boxes at a shoe store. Then spray paint the boxes in a single shade, such as lilac, red or white, depending on your decor. Next, mount plain wood shelving on the wall using cheap support brackets. If you paint the brackets the same color of your walls, they will blend in and disappear. Now mount your boxes on your stylish shelving, and pin a label to each box for easy recognition.

Make use of lidded baskets

You’ll find affordable lidded baskets at craft stores. Or for better prices look for baskets at garage sales or flea markets. If you find a stylish basket that has no lid, fashion one yourself by cutting a piece of cardboard down to size. Then coat the cardboard in a beautiful fabric and glue it down. Finally, slip a drawer knob through the top. Use your lidded baskets to hide away such clutter as toys, boots, laundry, books or out-of-season clothing.

Your boxes, curtain, shelving and baskets will hide away the mess and add spots of color and style to your home. Best of all, the things you’ve stored away will remain within easy reach without cluttering up your limited living space.

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