Restoration (Organizing for Lent)
If you follow me on Pinterest, you probably won't be surprised to hear that I have a bad case of the beach blues. If time & money would permit, I would have left for the beach before the first snow hit Atlanta back in January, & doubt I would return for many weeks.
Besides the obvious (sun, waves, frozen drinks), I've been thinking about what contributes to that sense of calm & soul restoration that comes with a vacation in a beach town. And I realized that all of my favorite places to stay have something in common: a clean, uncluttered atmosphere. Everything is in its place. There isn't a lot of clutter or visual busyness. Towels & beach bags hang on pegs in the halls & baths. Dressers & closets have plenty of space for your stuff. Coffee tables offer a place to rest bare feet or frosty glasses.
Images like the one below spring to mind.
Of course, all of this can also make a vacation home impersonal. Finding a balance between displaying the things that make your house your own vs. not letting your stuff take over is important. I'm inspired to clear out the clutter, to give my spaces room to breathe. My best friend told me about a Lenten challenge to declutter one area of your home every day for 40 days. I believe two blogs, whitehouseblackshutters.com & memoriesoncloverlane.com, are providing instruction on how to accomplish this big task. I'm going to attempt to follow along myself, and will give you an update around Easter. If you decide to join, let me know - I'd love to hear how it went for you!
Besides the obvious (sun, waves, frozen drinks), I've been thinking about what contributes to that sense of calm & soul restoration that comes with a vacation in a beach town. And I realized that all of my favorite places to stay have something in common: a clean, uncluttered atmosphere. Everything is in its place. There isn't a lot of clutter or visual busyness. Towels & beach bags hang on pegs in the halls & baths. Dressers & closets have plenty of space for your stuff. Coffee tables offer a place to rest bare feet or frosty glasses.
Images like the one below spring to mind.
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Of course, all of this can also make a vacation home impersonal. Finding a balance between displaying the things that make your house your own vs. not letting your stuff take over is important. I'm inspired to clear out the clutter, to give my spaces room to breathe. My best friend told me about a Lenten challenge to declutter one area of your home every day for 40 days. I believe two blogs, whitehouseblackshutters.com & memoriesoncloverlane.com, are providing instruction on how to accomplish this big task. I'm going to attempt to follow along myself, and will give you an update around Easter. If you decide to join, let me know - I'd love to hear how it went for you!