Visual Clutter

Kevin and I had a talk this week that led to an epiphany.

And that is, that I don't do well with visual clutter.

I am a super super super visual person.

This week, we focused on making our family room much more inviting.

 We spend much time in the family room.  It is warm, friendly, and home to our main computer.

This picture below is NOT the family room.  It is our entry room and its a mess.  But I don't spend a lot of time in it, so it doesn't bother me a lot.

We moved a bookshelf out of this room, our entry room. Then I moved the sock basket and blanket basket off the family room hearth over to the wall next to the entry room computer.  Then I moved the library box behind the green chair in the family room.  That leaves a mostly clear fireplace area.

Then Kevin and I worked to clear our mantle, which had way too much clutter.  Now it just has a globe, 3 pictures, and our famous elephant fan.

This bookshelf in the family room used to have bins of little kid books on the lower shelves.  Rose is at the age where she thinks it is the world's greatest thing to strew books all over, occasionally ripping out pages for a little light stress relief.  So the family room often was covered in books.

We foiled her by moving a bunch of books onto these lower shelves, and wedging them in so tightly she can't actually pull them out.  Yet. As she grows stronger, so will the challenge.

And voila, our family room.  It won't, of course, always stay THIS clean. But having the socks, and blankets, and mantle junk out of the room has made the room much more peaceful.  Hiding the library books behind the green chair is also a big help.

I know many people are more auditory, or kinesthetic-tactile, than visual.  I'm guessing maybe less visual people aren't as bothered by clutter?  Just a guess.

I would also guess that being mom to 9 kids raises my stress level about clutter.  I already have moving targets to keep track of. When there are random THINGS constantly intruding on my peripheral vision, I get very stressed.

So this is good.

I've worked on the living room as well, and have removed a few corner items that were functional but ugly and/or cluttery.

I hope this will reduce my overall stress level and make it easier to keep the house reasonably tidy.