When looking around your home do you feel a sense of chaos or disharmony? The reason you
may be feeling such a sense of disorganization may not be because of the physical items you
have in your home, but instead the visual clutter that you may be experiencing.

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Visual clutter happens when our eye cannot rest, when it’s constantly scanning, moving and taking in everything in our surroundings. For some people this visual clutter can cause an intense sense of inward chaos and disharmony because of the eye and mind never being able to rest. I am definitely one of these people! So when we moved into our home I spent a large amount of time reducing, eliminating and finding creative solutions for stopping any visual noise.

Two​ ​Primary​ ​Offenders​ ​of​ ​Visual​ ​Clutter

That clutter is thrown at our vision 24 hours a day. Labels from the various products we
use in spaces like the bathroom and the kitchen are the main offenders of visual clutter and can leave you feeling unorganized and generally unhappy.

The​ ​Bathroom

Think about the last time you were in your bathroom standing in your shower. When you looked around your shower did you feel a sense of calm or did you feel a sense of chaos? Its physically impossible to have large items in your showering space (unless you have a massive walk in shower in which case you may!) so the root cause of this feeling of disharmony will be found in the items around you. The many personal products we have in our day to day life take over that small space and transform it into a shower advertisement.

The​ ​Fix!

Clear​ ​your​ ​counter​ ​tops​ – the more you have on your bathroom counter, the more your eye will be drawn around the horizontal surface instead of relaxing and focusing on the mirror (you!). Try and keep only beloved and beautiful products on display on your bathroom counter, and store the remainder in an organized fashion in the cupboard. On my countertop, I have my ‘Chanel #5’ bottle, a small shell from my beautiful sister in law that holds my earrings, a white toothbrush holder and soap dispenser, a mason jar full of dried flowers, a small jar from our trip to Morocco which holds cotton pads and a silver clock! All of these objects are beautiful to me and my eye is able to rest when looking at my bathroom sink.

Choose​ ​matching​ ​bottles​ – We use these plastic pump bottles we found on amazon and fill
them with one of your bathroom products (one for shampoo, one for conditioner etc). Then
apply a label to identify what is in each bottle and use clear packing tape to affix the label on the bottle AND also keep it dry!Don’t want to use a label? Don’t worry! Try using a dot of nail polish on top of the head of the
bottle to identify what product its housing. Then if you want to repurpose the bottle, simply use nail polish remover to start fresh again!

The​ ​Kitchen

In the kitchen when you open your pantry do you feel distracted by all the different items that
jump out at you? Spice racks become cluttered with jars to the point of it being some kind of jar forest, you can’t put your hand on an ingredient because it’s lost in a maze of consumables. The visual clutter from packaging is again behind that feeling of disharmony and can make your home feel cluttered as soon as you open up a door! Not to worry though! There are some small changes you can make that will majorly impact the harmony of this space!

The​ ​Fix!

Spice​ ​rack​ ​organization​ – Keeping all your spices in one type of container can decrease the
visual clutter immediately. Choose clear jars and either purchase labels or, better yet, make
your own with a word document and full page printable sticker paper from Avery!

Ingredient​ ​organization​ – Again, the best way to store ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar etc is to take them out of their bulky and advertising infused packaging and place them in a clear container with a simple label. (This is also a great way to keep track of your supply of ingredients, and you will be well aware when you need to buy more flour instead of being stuck in a bind!)

Use​ ​Vertical​ ​space​ ​in​ ​your​ ​cupboards​ – The one problem that can happen with kitchen
cupboards is that things start to get stacked on top of each other, causing an amusing (sometimes) avalanche of plates, spices or condiments. Utilize that vertical space in your cupboard (and prevent such disasters!) with a simple purchase from the dollar store or amazon. A dinner plate shelf can be purchased inexpensively from both of these places and can allow you much more room to store objects.

Don’t want to buy anything at all? Try using an old shoe box! Turn it upside down and use the
flat bottom as a shelf for deep cupboards!

Take some time in your home and let your eye slowly wander around. Do you feel pulled in
several different directions and unable to focus? In the kitchen can you find what you need
clearly and quickly? In the bathroom does it feel like a retreat or like Target? If you find yourself surrounded by visual clutter then try implementing these tips, or find solutions that work for you and your family to make your life as beautiful and simply organized as possible!