• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Indoor Mood

for a home that's you

  • {home}
  • about
  • design
  • decorating
  • projects
  • exclusive
  • follow

printables

DIY+ konmari+ printables

How to Make a Vision Board That Sparks Joy

journal with KonMari ideal lifestyle brainstorm
Before creating my ideal lifestyle vision board, I did some journaling to explore my desires.

Inside: how to create a KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board as the first step in your tidying up journey.

I learned about the Marie Kondo method in 2015. I read the book and I drank the Koolaid. With the song “Turning Japanese” buzzing through my head, I made it well past the sock drawer. But, my efforts fizzled somewhere in the land of komono.

Yup. I became a tidying up dropout. And I know why.

I skipped visualizing my ideal lifestyle. The #1 mistake that KonMari newbies make. Instead, I wrote a vision statement:

A home that supports me as I live, love, work, and play. Luxurious emptiness around the beautiful and useful.

Yeah, it was about as inspiring as yesterday’s quinoa salad. I remember the thought process. If I could just get rid of stuff, my ideal lifestyle would somehow emerge. But it doesn’t work that way.

What stopped me from doing this crucial step? Truth? It was scary to let myself dream. Fear of disappointment had me holding my hands over my ears saying “la-la-la” during that part of the book.

But skipping that step held me back. Tidying requires sustained motivation and commitment for weeks or months. Without a vivid vision of my ideal lifestyle, I lost my tidying oomph. Items from abandoned categories still stare at me reproachfully.

So I’m starting over from the beginning. And this time I’m going to let a tidying expert boss me around.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through what I did to create a vision for my ideal lifestyle. Plus, I will go over everything you need to know about this first step in the Marie Kondo method:

  • why it matters
  • when you get stuck visualizing your ideal lifestyle
  • four ways to imagine your ideal lifestyle
  • how to create your own KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board
  • my KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board reveal

Time to embrace the woo!

But first, if you’re starting or re-starting KonMari, set yourself up for success. Check out my post Why And How To Get Started With KonMari By Marie Kondo.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Why it absolutely matters to think about your ideal lifestyle

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The promise is right in the title.

My tidying process is not about decluttering your house or making it look neat on the spur of the moment for visitors. It’s about tidying up in a way that will spark joy in your life and change it forever. {Spark Joy}

I’ve adopted Marie Kondo as my personal development mentor. Some aspects of KonMari might seem odd, but she designed the method to be life-changing.

graphic with Marie Kondo's rules of tidying
Don’t miss this step!

The first step of KonMari—and the most important one—is to visualize our ideal lifestyle.

Marie Kondo gets that we’re impatient:

You would rather start tidying right away, would you? That is precisely why so many people suffer rebound after tidying up. When you image your ideal lifestyle, you are actually clarifying why you want to tidy and identifying the kind of life you want to live once you have finished. The tidying process thus represents a huge turning point in a person’s life. So seriously consider the ideal lifestyle to which you aspire. {Spark Joy}

graphic quote by Marie Kondo: "Don't curb your dreams"
Can you allow yourself to dream?

When you get stuck imagining your ideal lifestyle

Marie Kondo makes it sound so easy. But people do struggle with this:

  • What did you picture for your ideal life?
  • Visualizing your ideal life?
  • How do you go about “Imagining your ideal lifestyle”
  • Trouble visualizing my ideal life – help?

Practical examples of how to visualize an ideal lifestyle can help. This post covers lots of specific ideas.

But some of us also need to give ourselves permission to dream:

Please don’t curb your dreams. Your ideal image is not an objective set in stone nor is it an obligation, so don’t hold back. Feel free to indulge your wildest fantasy. {Spark Joy}

(Note to self: add Häagen-Dazs to vision board…)

But it can be hard to let ourselves dream. The minute I fantasize about my dream house, my brain jumps in with 73 reasons why it can’t be mine.

We bury our desires beneath our doubts—Brooke Castillo

How do we overcome our fear of dreaming? Ask yourself these questions (inspired by this fun video):

  1. What am I afraid of?
  2. What would I dream of if I wasn’t afraid?

Muster the courage to go deep with this.

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. {Lao Tzu}

Four excellent ways to focus on your ideal lifestyle

Marie Kondo is pretty vague about how to visualize your ideal lifestyle. As with everything KonMari, that’s intentional. The idea is to tailor this step to your own personality.

But how do we actually do it?

These questions can help with picking an approach:

  • Do words or images inspire you? Or both?
  • How do you most easily express yourself?
  • Do you feel jealous of people who are good writers? or speak well? or are visually creative?

1. Sketch out your ideal lifestyle

Do you love to paint or sketch?

Marie Kondo suggests this as one of the ways to represent your ideal lifestyle. Your vision doesn’t need to be ready to hang in the Louvre—it just has to have meaning for you. Break out the pencils or brushes and let loose.

2. Write about your ideal lifestyle

Writing your vision down will have the most meaning if you’re the wordy type. Sometimes the act of writing makes it feel more real. Taking pen to paper can be especially powerful.

If you’re the verbal type, try talking about your ideal lifestyle. Talk to a friend or think out loud on your own. The voice memo app on your phone can capture your words. Then you can replay it and write down parts that make your vision feel real and vivid to you.

If you love to lose yourself in fiction, think of your favourite characters from books or movies. Do their lives embody aspects of your ideal lifestyle? (thanks to redditor Ermagerd_Unicornz for that tip).

Lifehack has some great prompts for writing about your ideal lifestyle:

  • What will you have accomplished already?
  • How will you feel about yourself?
  • What kind of people are in your life?
  • How do you feel about them?
  • What does your ideal day look like?
  • Where are you?
  • Where do you live?
  • Think specifics, what city, state, or country, type of community, house or an apartment, style and atmosphere.
  • What would you be doing?Are you with another person, a group of people, or are you by yourself?
  • How are you dressed?
  • What’s your state of mind? Happy or sad? Contented or frustrated?
  • What does your physical body look like? How do you feel about that?
  • Does your best life make you smile and make your heart sing? If it doesn’t, dig deeper, dream bigger.

And this killer prompt from Marie Forleo:

Wouldn’t it be cool if ___________?

Remember, there’s no right way to do this. Make sure that your written vision is rich in detail and inspiring to you.

My printable worksheets include these writing prompts with space for you to write down your ideas.

3. Find a single photo that represents your ideal lifestyle

Minimalists may enjoy this tip from Spark Joy. Find a single image that makes you feel: “Yes, this is the kind of space I want to live in”.

Start by browsing through interior decorating magazines. Once you find a photo that captures your vision, keep it in a spot where you’ll see it all the time.

For example, Meghann found a single photo that represents her ideal lifestyle. A house entrance image captures the welcoming feeling that Meghann wants. The colours, texture, and feeling of the photo resonate with her.

4. Create a vision board that represents your ideal lifestyle

This is another method that Marie Kondo suggests and there are a few ways to do it:

  • create a collage from magazine photos: A great example is Hannah’s vision board. She combined photos and words cut out from magazines. I love how specific she is in imagining her ideal lifestyle. Her vision is so relatable: wanting to be healthy, connect with loved ones, overcome fears, and rock a bikini body!
  • fill a Pinterest board with photos that inspire you: KonMari consultant Maria Leahey suggests pinning images of your dream spaces if you love Pinterest
  • create a digital vision board: Jera worked with a KonMari consultant to create her digital vision board. It combines inspiration photos of spaces, with written descriptions of her goals, what she wants from her spaces, and what she wants more and less of in her life.
  • create a physical vision board with photographs: This is what I did. Read on for my vision board reveal and a detailed how-to.
trimming edges from photos
After printing my photos, I trimmed the white strips from the edges.

This is how to make your own KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board

As a visually focused person, photos do it for me. I decided to create a vision board with photographs to represent my ideal lifestyle. Of course, it had to be beautiful!

If you entertain your desires, if you talk about your desires, if you look at them and put them on vision boards and create visual reminders of what your desires are, your brain and your heart go to work on making them come true. {Brooke Castillo}

This is one of the most “woo-woo” steps in KonMari, so I made sure the mood was right. I found a time when my home was quiet, popped some roses into a vase, and lit a beeswax candle.

Supplies

  • worksheet in my KonMari Ideal Lifestyle printable (or your journal)
  • pen
  • photo quality printer
  • glossy 4″ x 6″ photo paper
  • paper trimmer
  • corner punch
  • thin hardboard panel like this, cut down to 24″ x 24″
  • washi tape

1. Create a list of life areas that your ideal lifestyle will include

To start with, I used my bullet journal (my favourite is this one). I started by listing the life areas that I wanted my vision board to include:

  • health
  • career
  • family
  • love
  • friends
  • creativity
  • spirituality
  • finances
  • home
  • travel

I created a worksheet printable for you to make this easier. Feel free to add or delete categories according to what you want your ideal lifestyle to include.

using punch to round corners of photos
I used a punch to round the corners of my photos.

2. Use the categories to brainstorm desires for your ideal lifestyle

Still using my bullet journal, I used my category list to brainstorm what I want for my ideal lifestyle. Some examples:

  • friends: I want to have more dinner parties
  • creativity: I want to learn to play the guitar
  • home: I want to live in a small heritage house

I kept going until I had a long list of “wants”, leaving a few lines between each one for the next step.

3. Apply the “5 Whys”

The next step is the “5 Whys”:

Your next step is to identify why you want to live like that. Look back over your notes about the kind of lifestyle you want, and think again. Why do you want to do aromatherapy before bed? Why do you want to listen to classical music while doing yoga? […] Ask yourself “Why?” again, for each answer. Repeat this process three to five times for every item.

As you continue to explore the reasons behind your ideal lifestyle, you will come to a simple realization. The whole point in both discarding and keeping things is to be happy. It may seem obvious, but it is important to experience this realization for yourself and let it sink into your heart. {The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up}

Fascinatingly, this process of questioning was developed by Toyota in post-war Japan.

Under each of my “wants”, I wrote out my “whys” (there weren’t always five). Here’s an example:

I want to learn to play the guitar

Why?

Because I love music

Why?

Because it connects me to rhythm

Why do I want to be connected to rhythm?

Because it makes me feel alive.

My neglected impulse to learn to play the guitar feels irrelevant to my life. But this exercise shows me that it’s about an underlying desire to feel alive. And that shows me the depth of this want.

Wanting to be happy. Feeling alive. Our wants come back to simple underlying desires.

Try this, you might be surprised!

ideal lifestyle photos
My photos ready for arranging on the board

4. Pick a photo that represents each aspect of your ideal lifestyle

I loved doing this step because photographs inspire me!

Pick an image that gives the vibe of each lifestyle “want”. I found photos in my own hard drive, on Pinterest, and on Instagram. Take your time with this.

Don’t worry about whether someone else would understand the meaning of your photo. Pick photos that make you smile.

When I see that coffee pot boiling over a campfire, I feel alive! When I see those clinking glasses of rosé wine, my yearning to spend more time with gal pals wells up.

As you find inspiring photos, save them in a digital folder. Once you have a bunch, go through them and weed out ones that don’t make your heart sing.

5. Print out your ideal lifestyle photos

I used my printer (similar model) to print out each photo on glossy 4″ x 6″ photo paper. Uploading your photos for printing at a lab is another option.

Using a paper trimmer (similar one), I removed the white strips along the edges. Finally, I used a punch to round the corners of each photo. I love how that adds a retro feel.

6. Arrange photos on a board

Pick a background surface for your vision board. I used a piece of thin hardboard panel like this, cut down to 24″ x 24″. I could have painted the board, but I left it bare. I like that my photos stand out against the neutral buff colour of the background.

Then, arrange the photos on the board. Take your time placing them, overlapping or not, until the final result pleases you.

Finally, attach the photos with washi tape (similar). This tape works well because it’s easy to reposition.

Voila! You now have a vision board that represents your ideal lifestyle!

7. Put your board somewhere where you can see it often.

You’ll need inspiration for your KonMari journey ahead. Your KonMari vision board doesn’t look like a kindergarten project, so display it with pride. Put it somewhere where you can see it every day.

Ksenia holding her vision board
My KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board.

I made it! My KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board

Here is my very own KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board.

I won’t lie. I procrastinated on doing this. I found myself guzzling coffee and mindlessly scrolling instead of tackling this project.

But it was so worth it to overcome my fears, set the mood, and take my time.

Every photo on my vision board gives me inspiration for aspects of my ideal lifestyle:

  • a cozy heritage house on a quiet street
  • so many dinner parties
  • giving my passport a workout
  • big and small nature adventures
  • growing this blog
  • chilling with gal pals
  • launching my teens into adulthood
  • sharing a remarkable life with my guy
  • unleashing my creative side
  • a spick and span home
  • learning to play the guitar and dance
  • radiant health
  • and yes…rocking a bikini body!
KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board
I display my KonMari ideal lifestyle vision board in the living room, where it inspires me every day!

Bringing these photos together feels powerful!

Now that I’ve lived with my vision board for a while, I can truly say that it sparks joy.

Don’t become a statistic

People are diving into KonMari-ing their homes. But so many become tidying up dropouts.

The #1 KonMari mistake is not taking the time to imagine your ideal lifestyle.

Whether you’re a KonMari beginner or a reboot-er, let’s do this right, together.

Use this post to pick how you’re going to visualize your ideal lifestyle. Then take action by documenting your ideal lifestyle in writing or with a photo, a collage, a vision board, a sketch, a painting, or an interpretive dance piece. OK, maybe not the latter.

The feeling of joy that you get from your vision of your ideal lifestyle is what KonMari is all about.

Free KonMari Ideal Lifestyle Vision Board printable

Get the password for exclusive Indoor Mood content, including KonMari printables, by filling out this form:

Extra credit

More inspiration for visualizing your ideal lifestyle:

  • take a minute to watch Marie Kondo talk about imagining your ideal lifestyle—her voice is so soothing and the incense smells so nice
  • KonMari consultants Karin and Kristyn chat about how to visualize your ideal lifestyle

Over to you…

How are you going to imagine your ideal lifestyle? Or maybe you think it’s a silly waste of time? Have you created a vision board? Tell me in the comments. And if you created your own vision board, drop me a link…I’d love to see it!

September 4, 2019 / 7 Comments

decluttering+ konmari+ planning+ printables

Why And How To Get Started With KonMari By Marie Kondo

historical scullery kitchen organization
pre-KonMari organization in a historical scullery kitchen

Inside: A guide for beginners (and those starting over) to Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up method, including a free KonMari pdf checklist.

Confession time.

In 2015, I decided to declutter and organize my home using Marie Kondo’s method.

I started strong. I geeked out and learned everything I could about her. I read the book. I watched every video interview. I read countless articles and blog posts. I joined a support group. I got through discarding clothes, then books, then paper.

But, I never finished. Yup, I’m a tidying up dropout. Insert embarrassed face emoji.

Now, I’m starting a KonMari “do-over”.

I’ve been craving more order in my home. After living here for 18 years, it’s time to freshen things up. We don’t have a lot of clutter, but I have that nagging feeling. The closets are stuffed. Storage is awkward. And then there’s the rented storage locker…

graphic with Marie Kondo's six rules of tidying up following the KonMari method.
The first step is making the commitment.

I’ll be sharing my journey and blogging about my “tidying festival” along the way. Whether you’re new to KonMari—or rebooting—won’t you join me? I’ll walk you through the entire process. This is the first post in the series (sign up for the Indoor Mood newsletter below to get updates).

The truth is that following the method can be overwhelming. Planning for success will help you get past the sock drawer.

This post is a beginner’s guide to KonMari. I’ll be covering

  • what KonMari is
  • why I recommend KonMari (hint: not just for decluttering your home)
  • KonMari myths you can ignore
  • steps to take before you start KonMari
  • things to keep in mind when you start
  • mistakes to avoid (including the “whys” of my own #konmarifail)
  • my free Indoor Mood KonMari pdf printable planning checklist (jump there)
  • KonMari resources I enjoy

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Who is Marie Kondo and what is KonMari?


Marie Kondo is a Japanese expert on decluttering and organization. Her 2014 book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up launched her method in North America. More recently, many people have found her via the Netflix series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.

KonMari is Marie Kondo’s method:

The KonMari Method encourages tidying by category–not by location–beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service–then let them go [konmari.com].

Marie Kondo quotation: Tidying is the act of confronting yourself
KonMari is so much more than decluttering and organizing.

Why the KonMari method?

People tend to focus on the decluttering and organization aspects of KonMari. For many, this method is the one that finally helps them to get their homes in order.

But KonMari is so much more than that.

Tidying is the act of confronting yourself [Spark Joy].

On a deeper level, KonMari is a personal development program. Does this sound far-fetched?

What I learned from my #konmarifail is that figuring out what “sparks joy” is hard. And sorting through my belongings brings up a lot of emotions.

Tidying allows us to develop those discrimination skills and work through those emotions:

The process of facing and selecting our possessions can be quite painful. It forces us to confront our imperfections and inadequacies. There are three approaches we can take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die. If we acknowledge our attachment to the past and our fears for the future by honestly looking at our possessions, we will be able to see what is really important to us [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; edited for brevity].

Marie Kondo’s method is about:

  • creating your ideal lifestyle
  • recognizing what brings you joy
  • cultivating gratitude for everyday things
  • improving decision-making capacity
  • becoming conscious of surroundings
  • letting go of attachments to the past
  • facing the future
  • relieving stress and anxiety
  • developing soothing rituals
  • restoring balance to our home lives

As I embrace midlife, I’m looking forward to my KonMari journey. I’m ready to grow as a person. Dust off the skeletons in my closet. Hey, it’s cheaper than therapy, right?

Marie Kondo's Tidying Up Method: A Guide for Beginners and Those Starting Over, with a free printable checklist
Pin this Marie Kondo Getting Started Guide for later! And don’t forget to grab the free KonMari pdf printable checklist.

Three myths about KonMari

First off, have you read about Marie Kondo in articles, blog posts, or social media? If so, I’ll bet you’ve come across some silly myths about her method. Don’t let these misconceptions stop you from embracing KonMari!

Myth #1: Marie Kondo promotes minimalism

Snarky articles love to portray the Marie Kondo method as promoting stark minimalism. Perhaps because North Americans associate Japan with minimalist interiors? Or maybe it’s because Kondo seems extremely enthusiastic about discarding? To the point where the result might be an empty room?

Nothing could be further from the truth. Kondo never tells anyone how much, or how little, they should own.

Kondo encourages us to reduce until we reach the point where something “clicks”. She’s very clear that the “click” point differs from one person to another:

For a shoe lover, it might be one hundred pairs of shoes, while a book lover might not need anything but books [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up].

Owning one hundred pairs of shoes isn’t exactly minimalism.

In another case, Kondo was asked about a situation that sounded like it was verging on hoarding. Even then, she did not judge the choice to own a lot of stuff:

If he is my client, I don’t think it’s important for me if he has too many items or not. I think it’s much more important to figure out if that person is happy with that amount of items. So I would probably recommend that person to imagine the ideal lifestyle for that person. I think your friend needs to figure out what kind of lifestyle he or she wants…what’s the realistic life your friend wants? So that he or she can figure out how much stuff to keep [at 34:46 in her 2015 talk at Google]

The Netflix series has helped to correct this misconception. Kondo’s non-judgemental respect for her clients’ spark-joy-meters came through. If a dizzying quantity of Christmas decorations sparks joy for you, go for it (see the Empty Nesters episode)!

Myth #2: Marie Kondo hates books

Faux controversy. The laziest tactic of journalists and social media darlings. In early 2019, some started insisting that Marie Kondo hates books. And the whole thing gathered steam…

This tweet summarized the situation well (sorry for the profanity!):

WHAT MARIE KONDO SAYS: Think about getting rid of books you aren’t going to read or reread.

WHAT TWITTER HEARS: Let’s burn all books and slay the writers! Let the streets run red with their blood as our literary pyre’s smoke blocks out the sun! FUCK BOOKS.

— Kevin Church 🖖🏻 (@Kevin_Church) January 5, 2019

She had to set the record straight:

The most important part of this process of tidying is to always think about what you have and about the discovery of your sense of value, what you value that is important. So it’s not so much what I personally think about books. The question you should be asking is what do you think about books. If the image of someone getting rid of books or having only a few books makes you angry, that should tell you how passionate you are about books, what’s clearly so important in your life. If that riles you up, that tells you something you about that. That in itself is a very important benefit of this process [IndieWire].

Myth #3: Marie Kondo encourages us to discard important items

Does Marie Kondo tell us to discard important legal documents? Nope. Should we get rid of tools that we use regularly? Nope.

In Spark Joy, Kondo clarified how we should look at useful items:

the things we need definitely make our lives happier. Therefore, we should treat them as things that bring us joy.

She’s also blunt that we must keep some things, including contracts and important papers.

list of eight steps to take before you start KonMari
Want to remember this? Save this guide to getting started with KonMari to your favourite Pinterest Board

Eight things to do before you start KonMari

1. Which Marie Kondo book should I read first?

You can watch the entire Netflix series, read a summary of the method, and binge-watch YouTube videos—and still miss the point. I see this so often in KonMari support groups.

Read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. If you don’t like reading, listen to the audiobook.

It’s the best instruction manual for KonMari. Learning the method in detail matters. The book is also very important for developing the right mindset as you tackle this huge endeavour.

Fun fact: this book was initially intended as a stopgap for Kondo’s clients. “I had so many clients—a months-long waiting list,” Kondo said. “They requested that I write a book so they could learn about my method while waiting for their consultation” [The Cut].

2. Create a vision for your ideal lifestyle

This is the most important step to take before tidying. When we embark on KonMari, it’s because we want something to change in our homes and lives.

What is your ideal lifestyle? Kondo asks you not to curb your dreams. Indulge in exploring this in detail. If you want to live in a different home, include that too.

There’s no right way to create your vision for your ideal lifestyle. You could:

  • write out your vision in a notebook
  • sketch out what it looks like
  • create a Pinterest board with photos
  • create a collage or “mood board” from printed photos or cut-outs from magazines

As a visual person, I’ll be creating a physical “mood board” that represents my ideal lifestyle. Stay tuned for a “how to” post about this.

3. Commit and set a timeline

KonMari requires commitment and a lot of time. Kondo encourages us to

start by discarding, all at once, intensely and completely [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up]

But what does she mean by that? About six months. So, what is that going to look like for you?

Be realistic about the time windows—and physical space—that you have available.

Can you take weeks or days off to tackle this? Or will you be fitting KonMari into an already-busy life? It certainly was entertaining to see the rapid progress in the Netflix series. But, I’m guessing that most of us will have to take things a bit slower.

Do you have a lot of space that you can use for sorting and discarding? If so, you might be able to take on tidying huge categories in a designated area—without disrupting the household. On the other hand, if you live in a small space, you might only have room to go through small subcategories at a time (e.g. just t-shirts).

All sorts of tidying patterns are fine. Pick what best suits your lifestyle, schedule, and space:

  • add some daily tidying time to your consistent routines and get it done bit by bit
  • do it ”weekend warrior”-style by devoting a full day or two every week to tidying
  • if you have the freedom and stamina, take a week or two at a time to blitz through tidying

The longer the gaps between your tidying sessions, the more important it will be to boost your motivation.

In my 2015 #konmarifail, I tried to tackle large categories, too quickly. That didn’t work for me, because I got discouraged when my progress wasn’t as fast as I had hoped it would be. First, my home is small. Second, my responsibilities don’t allow me to devote huge time blocks to KonMari.

This time, I’ll be tidying smaller sub-categories. Instead of rushing the process, I’ll be satisfied with an hour or two, whenever I can manage it. This strategy is a better fit for my life. Tracking my progress with a checklist will help me maintain a sense of momentum.

4. Take “before” photos

So many regret not taking “before” photos of their spaces. People forget, or they just don’t want to immortalize the mess in photographic form.

But before and after photos are a great way to see progress along the way. Many say that they can hardly remember the “before”—it feels like their post-KonMari home has always been that way.

Kondo believes that photos can boost your motivation—she calls it the “clutter-photo shock treatment”:

The trick is to turn the current mess, which will soon be gone for good, into a source of entertainment. How? By taking photos while each room is still a mess. That’s right. I encourage you to click away, taking panoramas of each room in its entirety as well as close-ups of the contents of each drawer. A look at these photos will likely show you that your place is even messier than you thought [Spark Joy].

I didn’t take before photos when I started KonMari in 2015, but I’ll be careful to document my progress this time around. Stay tuned to find out if I decide to post them here!

5. Do the Mt. Vesuvius Method if your home is too messy or small

Sometimes we don’t have enough space to do KonMari tidying. Or we cannot even grasp categories because everything is mixed up. But you have to start somewhere, right?

Do any of these apply to your home?

  • you have “that room” full of unsorted stuff (or garage, basement, or storage locker)
  • it’s hard to manoeuvre around because there’s stuff everywhere (no judgement here!)
  • your home is small and there’s not a lot of space to work with
  • you have “panic boxes” from when you stuffed things away quickly

The Mt. Vesuvius Method might help. It was developed by Sandra Felton, a home organization guru who really gets the messy home predicament. Here’s how to do it:

  1. buy a large number of office storage boxes (like these) and assemble them as necessary
  2. pick a messy room or space (basement, garage, storage locker)
  3. in the room you are tackling, position six or more boxes, plus a trash can and recycling bin
  4. begin filling boxes rapidly with similar groups of things
  5. label each box with the KonMari category name (clothes, books, paper, komono/miscellany, sentimental), labelling sub-categories as necessary (e.g. komono/sport equipment or komono/craft materials)
  6. for papers, note where the papers came from on the outside of the box
  7. look for trash/recycling in the room, put items in the trash can/recycling bin, and discard immediately
  8. put the tops on the boxes and stack them against the wall or out of the way
  9. continue to the next room or space

It’s amazing how this process can clear areas and reduce overwhelm!

I did the Vesuvius Method in 2015 before I started KonMari. My home is small, my kids were younger, and the family’s belongings were more mixed up. Sorting items into categories helped me get a handle on my stuff.

Once you start your tidying festival, it’s super convenient to have items boxed up by category.

6. Create a discarding plan

Plan time (and help if needed) for getting rid of discards on a regular basis. When bags, boxes, and items to be discarded pile up, we feel overwhelmed because it’s hard to see the progress.

Almost nothing belongs in the landfill these days. Research where you can take discarded items. Find out what organizations will pick up items.

Figure out how you will discard:

  • nice clothing
  • stained or ripped clothing (some thrift stores accept these as materials for rag making)
  • books (second-hand books stores often accept donations)
  • confidential papers (shredding recommended)
  • other papers
  • household items
  • furniture
  • recyclables (including electronics, scrap metal, etc.)
  • computers and parts that are still usable
  • old paint and other controlled materials
  • valuable items

Grab my printable below—it includes a list of items to discard that you can fill in for your situation.

At one point in my previous KonMari attempt, I had a list that looked like this:

  • take items to thrift store donation centre
  • take box of old paint to depot that accepts it
  • take wooden studs from renovation to the wood recycling center
  • sell old filing cabinet on Craigslist
  • sell kids’ tall toy organizer on Craigslist
  • take refundables to depot
  • take kitchen renovation cast-offs to Habitat for Humanity ReStore

You can bet it took quite a while to check off that list!

Make sure that you have bags and boxes on hand for discarding. I recommend clear, heavy-duty plastic bags for donations. That allows both you and the recipients to see what items are inside. Recycled cardboard wine boxes are a convenient size for breakables.

7. Join a support group

KonMari support groups can be a lot of fun—Facebook has many. Share your progress with others. Get some cheerleading when you’re discouraged. Look for an active group that follows the KonMari method strictly.

8. Have a plan for when you feel like quitting

At some point, you’ll feel like quitting. KonMari is a huge undertaking done over a long period of time (for most). Keep some strategies in your back pocket to overcome the urge to quit:

  • Kondo’s remedy for this is spending 10-30 minutes making an inventory of storage spaces. Get a general grasp of categories of where things are stored. Seeing the big picture can help reduce anxiety and get you back on track with tidying [Spark Joy].
  • Look at your “before” photos and notice the progress that you’re making.
  • Get inspiration from the vision for your ideal lifestyle that you created. If it isn’t inspiring you, make a new one.
  • If you’re feeling burned out, Kondo also recommends taking photos partway through. Photos boost motivation by reminding you of why you’re doing KonMari [Spark Joy].
  • When she feels like she’s in a rut, Kondo says she crosses her legs and goes into zazen, or meditation [Fast Company].
  • Remember that “no matter how much stuff you may own, the amount is always finite” [Spark Joy].
Marie Kondo quotation: "I believe that tidying is a celebration..."
find the right mindset for your KonMari journey…

Three KonMari habits and rituals

Habits and rituals can help us with mindset. I’ll be paying more to the details during my festival this time around.

1. Remove distractions

Marie Kondo wants us to look at tidying as a special occasion, or “festival”, separate from everyday life. She recommends avoiding music, TV, and distractions while we’re tidying. As we evaluate each item, we need mental space to experience our feelings.

2. Greet your home

Viewers of the TV series will notice that Marie Kondo always greets her clients’ homes:

The first thing I do when I visit a client’s home is to greet their house. I kneel formally on the floor in the center of the house and address the house in my mind. After giving a brief self-introduction, including my name, address, and occupation, I ask for help in creating a space where the family can enjoy a happier life. Then I bow. It is a silent ritual that only takes about two minutes [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up].

Does this seem strange? This ritual helps to align us with our goal of pursuing our ideal lifestyle.

Kondo also advises that you start greeting your home every time you return: “Hello! I’m home!” You can even talk to your home while tidying. Again, cheaper than therapy!

3. Dress nicely when you tidy

When we plan a big decluttering session, our first instinct is to grab our grubbiest clothes. After all, we know that we will be going into closets and dark corners, and who knows what lurks there? Cue the skeletons and spiders. Neglected objects will be dusty. We will be lifting things and need ease of movement.

As usual, the KonMari method is counterintuitive. Believe it or not, Marie Kondo wears a dress and blazer for her tidying sessions! Sometimes she dons an apron when it’s called for. This relates to her tidying philosophy:

This is my way of showing respect for the house and its contents. I believe that tidying is a celebration, a special send-off for those things that will be departing from the house, and therefore I dress accordingly. I am confident that when I show respect by the clothes I choose to wear and begin the work of tidying by greeting the house, it will in turn be happy to tell me what the family no longer needs and where to put the things remaining so that the family can be comfortable and happy in this space [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up].

You won’t find me wearing a dress and blazer, but I will be mindful of my appearance as I launch into my tidying festival.

Seven mistakes to avoid when you start KonMari

Any of these mistakes can derail your progress, so beware!

1. Don’t skip over creating a vision for your ideal lifestyle

This was the number one cause of my #konmarifail in 2015. I wrote a brief and vague statement as my vision statement before starting my festival. Looking back, it wasn’t detailed, specific, or inspiring enough.

Kondo warns:

If you skip this step, not only will it delay the whole process, but it will also put you at higher risk for rebound. Goals like “I want to live clutter-free” or “I want to be able to put things away” are too broad. You need to think much more deeply than that. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up].

Clarifying why you want to tidy is the key to success!

2. Don’t tell everyone you’re doing KonMari

I’m telling my readers that I’m starting my KonMari festival, but I won’t be telling my friends and family. Why?

According to more than 80 years’ worth of research on the psychology of goal pursuit, people who talk a lot about how they’re going to achieve some goal end up being less likely to put actual work into achieving that goal [The Cut].

In fact, Kondo even advises against telling your spouse about your tidying festival:

You do not say anything to your husband. You don’t say “I’m over here cleaning and what are you doing over there watching TV?” You just do it. Basically you let the actions speak for themselves [at 46:43 in a 2015 interview with 92Y].

This is especially good advice if you’ve gotten the spousal eye-roll when you mention your latest decluttering or organizing project.

Most of us can get started tidying our own possessions by category without advertising it to everyone. If you want to share your progress, join a support group and get the benefit of “Konverts” who “get it”. And trust that family members will be receptive once we’ve become KonMari grads with our own stuff.

Of course, this is not what we saw on the Netflix TV series. But, it makes sense. You couldn’t exactly do secret KonMari…with a TV crew in your home filming it. Obviously, all household members had to buy into the process for filming to be possible.

3. Don’t terrorize your family with KonMari

So many KonMari beginners say things like this:

My kids and spouse are messy and they want to keep their piles of useless stuff. They are trashing my joy!

Sometimes we feel so enthusiastic about a new approach that we go overboard. Armed with contractor-grade garbage bags, we’re going to solve this for once and for all.

But Marie Kondo warns us not to be overzealous when it comes to converting our families. So…

  • don’t decide that your entire family has to be “on board”
  • don’t throw a royal fit and order a dumpster
  • don’t get your spouse worried that you will “disappear” their stuff
  • don’t drive your family crazy talking about KonMari
  • don’t force your kids to get rid of their treasures

Be fair to the innocent bystanders. Lead by example and let the KonMari magic work in your home…before offering to help family members with their stuff. We follow Marie Kondo’s advice because we deserve the KonMari magic!

4. Don’t let sentimental items bog you down

Sentimental is the last category of items to tackle in the KonMari method. But sentimental items can crop up in any category, and it’s important to be prepared for that from the start.

Whether you’re tidying clothing, books, papers, or miscellaneous, sometimes you pick something up…and experience waves of emotion.

We don’t always expect to find sentimental items where we do. For example, a box of old academic articles that I came across brought back a flood of memories of my grad school years. Oddly, they belong in the sentimental category for me.

Marie Kondo is clear about this: if an item in any category has sentimental value, put it aside and for when you tackle the sentimental category. Determining what sparks joy is a skill. Tidying sentimental items is an advanced skill. If you try to do this too early in your festival, you risk stalling out.

Getting distracted by sentimental items definitely contributed to my #konmarifail. My plan is to have a box labelled “sentimental” handy as I sort through other categories.

5. Don’t start planning storage before finishing discarding

Focusing on storage too early in the process can cause us to get sidetracked.

It’s inevitable. The minute we start decluttering, we start fussing over storage solutions. Once we have our joy sparkers, we want to organize them. But the KonMari method asks us to organize and store things at the end of the tidying festival.

We need to exercise self-control and resist storing our belongings until we have finished identifying what we really want and need to keep [The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up].

Of course, it’s okay to put things away in a simple way in the meanwhile.

Organizing happens after your festival is complete. Planning storage solutions will make so much more sense then. In the meanwhile, the Container Store, IKEA, and Muji will have to wait.

6. Don’t plan on selling everything

Selling used items seems like a great plan. Who doesn’t want to earn money by getting rid of stuff?

Unfortunately, selling stuff is very time-consuming and can become overwhelming. If you’ve never done it before, you might be surprised by how time-consuming it can be to photograph, describe, and price items. Not to mention: storing items in the meanwhile, monitoring queries, and generally dealing with flakey potential buyers.

I’ve had some success selling on Craigslist, but I’ve had many more failures. My worst experience was selling a functioning Volvo car for $400. The parts were worth more than that! But my ad attracted men who were into sniffing engines and generally wasting my time. Who knows what they were looking for?

Unless you have a lot of experience with selling, reserve this for very few items—ones that you know have high resale value.

7. Don’t decide that nothing sparks joy and go on a shopping spree looking for “joy sparking” replacements

Although Marie Kondo can teach us how to shop, this should mostly wait until the end of our KonMari festival. As we tidy, we may want to keep a list of items that we would like to replace with better versions. But there is no rush to do so.

Remember that we are building skills. Shopping will be so much easier when we can identify what sparks joy. And we might learn to better appreciate the everyday items that already serve us.

Free! Grab your Getting Started With KonMari pdf printable planning checklist

I’ve thrown a lot of advice at you in this post. I’ve covered everything I’ve learned from reading, watching, participating in support groups, and my own #konmarifail.

Whether you’re a beginner or a reboot-er, let’s do this right, together. Get my free planning checklist and start your KonMari festival! To get the password to access exclusive content, just fill out the form below.

Extra credit

Here’s more KonMari goodness:

  • the Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is a great way to internalize her gentle and wise mindset (episode summaries)
  • 92Y did a great video interview with Kondo that focused on a lot of areas where people struggle (she’s adorably pregnant in the video!)
  • Tim Ferriss also had an in-depth podcast interview with Marie Kondo, exploring her background, spirituality and details about her method
  • KonMari consultants Karin and Kristyn chat about planning your tidying journey
  • Kiki & Jax: Marie Kondo’s new book for 3-7-year-old children
  • cute KonMari for Kids printable cards

Over to you…

Are you thinking of starting KonMari from scratch? Or have you already started or completed your festival? Maybe you’re a skeptic? Do you need free therapy like I do? Let me know in the comments.

Note: Marie Kondo’s words have been translated as she’s not an English speaker.

May 27, 2019 / 4 Comments

planning+ printables

Overwhelmed? The Most Powerful Way to Triage a Home Project List

list of home projects
do you have a home project list as long as your arm?

Inside: This home project planner (free printable!) uses insights from psychology to help you prioritize.

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

The noises interrupted my creamy, cloudy, marshmallow-y daydream. I was in the middle of a few minutes of delicious “me time” on the computer. My quest: the perfect off-white paint colour.

Meanwhile, my one-year-old daughter had seized the opportunity. She cleared off every single low shelf in the living room…onto the floor. Standing there, she looked somewhat proud of her shelf cleaning efforts.

My eyes skimmed the room. Piles of stuff on the floor. Boxes “to sort” lurking in the corner. Those dents in the drywall needed filling. I felt that sinking feeling in my stomach.

Who was I kidding? Picking paint colours was the least of my worries.

I had so many home projects on my to-do list. Decluttering. Organizing. Rearranging. Deep cleaning. Repairing. Decorating. Renovating.

Spending time on Pinterest wasn’t going to help me with that list.

chips and salsa
maybe chips and salsa will help?

Are you procrastinating on home projects?

Living from day to day, you don’t always notice the tasks piling up. Or, you’re in a season of life where you’re stretched. You put taking care of people first.

Suddenly you have a home project list as long as your arm. You realize taking care of your home is part of taking care of yourself and your family.

You’re determined to take action.

Gah! Where do I even start?

I’ve been there…not knowing where to even start. Every project takes planning, time, energy, and—usually—money.

The tricky part is prioritizing. Do you install an organizer in the family coat closet? Replace the kitchen faucet with the fiddly handle? Buy new throw pillows to cheer up the living room?

Maybe you’ve read the advice about what projects to work on first:

  • focus on resale value
  • do free and low-cost projects first
  • fix whatever is bugging you most
  • go for visual impact
  • address functionality issues
  • work on the basic infrastructure first (plumbing, electrical, etc.)

None of these are wrong. But there’s a more powerful way.

illustration of Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow 1908-1970

Psychology to the rescue!

Our homes meet our needs. It’s a simple yet profound paradigm. We need shelter. A place to nourish our bodies with food. The perfect off-white paint colour. Wait…is that a need?

Abraham Maslow would say yes!

Born in Brooklyn over a century ago, Maslow had a rough childhood. As a son of Russian Jewish immigrant parents, he was bullied and suffered from psychological issues.

His troubled beginnings shaped his life. As a psychologist, Maslow devoted his career to studying how we can realize our potential. This led him to focus on the human needs we all share.

Our Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s insight is that not all needs are equal. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs recognizes that we have different levels of motivation to meet different kinds of needs.

At the most basic level, we need to survive. Once we have survival taken care of, we move up to the next level. Those needs then become our main motivation.

diagram of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Here are the categories of needs, from most immediate to least:

  1. basic physical needs
  2. safety
  3. love & belonging
  4. esteem
  5. self-actualization

A hierarchy of needs for your home

Maslow’s insights provide a profound way of looking at your life. Even your home.

Cleaning, organizing, decluttering, fixing, or renovating can meet your needs (or those of your family). Needs help with prioritizing that long list of task and projects.

Physical needs

Our homes support the basic needs of our bodies: air, food, water, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, sleep. Yep, Maslow put sex in there as part of basic survival. I’ll let you be the judge of what category it belongs in!

Some examples of how our homes might not meet these needs:

  • the air in the home feels stale in the winter (air)
  • a child wakes up ridiculously early because the curtains in her room don’t block the morning light (sleep)
  • the kitchen is so badly set up it’s hard to cook meals from scratch (food)

Some examples of projects to better meet these needs:

  • clean and maintain ducts and filters
  • install blackout blinds
  • renovate the kitchen to improve functionality

Safety needs

Once we have survival covered, we need to be safe. This is a biggie. Safety includes covers physical safety, health and wellness (including psychological and emotional), and financial security.

Our home plays in a huge role in this broad category of needs.

Some examples of how our homes might not meet these needs:

  • an upper story window is not secured and a toddler could fall out (physical safety)
  • dark walls are contributing to gloomy feelings (emotional wellness)
  • that pink gunge in the shower turns out to be a bacterium that can cause infections in humans (health)
  • if that leak isn’t fixed right away, it’s going to cause costly damage (financial security)

Some examples of projects to better meet these needs:

  • install window bars to prevent accidents
  • paint walls a lighter colour
  • open the windows, break out the bleach and go to town on those tiles
  • call the plumber and get that leak fixed

Love & belonging needs

Most of our family life takes place in the home. And we welcome our closest friends there too. Our homes are the containers for our most intimate experiences of love and connection.

Some examples of how our homes might not meet these needs:

  • the dining room table got taken over by a project and everyone eats in front of the TV now (family traditions)
  • there’s nowhere comfortable to hang out (casual togetherness)
  • the master bedroom became a dumping zone and the romance is gone (connection in marriage)

Some examples of projects to better meet these needs:

  • banish projects from the dining room table and move them elsewhere
  • upgrade seating and lighting to feel comfy
  • do a full declutter and deep-cleaning of the bedroom

Esteem needs

Let’s face it. We want to feel good about ourselves. And we want others to accept and value us.

We want our homes to reflect our best selves. We don’t want to feel embarrassed or ashamed when we welcome people into our homes. We might even want to keep up with the Joneses.

Now the ego’s involved, and this category can be a bottomless pit. But there’s nothing wrong with meeting these needs.

Some examples of how our homes might not meet these needs:

  • the front door is looking shabby (taking pride in home)
  • can’t have anyone over because there’s too much clutter everywhere (entertaining guests without embarrassment)
  • the living room looks like a hodge-podge with no style (feeling good about one’s style)

Some examples of projects to better meet these needs:

  • sand and paint the front door
  • declutter the most public areas of the home
  • create a plan to redecorate the living room

Self-actualization needs

This pinnacle of the triangle is about meeting our full potential.

Self-actualization is

to become everything one is capable of becoming — Maslow

At this highest level, our homes can support us in many different ways.

When our more basic needs are taken care of, we can focus on our goals, talents, desires, happiness, and purpose. Self-actualization is very personal.

Some examples of how our homes might not meet these needs:

  • no spot for a sewing hobby (enjoying one’s passions)
  • creative personality of the owner not reflected in the decor (creative self-expression)
  • too much noise and distraction for meditation (achieving inner peace)

Some examples of projects to better meet these needs:

  • carve out a corner for a compact sewing station
  • explore personal style as it relates to decor
  • soundproof a room to support a meditation practice

Triage your home project list

By now, I hope I’ve convinced you how important needs are in the home. And some of those needs are more immediate than others.

Here’s how to tackle home projects:

  1. Start with creating a meta-list of projects that need to be done in your home
  2. Categorize each project according to which level of needs the project meets. If there is more than one level, pick the most immediate one (lowest in the hierarchy).
  3. For each project, rate the cost (low, medium, high)
  4. For each project, rate the time and energy required (low, medium, high)
  5. Start with the projects that involve the most immediate needs. For some, this will be “Physical Needs”.
  6. Plan to complete these highest priority projects as soon as possible. If not possible due to budget or time and energy constraints, write down a completion plan.
  7. Focus 90% of home improvement efforts on projects in the most immediate needs category, until all projects are complete.
  8. Proceed to the next most important needs category. For some, this will be “Safety Needs”.

To make this process simple, I created a home project planner with worksheets to walk you through each step. It includes an incompletion trigger list to help with thinking of projects that need to be done. It also includes a separate planner worksheet for each needs category, with simple-to-complete ratings to help with prioritizing.

Download your free Home Project Planner

Do you have a list of home projects to triage? Get the password to access exclusive content (including the planner) by filling out this form:

Finally…

I still have a lot of projects to do in my home. But I have a lot more clarity around what is most important.

Eventually, I did find the perfect off-white paint colour (if you must know, it’s Pointing by Farrow and Ball). But I’m pretty sure I should have been sealing the grout in the shower first.

What do you think?

Are needs a good way to prioritize home projects? Do you agree with Maslow’s hierarchy? Let me know in the comments.

November 22, 2018 / Leave a Comment

furniture+ kitchen+ printables

How to Pick Kitchen Counter Stools (You Need to Avoid These 6 Mistakes)

counter stools at Fayucaville Restaurant | Scott Cohen Design

Inside: absolutely everything you need to know about choosing kitchen counter stools…plus a free guide!

Live jazz, soft lighting, and my husband. As I sat down at the bar, I was contemplating indulging in a Manhattan.

Suddenly, the mood shifted from romantic to absurd. Sitting at the too-low bar stool, I felt like a child. Even my tall husband looked a bit silly with the bar hitting high on his chest.

There’s a lot to consider when picking counter or bar stools. Homeowners agonize about it in kitchen forums. Even professional designers sometimes get it wrong—as my husband and I experienced at that posh hotel bar. The truth is that counters and stools aren’t as standardized as dining room tables and chairs.

In this post, I’ll go over six mistakes to avoid when you pick your kitchen counter stools:

  1. too high or too low;
  2. uncomfortable;
  3. not child-friendly;
  4. swivel stool back smashes against counter edge;
  5. buying too many or too few; and
  6. stools don’t work with room decor.

Oh, and be sure to grab the No Regrets Guide to Picking Counter Stools at the bottom of this post. It includes worksheets that help with measuring and planning your counter seating.

black kitchen counter stools in a kitchen
Restoration Hardware Vintage Toledo Bar Chairs in my kitchen

Mistake #1: counter stools are too high or too low

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when picking stools. Either the stool is too low and you end up feeling like Goldilocks sitting at a counter that is too high. Or, the stool is too high and there’s no room to cross your legs under the counter.

Why does this happen?

  • a bar stool is mismatched with a standard counter (36 inches);
  • a counter stool is mismatched with a bar height counter (42 inches);
  • the stool is a non-standard height; or
  • the counter height is non-standard.

This mismatch is easy to prevent. When selecting a counter stool, measure the height of the counter. A good rule of thumb is that the seat of the stool should be 12 inches below the underside of the counter.

Product names can be misleading. Don’t assume that a “counter stool” or “bar stool” will match your standard counter or home bar. Check the seat height before purchasing, by measuring or checking product measurements online.

Also, be aware that seat height will be lower than expected if the seat has soft cushioning.

Matching a non-standard counter height to a stool is a common challenge. Our kitchen has a 39-inch island to accommodate my husband.

The simplest solutions are to:

  1. pick an adjustable stool that falls within the right seat height range or
  2. buy a taller-than-needed stool and cut the legs to measure.

We picked adjustable counter stools inspired by 1940s draftsman’s chairs. See the photo showing the Restoration Hardware Vintage Toledo Bar Chairs in our kitchen. They adjust perfectly to match our taller-than-standard island.

diagram of adjustable stool
counter stools are trickier to pick than dining chairs

Mistake #2: counter stools are uncomfortable

You’d be surprised to know how often people regret buying uncomfortable stools.

Do you see yourself sitting at your counter for a quick five-minute coffee? Perhaps you’ll be perching there while you open mail? If so, comfort may not be a big deal.

But maybe you imagine your kids doing homework at the kitchen island? Or guests lingering over cocktails and appetizers while you finish up dinner? For longer and more relaxed seating, you’ll want to make comfort a priority.

Padding and upholstery

For comfort, pick stools with a bit of cushion in the seat and back. Especially if some family members or guests have less “built-in padding”. Some options:

  • pick stools that are padded and upholstered: if spills will be an issue, consider wipe-able materials like Crypton fabric, leather, or vinyl (also known as “vegan leather”);
  • add detachable seat pads: many can be washed, and they can be replaced if necessary.

Also, keep in mind that fabric will be more comfortable in rooms that are hot and sticky, or chilly.

Footrest

Unless your counter has a built-in footrest, you’ll want to pick a stool with a footrest. See the Fayucaville photo for an example of a built-in (copper!) footrest. Unlike a dining room chair, most people will not be able to rest their feet on the ground when sitting on a counter stool. People tend to feel uneasy when their feet dangle, so a footrest is a must for comfort.

Stool back

Backless stools do have their merits. They’re perfect for the minimalist look, and they tuck nicely under the counter too. But if comfort is a priority, you’ll want a stool with a back. For relaxed lounging, a backless stool won’t cut it.

counter stool with black and white patterned seat
Backless stools are best for quick perching. The Triangulation Counter Stool designed by Ksenia at Society6.

Seat size

There is no tactful way to put this. Seats should match bums. For most adults, wider and deeper seats are more comfortable. But there are constraints to this:

  • if your countertop overhang is shallow, a deep seat will cause knees to bump the underside;
  • a too-deep seat may also cause the stool to extend too far back from the countertop edge—especially if there’s a passageway; and
  • if your countertop width is narrow, fewer wide stools will fit along that space.

Swivel

Swiveling is a feature that can add to comfort, allowing people to move around a bit while they sit casually.

Some disadvantages:

  • swiveling stools take up more width along a small countertop and
  • see mistake #4 below.

Mistake #3: counter stools are not child-friendly

You’re unloading the dishwasher or chopping veggies. Your kids are eating breakfast or doing homework at the kitchen island. For a family-friendly kitchen, the key is picking seating that works for kids.

Seat with back

Kids generally do better with stools that have a back. Having a seat back seems to provide some grounding, especially for wiggly little ones. But, see mistake #4 below.

Padding/upholstery

In my experience, kids tend to sit longer when seats are comfortably padded. As adults, we tend to forget that kids often have less padding on their behinds. If the goal is to have kids doing homework or eating full meals, some cushioning may be a good idea.

Of course, kids often mean messes and spills. More child-friendly options for upholstery include:

  • Crypton fabric: I’ve seen this stain-proof fabric hold up very well on 16-year-old dining chairs used by all ages in a common space;
  • dark and/or patterned fabrics;
  • leather with wipe-able finish;
  • vinyl (also known as “vegan leather”); or
  • add a detachable seat pad.

Swivel

Most kids love to sit on stools with a swivel. But, watch for mistake #4 below.

Mistake #4: swivel stool back smashes against counter edge

diagram of swivel stool back vs. stone counter edge
swivel stool back vs. stone counter edge

Do you have restless folks sitting at your counter? We do. In that case, you might want to rethink pairing a stone counter with a swivel stool that has a hard back. Over time, a hard stool back that bumps against the counter edge will weather some damage. We’ve definitely seen some wear on our stools as a result of this.

Solutions include:

  • pick a stool that doesn’t swivel;
  • pick a stool with no back—best for stools that will be used briefly; or
  • pick a stool with a cushioned/upholstered back.

They weren’t available at the time that we purchased our stools (and they definitely are spendy), but the leather version of the Toledo Bar Chair may have been a better choice for us.

Mistake #5: buying too many or too few counter stools

Too many

Kitchen space constraints typically determine the number of seats that will fit. In addition to the width of the actual stool, you’ll need enough space between stools to sit down or stand up. You’ll need more space if the stool swivels: to make room for knees as the seat rotates sideways. Grab the No Regrets Guide to Picking Counter Stools below to figure out how many stools you have space for.

Too few

If you’re on the fence about how many stools to buy, err on the side of buying more. You might find the perfect stool and buy three of them. If you later decide that you want to add a fourth, you risk disappointment. Many open stock counter or bar stools go out of stock when you least expect it.

Mistake #6: counter stools don’t work with room decor

Counter stools should complement and add to the room’s decor. In this section, I’ll go over some design principles that can help.

Sightlines

Does it really matter what the counter stools look like? Yes and no.

Go for visual impact if your counter stools will be seen along important sightlines. Focus on what you see when you enter a room or sit down, rather than what you see as you walk through a room.

If counter stools are less visible, focus on comfort and practicality.

Overall style

In general, you’ll want a counter stool that fits the overall style of the room. Some interior decor styles include:

  • modern
  • traditional
  • transitional
  • boho
  • Scandinavian
  • industrial
  • country
  • coastal
  • rustic
  • shabby chic

Many spaces are a blend of styles. Avoid picking counter stools that clash with the room style—unless you’re doing it as a statement.

Open concept rooms

Picking counter stools for an open concept room can be more complicated. The counter stool style, colour, and material should complement:

  • flooring;
  • kitchen finishes;
  • dining area furniture and finishes (if applicable); and
  • living area furniture and finishes (if applicable).

Contrast

Contrast is one of the most important design principles. Some positive contrast is great when counter stools are highly visible. Here are some suggestions for how to add contrast:

  • your island or peninsula is patterned or highly textured or visually busy: consider simple stools with clean lines;
  • the island or peninsula is neutral: consider stools that add a pop of colour or have a complicated shape (we did the latter in our kitchen—see the photo);
  • for a dark peninsula: consider stools that are light in colour/tone;
  • if your island or peninsula is light; consider stools that are dark in colour/tone;
  • for a space with lots of wood: consider stools that have metal, fabric, leather, or plexiglas; and
  • when there are lots of hard surfaces in the space: pick stools that bring in some softness with fabric, leather, or cushioning.

Notice how often contrast is used in the photos of kitchen counter stools that inspire you.

Inspiration

I created a Pinterest board with some counter stool inspiration. Click on the board below to see what I’ve been pinning. You’ll see great examples of some of the design principles that I’ve discussed here.

pinterest board

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest!

Free! No regrets guide to picking kitchen counter stools

Are you choosing kitchen counter stools? Get the password to access exclusive content (including the guide) by filling out this form:

WANT TO REMEMBER THIS? SAVE THE NO REGRETS GUIDE TO PICKING COUNTER STOOLS TO YOUR FAVOURITE PINTEREST BOARD

printable on counter

Do you already have kitchen counter stools? If so, do you love or hate yours? Let me know in the comments below.

October 3, 2018 / 17 Comments

Primary Sidebar

Ksenia headshot hi, I'm Ksenia

I want to help you create a home that’s stylish, functional, and you. More…

read more posts about:

Categories

decorating design life projects

Tags

bedroom cleaning colour critters decluttering designer DIY furniture happenings kitchen konmari lighting living room organization planning printables trends

Footer

Blog Archives

Exclusive Content

About This Site

Image Share Policy

Privacy & Cookies

Disclosure

Terms of Use

Contact

ksenia@indoormood.com

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Words, Images & Illustrations © 2018–2023 Indoor Mood