Create the Organised Home of Your Dreams: with Tanya Sanyal, Founder of Organised Joy

Did you start your New Year full of resolutions about being more organised? Buying cute planners and filling them with to do lists focused on getting your home into perfect order? We certainly hear you over at Bramley Towers. Our team all harbour ambitions for tidy, well organised homes. Maybe the kind of place where haphazard bags of summer clothes don’t fall on your head when you desperately search for the kids’ gymnastics leotards late on Sunday evening.

Sadly, as we approach the end of January, our lists have not really progressed beyond the list stage. So we decided to reach out to Tanya Sanyal – a London based professional organiser, founder of personal decluttering service www.OrganisedJoy.com, and the owner of one of the most stylishly organised homes on Instagram – to share her guide to creating a calm, well organised space.

1) Before you declutter any space, have a vision. 

What is the purpose of the space - and how would you and your family like to use it? How do you want to feel when you are there? Return to your vision when you are tidying to motivate you - especially when you start to lose motivation in the messy middle part of the process!

2) Don’t be tempted to skip ahead to the fun part – buying pretty baskets and boxes. 

Decluttering comes first. If you don’t love it or need it, why are you using your home - and buying more storage equipment -  to store it? Organising is both easier and more cost-effective once you are left with the items you love or need.

3) Compare everything of the same type. 

Whether it’s that drawer full of miscellaneous bits and bobs, your bathroom or your books, harness the power of comparison. If you have some books in your living room, some in your study and a pile by the bed, aim to tidy them together. Considering a category together allows us to better choose what we want to keep. The same goes for a pair of scissors in the junk drawer. How many additional scissors do you have in the kitchen, hall, study? Do you need them all? Which do you like using best?

4) Be kind to yourself. 

Focus on the items that bring you joy and avoid telling yourself “I should get rid of this” or “I should keep this." Letting go of stuff that doesn’t bring us joy or utility is not always easy, especially as it is a sign of our lives moving forward. Saying goodbye with gratitude, even silently, rather than chucking things unceremoniously into the charity bag can really help.

Once the last bag of clothes has been deposited at the charity shop and all the boxes are labelled, its time for the finishing touch.  Our Bramley Home Candle contains a blend of Rose Absolute, Spearmint and Peppermint essential oils that will disperse the scents of the countryside around your home. And once the candle has burned down, the beautiful, internally coated glass jar is the perfect place to store small items.

Happy organising -  we’re off to colour code our books!