Inside: Want to get your home organized or decluttered? Don’t know where to start? Inside this post we’ll explore two approaches made popular by Netflix… Marie Kondo’s Kon Mari Method and Get Organized with The Home Edit.
Last night I binged Netflix’s new show Get Organized with The Home Edit. A year or so ago I bought the book by the same name and was in love with all of the beautiful Instagram-worthy photos of stunningly organized celebrity closets, play-rooms, and pantries
But watching the show…well, I couldn’t stop. The charismatic magnetic energy between the two designers, Clea and Joanna sucked me in! Not to mention I kinda have a thing for home organizing!
The new series reminded me of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo’s Netflix show. When I say reminded, I should clarify. The two shows are NOTHING alike!!! It’s just the fact that they are both about home organization and on Netflix that the two have anything in common.
Well, first of all, Tidying Up has subtitles and a translator. Marie Kondo only speaks Japanese on the show and she uses a translator with her clients.
Secondly, Marie Kondo’s show focuses on everyday families where she teaches them how to do her method.
The Home Edit has Clea and Joanna organize the space for the clients. Each episode features a celebrity’s home and an everyday family home. A few celebrities’ homes they visit include Reese Witherspoon, Khloe Kardashian, and Eva Longoria.
The energy of each show is very different. Tidying Up is subdued like a documentary whereas The Home Edit is entertaining and funny. (To be honest, I kinda love these ladies and secretly wish I could be their friend!)
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Home Organization Effort / Size
Marie Kondo recommends an intense and total home organization process e.g. one that includes every space in your house and could take you 6 months to complete. She is firm in her belief for decluttering to stick, the entire space must be transformed.
The Home Edit process on the other hand focuses on one space at a time their philosophy is to not bite off more than you can chew. So, they focus on smaller areas like a closet, a garage, or a single bedroom.
Decluttering Method
In addition to having a different focus, there are differences in their process as well.
Kon Mari Method
Marie Kondo includes 6 steps in her decluttering / home organization method.
- Commit yourself to tidying up
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle
- Finish discarding first
- Tidy by category and not a location
- Follow the right order
- Ask yourself if it sparks joy
There are two basic components to the method 1) discarding and 2) deciding where to store things. She is a big advocate of discarding, and is a minimalist at heart!
Steps 4 & 5 tidy by category and not location are critical in her process. Her order is Clothes, Books, Papers, Miscellaneous items, and finally Sentimental things.
It’s also important to note, the KonMari Method has an order of decluttering items within each category. For example, when sorting clothing, you should do it in the following order: tops, bottoms, clothes that should be hung, socks, underwear, bags, accessories, clothes for specific events e.g. swimsuits, and shoes.
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The Home Edit Process
Focuses on having spaces to be functional and look beautiful. They try to get inside the heads of their clients to understand how the space needs to function and what is required in order for it to be maintained. They also always make sure there’s a visually pleasing element like books organized by the colors of the rainbow or a fun poof cushion in the closet etc.
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Clea and Joanna believe the atheistic side not only makes your home more enjoyable to look at but also inspires you to maintain the organized space.
Their process is simple
- The Edit (declutter)
- The Assembly (organize)
- The Upkeep (maintain)
Most of the work on the show happens in Steps 1 & 2. They are very sensitive to the client’s needs and don’t force decluttering. If the client is hesitant to get rid of something (even if it’s never used) the duo encourages them to “archive it.” In other words, get it out of the space they are working on and move it to a space that is used less.
Like most home organization processes, they 1) take everything out of the space 2) create groupings, and 3) pare down.
Step 2 – The Assembly
The Home Edit also focuses on containers and labels for organizing. This is a huge part of their work and part of Clea and Joanna’s signature style.
Kon Mari, as a minimalist, recommends reusing containers instead of buying new containers. This is a striking difference between the two and their final outcome.
If you’re going with the Home Edit’s approach, they recommend you measure space and maximize your usable space including going vertical. They also recommend that you buy containers in a variety of sizes from the same collection of containers so that there’s visual appeal. In the show, they are regularly bringing in huge bags of acrylic containers or beautiful boxes for storage from The Container Store.
Labels are a HUGE thing for The Home Edit. In fact, Clea has beautiful handwriting. The duo made a script font out of her personal handwriting to create custom vinyl labels for their storage containers. Spoiler Alert…if you buy their book, it includes a page of clear labels for you to use in your refrigerator!
Their Book also goes into storage and assembly ideas for every room including the entry/mudroom, laundry, bathroom, home office, play spaces, closets, and the kitchen.
Kon Mari Method & The Home Edit Comparison
Kon Mari Method | The Home Edit | |
| Organization Philosophy | Keep only the things that bring you joy and to store them in a simple and intuitive way. | Organize your space in a way that is functional, efficient, and pretty. |
| Scale | Entire home in a specific order of categories (not rooms) | One specific space in the home e.g. Closet |
| Organization Focus | Categories e.g. Clothing | Rooms |
| Emphasis | Decluttering / minimizing the stuff in your house to achieve the vision you have for your home. | Accessible, functional storage that is pleasing to the eye. |
| Storage | Reuse existing boxes and containers where possible, buy as a last resort | Buy the same container in a variety of sizes so that you maximize the visual appeal |
| Time Required | Up to 6 months | 1 – 2 days |
In Conclusion
Both Tidying Up and The Home Edit are quality programs that demonstrate proven steps to organize your home. The basic steps are the same:
- identify what (area/category) you want to organize
- eliminate unnecessary items
- categorize
- and store
But the approaches are very different. Both approaches can be successful.
Things to consider when deciding on a decluttering approach.
- What’s the current state of your home? Does it require a massive overhaul or just some revisions in a few areas?
- How much time can you dedicate upfront? Do you just have a day or two or can you make a multi-month commitment to the effort?
- What is your end goal? To have less stuff? To find things? To have function meet beauty?
Also, be sure to check out both Tidying Up and The Home Edit on Netflix or buy their books for more ideas.
If I’m honest with you, I’m all about customizing a process to meet your needs. I like a lot of what Marie Kondo teaches like vertical filing of your clothes, eliminating things you don’t need, and using the “joy” criteria for determining what you keep.
I also like The Home Edit’s approach to not biting off more than you can chew, having beautiful consistent storage containers, and adding a pop of home décor in a space.
So, now it’s up to you…will you go with one approach or, like me will you pick and choose the parts from each home organizer that you like best?
Happy Organizing!
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