11 Ways to Marie-Kondo Your Space (Without Losing Any Glamour!)

I have an admission: I am a hoarder.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you’d never guess it by looking at my apartment. It’s always been about as clutter-free as they come — mostly because of ample storage space that lets me hide anything extraneous neatly out of sight. In fact, I’ve been so good at keeping up appearances, that even I wasn’t aware of my hoarding tendencies until a major move forced a reckoning.

As I sorted through the contents of a two-bed I’d lived in for half a decade, I was astounded (and more than a little horrified) by the sheer volume of crap one person could shove into cupboards and closets — much of which I didn’t even remember owning.

It’s also the moment that I stumbled on the philosophy of Japanese organizational guru Marie Kondo. Three pages into her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and I was a convert.

You can distill Kondo’s minimalist philosophy down into one tidy concept: “Surround yourself with items that spark joy.” It’s a simple enough mantra, and once I’d locked it in my brain, it allowed me to send literally dozens of boxes off to a better home (a.k.a. The Salvation Army).

Going minimalist, though, doesn’t mean I had to give up my maximalist aesthetic (or love of shopping). In fact, it gave me the excuse to invest in a few key pieces for keeping my life and space tidy, like ... Jonathan Adler’s bullseye catchall that leaves no doubt about where to toss my odds and ends ... and a set of pretty pink luggage that lets me tidy away my seasonal clothing. Oh! And pretty golden corner-shelves that let me showcase my carefully curated collection of joy-sparking items, just as they deserve. Here are some gorgeous options that will get you Marie Kondo-ed in no time.