This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
​
Mounting evidence suggests that clutter can have a significantly negative impact on your mental and physical health. Studies show that those who live in a messy household with lots of clutter have higher levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in their bodies than those who live in an organized space. 

While cortisol serves an important function in helping the body respond to imminent danger, overexposure to this hormone, resulting from extended periods of stress, can have serious mental and physical health implications. In addition to taking an emotional toll, prolonged stress can affect brain function in a variety of negative ways and lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. 

There are many ways in which clutter contributes to stress. These can be conscious or unconscious, so even if you don't think your clutter is impacting you, research suggests otherwise.

A cluttered environment is distracting. Visual clutter saps our attention and impedes our ability to focus. In addition, an untidy space fosters a sense of guilt and unease. This is because our brains register clutter as a myriad of unfinished tasks, making it difficult to relax. 

Fortunately, there is much that can be done to reduce the impact of visual clutter in our lives from employing effective decluttering techniques to implementing various interior design strategies. 

Here are six ways to optimize the beauty of your home while simultaneously reducing visual clutter.

Preserve Table Space
Clutter has a way of collecting on flat surfaces, but tables are not meant to be storage spaces. A cluttered surface not only looks messy, it makes using the item as it was intended frustrating, if not impossible. The temptation to pile papers and other things onto table and counter tops is real, but a little planning can alleviate the problem. 

Typically things that end up piled on the table are there because they do not have a permanent home or they need to be dealt with. Evaluate the kinds of items that tend to accumulate on your flat surfaces and establish a place for them to live. A wall-mounted mail sorter is great for organizing papers that require action. You might also look for a console table with drawers and a shelf underneath for storing other items you want easy access to out of sight. 



With a few simple tweaks, you can significantly impact the weight of visual clutter in your home. Try implementing these suggestions. 

​This is a collaborative post. Read my full disclosure here.

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It's a place for cooking, eating, studying, entertaining, and congregating. Given the amount of time we spend in our kitchens, having a kitchen you love is a real plus. Unfortunately, for many of us that is not the case. 

Giving your kitchen a makeover is a great way to fall in love with it. A new kitchen can make your home more modern, more spacious, and more uniquely yours. The one downside to a new kitchen is the cost. Kitchen renovations are expensive. 

The good news is, you don't have to install a brand new kitchen to create a refreshing new look that you love. There are a lot of clever ways to upgrade your kitchen without having to spend a fortune. 

Take a look at these low-cost ideas for refreshing your kitchen.

You don’t have to completely replace your cabinets to give them a fresh look. Painting or wrapping your cabinets is an easy way to fix tired or dated units, and can be a quick fix while you save up for new ones.

The color or pattern of your cabinets can easily be changed. Many people use special cabinet paint or vinyl wraps to transform their kitchen units - you can do it too! This video shows you just how easy it is:

Take a long hard look at your sink and faucet - are they scratched, stained, or outdated? Maybe you never liked them to begin with? A new sink and/or faucet can really transform the look of a kitchen. Allora USA has some fantastic choices to help you give your kitchen a makeover. It’s amazing the difference one small change can make!

Upgrading your hardware can completely change the look of your cabinets. It's a simple, cost-effective way to add style and personality to your kitchen. Matte finishes look sophisticated and expensive but are actually quite affordable. You can install them yourself for a simple, instant upgrade.

Tiles are a great way to bring some life into your kitchen. Tile backsplashes are great because they're easy to clean and care for. The downside is, they can start to look dated and stained over time. One simple solution is tile paint.

Tile paint can give your tiles a new lease of life, making them look brand new. You can choose a color or pattern that suits your taste and enjoy an inexpensive DIY kitchen hack.

If you want to make one update to your kitchen without changing everything, some fresh new flooring can really transform the look. There are all kinds of kitchen flooring ideas you can try, including vinyl, laminate, wood and tiles - each helping to create a unique look in your home. If you choose to install your flooring yourself, you can save even more money, making for a simple but effective kitchen upgrade.

It’s surprising what a little DIY can do to update your home. With some simple makeover ideas, you can make easy and affordable changes that will make your kitchen feel like new again. Got some free time this weekend? Why not give your kitchen a brand new look?

This is a collaborative post. Read my full disclosure here.

Twenty years ago my husband came home with this bulky wooden file cabinet. He paid $5 for it at a furniture sale put on by the university where he was working at the time. He's been enamored with it ever since.  I, however, have been looking for an opportunity to get rid of it.

When the file cabinet first graced our abode, it was painted what my husband calls OD (olive drab) green - like old army fatigues. To add to it's charm, it was covered in an assortment of free stickers - the kind that come in promotional mailings for things like the World Wildlife Federation and AAA - most of which had apparently bonded with the wood fibers at a molecular level making them nearly impossible to remove. 

I hated it because it was big and ugly. He loved it because it was sturdy, it held tons of files, and it would cost a small fortune to replace it with something of equal quality and size. I couldn't refute his arguments, but that didn't stop me from plotting it's removal.

Fast forward another ten years to the present. Recently we have turned our basement bedroom into my office. As I considered furniture options for the new space, I felt certain the time had come to bid the file cabinet farewell. Of course, that isn't what happened.

When I showed my husband the furniture I had picked out for the new office he wanted to know why I was spending money on a file cabinet when we already owned one that was bigger and better (he left out ten times uglier). At first I was annoyed, but eventually I had to admit that he had a valid point. While the file cabinet I had picked out was lighter and much less bulky, it was also obviously of lesser quality.

The only thing to be done was the thing I had been avoiding for twenty years. I would have to transform the hated cabinet myself, so that is what I did. ​

What do you think? I painted the top and the trim white (which I already had on hand from another project). Then I painted the drawer fronts and the main body with chalkboard paint. I also replaced the drawer pulls. To be honest, it really wasn't that hard (except for the drawer pulls which didn't quite fit into the old holes...), and I have to confess - I kind of like it. ​