Marie Kondo-Style Interior Design Ideas for Your New Home

Interior Design Ideas for Your New Home: Marie Kondo-Style

After the tedious but rewarding process of securing the deal on your new condo unit, here comes the most exciting part: designing your precious space. Time to “spark joy” in your living space with the KonMari Method™.

The Tidying Expert 

Photo courtesy of www.konmari.com

Marie Kondo became a tidying consultant at age 19 while she was still a student at the University of Tokyo. When her published book became a #1 New York Times Bestseller, Marie’s following really took off. She was featured in various magazines including Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times and Vogue Magazine. With her successful Netflix series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo and her best-selling book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up; Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method™, became even more popular on a global scale this year. (1) The clamor to get rid of the clutter inspired a lot of people to follow Marie Kondo’s style of tidying up.

We want to help you design your own home using philosophies from  Marie Kondo’s method. Here are some interior design ideas on planning your home’s overall aesthetic. The basic philosophy lies in the intention of the design and not on the size of the space. Time to wear your designer hat and take note of these interior design concepts made to spark joy for you and your family as you create your dream home. 

TIP#1 Keep belongings that you love and only retain items that “SPARK JOY” for you
Joy is the most essential element of the KonMari Method™. She emphasizes how important it is to know what brings happiness and value at the same time. 

With this core principle, getting rid of accumulated belongings through time will be easier. Now, you don’t have to declutter mindlessly. You can look and feel each item in your home, and decide if it is worth keeping or if it’s due for donation or disposal. 

As shared by San Francisco–based designer Jessie Black on her feature in Business of Home website, she followed the KonMari Method™ in her own home. She fell in love with the idea of feeling good and happy by only  keeping things that spark joy for us. (3)

Being surrounded by items that bring you joy improves your overall sense of well-being. From a design perspective, you get the perfect reason to dispose and minimize accumulated items in your home. This way, you can have more breathing space for furniture, appliances, and relevant pieces that support your current priorities and lifestyle.

Tip#2 Categorize the cleaning and do it per item group, not by location.
With the KonMari Method™, tidying is done by category – not by location – beginning with clothes,  followed by books, paper, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items. (2) Cleaning up for items in our storage boxes, cabinets and garage can now be approached in a sensible and effective manner.  From a design perspective, it helps in marrying functionality with aesthetics. It is important to be able to enjoy a home not just visually but also practically by having ample storage spaces for different items. 

Tip#3 Imagine your ideal lifestyle and focus on designing a home that supports it

Buying a home is a significant life milestone and it is crucial to consider your current status along with your future goals and aspirations to find a fit that supports both. 

As shared by the KonMari method, we are not tidying up or designing a place to look neat for a moment. It is a commitment. Thinking of it as a short-term task makes it tedious to execute and hence, unsustainable. New homeowners and those who have been living in their space for quite some time are encouraged to pause and evaluate the life they aspire to live. Marie Kondo believes that the home must serve a purpose and this is to support the ideal lifestyle of the people living in it. To put it in design perspective, we are encouraged to think about our preferred ways of living. 

For families with children, it is best to design your space to support communal activities and quality time. Getting a cozy 5-seater couch is better than getting separate 2-seater and 1-seater couches even if it is the trend or even if it looks stunning on your visual pegs. This goes with all the areas of the home. If cooking for your family sparks joy for you, create a space that will support this passion. Invest in cutlery and cabinetry and organize your kitchen in an excellent manner. Allot time, energy, and resources to parts of the home that support your dream lifestyle. 

Tip#4 Quality Over Quantity

The KonMari method advocates mindful and intentional living. With the height of consumerism encouraging people to achieve the short-term satisfaction of having more, we keep on accumulating things to keep up and to not miss out. 

As a design tip, always stick to quality items. In choosing pieces of furniture and fixtures for your home, consider longevity of each item. It is better to get one quality item rather than hoarding three or more pieces that compromise quality. Curate your home with value in mind and clutter will eventually clear up. We can break our habit of mindless accumulation through strategic design practices. Having this insight in mind, you can start creating a space that is simplified but purposeful, and most of all, a home that sparks joy, which is the heart of KonMari Method™.

Creating a Home That Sparks Joy
After reviewing your current lifestyle and doing all the necessary decluttering, you are ready for the design process. The beauty in having spacious units is that it gives you more room for design. 

For those who value quality, East Bay Residences by Rockwell Primaries provides a spacious home where you can enjoy the Rockwell lifestyle. This Rockwell Primaries property inspires families, young couples and single professionals living in Sucat, Muntinlupa to celebrate their best life in a laid-back atmosphere with wide open spaces and lush landscapes. 

East Bay’s Two Bedroom Prime Living Room

Rockwell Primaries’ East Bay Residences located at East Service Rd, Muntinlupa, 1771 Metro Manila has diverse unit selections. It boasts the prestige and trusted quality of a Rockwell development, perfect for families and individuals wanting to go home to a community where there’s more room to grow. Practice the KonMari insights as you design your space at East Bay Residences. For more information, you may visit https://staging.rockwellprimaries.com.ph/project/east-bay-residences/

References: 

  1. https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/interior-designers/a24186530/marie-kondo-organizing-tips-2019/
  2. https://konmari.com/pages/about
  3. https://businessofhome.com/articles/the-tidiness-trend-designers-on-the-impact-of-minimalism-and-marie-kondo-s-new-show
https://staging.rockwellprimaries.com.ph