A Living Room With Space for Family

Last Updated on January 5, 2019 by lydiaf1963

Take a look around your living room. Are you comfortable? Do you feel relaxed? Or are you cringing at the idea of someone who’s not related to you seeing the space? We’re going to create a space where you, your family and your guests can relax.

This post is part of the Tranquil Home 28 Day Declutter Challenge, but there’s no reason why you can’t start in the living room if you want. Before we start you might want to download the free companion guide (this will open a pdf file you can download). Then gather a bag for trash, a bag or box for donations and get ready to begin!

When my children were small the living room held all the toys, all the games, all the videos. It also held baskets of laundry that needed to be folded, bills, exercise equipment and all kinds of things that took up space and added to the overall stress in my life.

Nowadays it’s just Rick and I, but as I type this the ironing board needs to be put away, the Christmas poinsettia is dropping the last of its leaves, and there are a couple of glasses to be taken to the kitchen. So that’s the first thing to do in the living room. Gather up everything that doesn’t belong and put it back. Then clear off all the flat surfaces…the coffee table and end tables.

The remainder of the week is making sure what remains in the living room is stuff you want. Go through in a systematic way and give yourself extra time to finish if you need it. Don’t forget to take anything you want to donate out to the car as soon as you’re finished.

Be prepared to compromise with other members of the family when you try to sneak their favorite videos and games into the donation box. You might have to set an example.

After I bought my first Kindle I went through all of my books and weeded them out. It was almost painful. Some of those books were like old friends. Finally I decided if I’d only read a book once it had to go. That took care of half of them. With a couple of exceptions that are stored in the attic at home, I let go of the remainder when we packed up to move overseas. I put them out on a table in front of the house with a FREE TO A GOOD HOME sign. By then I rarely read a physical book and had actually bought digital copies of my all time favorites.

The same is holding true for all the workout videos I used to own. I brought a few favorites with me, but for the most part I stream my workouts and movies nowadays.

Now that you have your lovely space again you can kick back and binge watch your favorite show, or play games or even build a blanket fort should the need arise.

Don’t miss these other posts in the Tranquil Home 28 Day Declutter Challenge:

Transform Your Bedroom Into a Haven in One Week
Create a space fit for royalty in your bathroom!
A Living Room with Space for Family
An Office That Works for YOU
Creating Success Beyond the 28 Day Declutter Challenge

Photo credit: © Bennnn | Dreamstime.com