200 Tips for De-cluttering: Room by Room, Including Outdoor Spaces and Eco Tips

by Daniela Santos Quartino

Practical storage solutions for reducing annoying clutter throughout the home. Household clutter is often caused by a lack of storage or the poor use of existing storage. Room-by-room, 200 Tips for De-cluttering addresses many typical storage problems -- from clothing in the bedroom to gadgets in the kitchen to toys in the living room to newspapers, magazines and remote controls in the family room. For each challenge, the author offers useful solutions that are easy to put into action right away. Color photographs show the beautiful and orderly results of de-cluttering, and helpful captions describe the design features and storage solutions that hide the messiness of life and help keep everything neat and tidy. The projects range from a "kitchen garage" to store small appliances to moveable walls that increase a room's
versatility. 200 Tips for De-cluttering addresses these problems and many others in an organized way, tackling one area at a time. It

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

800 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 2010

Reviews

[Ubalstecha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This brick of a book is more of an architectural look at how to declutter, rather than a how-to guide. Which is great if you are starting from scratch. But if you are facing a house full of stuff, this is not the book for you. Really an upscale IKEA catalogue. (There are even pictures from the IKEA catalogue.)

[Lee (of Shalott) · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's true - this book is not aptly named. I second Ubalstecha's opinion that the book reads like an upscale Ikea catalogue. The best thing about it is that it makes me look like a book ninja for reading an 800-page book in two days.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update: I would give this book negative 5 stars if I could. Ugly ugly ugly! Impractical. Hard. Cold. Sharp. Sterile. Soul-killing. I found TWO photos that look like someone might actually live in the space--pg 247 and pg 352. The worst sections of the book were on kitchens and bathrooms. A bathroom in a see-through metal mesh cage?! Really?! A sink down inside a glass box?! Really?!

It is quite obvious that these "living spaces" were designed by a bachelor. And the only person I can imagine living in them is the character Adrian Monk from the TV show "Monk." Ironically, the only photos that weren't as painful to look at were some of the pages in the children's room section. At least those usually had color to them. And many of the colors were actually pleasant to look at, unlike the majority of the book. This book takes "clean lines" and "contemporary design" to extremes. What makes that especially disappointing to me is that the cover of the book looks so homey and welcoming--floor-to-ceiling wooden bookshelves, sunlight, and an iMac on the desk. Too bad the contents didn't live up to the cover.

For the few out there who might actually like these designs, never fear--the author includes hundreds of photos labeled with designer names to facilitate ordering. The book feels like a thinly veiled Ikea catalog, only heavier.

Also, the book advertises "Eco Tips" in the title, but I haven't found anything resembling eco tips anywhere, and there is no chapter on that. More false advertising! :(

Original review:
I'm not impressed so far. What little there is in the way of text is OK (a bit cheesy), but mostly it's all photos of these dreadful uber-modern "homes" that I'm pretty sure no one has ever or will ever live in. Particularly not anyone with children. I mean, seriously, a kitchen that is 100% white and has nothing at all on the countertops or walls or windows or anything?! These photos all feel cold and sharp and very very unwelcoming. Ugh. It's like Ikea meets ascetic monk. Thankfully, a friend recommended the book "The Not So Big House" instead. Phew!!

I will continue to glance through the rest of this gigantic book, however, just to see if there are any decent (i.e. practical, useful) tips in later chapters. But then I'm returning it and thanking my lucky stars I didn't shell out any money for it.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ick. Don't waste your time. It was sort of just an architectural photo book with 'tips' tossed in that weren't at all practical. HUGE, heavy book....but would make good kindling and that's about it! I found all the photos to be very harsh and unrealistic for any lived in home. Definitely 'decluttered' as most of the photos looked as though no one lived there....because no one would want to!

[Legustafson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an architect and furniture design book, something you would find in the waiting area in a design office. It is huge, heavy, and not very helpful. The "tips" are suggestions for high-end furniture to use when designing from scratch or expensive design elements to include in your house plan. This is not a "tips" book for clearing out a cluttered home.

[Manintheboat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book isn't even about de-cluttering, it just has pictures of model modernist homes.

[Lorna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't at all what I expected. The solutions were all about having custom built-in shelves, cupboards, and bookcases for every room in the house.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great ideas for decorating a house. I liked the kitchen by Podini and office layouts.

[Marti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really any tips in this at all, just pictures of very modern furnishings and houses.

[Susan Wells · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very helpful for me in that it didn't seem to provide practical solutions however there were lots of photos of very beautiful tidy rooms.

[Esther Duttweiler · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book about decluttering (i.e. ridding your home of excess crap). This is a book about how to organize/store your excess crap in a way that's visually appealing.

[Stacey Higdon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book offers little, to no decluttering information. It feels more like a furniture catalog.

[Brittany K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be great for someone who has an ultra-modern home and has lots and lots of money to spend. Fun to look at, but nothing practical for my home or my budget.