Organising expert Lucy Mansey shares her home editing prowess for getting organised. By Sam Wylie-Harris.
Self-confessed organiser and mum of three, Lucy Mansey says she’s always been fascinated by how organisation can impact your life.
A teacher for many years, she says it wasn’t until she moved to Sydney and worked in interiors and design that she realised home organising was a thing. “That’s when I fell in love with it,” she recalls.
Home Office
To help encourage people to minimise the clutter – and therefore become more productive in their working environment – she’s teamed up with Samsung Electronics, whose latest research reveals almost half (45%) of Gen MZs (1981-2005) say working from home has cluttered their space, impacting their mood, creativity and productivity.
As well as using the Samsung M8 Smart Monitor to work, watch TV and exercise, she recommends utilising your vertical space with a peg board for paperwork, cleverly built-in shelves around a doorframe, and having a caddy which neatly holds things and can be tucked away at the end of the day – products which are multifunctional and space saving.
Having everything in a really clear system is key, she advises. “Drawer files, so everything’s stored away nice and neatly – and then when you want to be creative, it’s all at your fingertips,” she suggests. It’s about cutting out that frustration prior to becoming productive.”
Kitchen
Mansey believes you need to have a way of maintaining your cupboards. “So every few months, you’re checking sell-by dates, getting everything out and having a really good edit of what you are and aren’t using.”
She says the thing she often finds when she goes to clients’ houses is they buy food, and then in the back of the cupboard, they have duplicates. “In order to stop that from happening, to reduce food waste and save money, make sure you can see the food that you buy,” stresses Mansey.
“Don’t overstuff cupboards. Don’t have products on top of products, because that’s when it all starts to go downhill – and you can’t keep on top of what you have and haven’t bought.”
Wardrobe
When it comes to our wardrobes, Mansey admits it’s tricky: “I think you have to be ruthless, because it can become overwhelming, very, very quickly, especially if you like to shop.
“First of all, try and create a seasonal wardrobe, if you have the space to store clothes. Box-up, vacuum pack or store clothes you’re not wearing at that point in time – and do a changeover.”
She says this also helps to streamline and furthers the enjoyment of your clothes. “You don’t wear it all year long, but when you get something out again, un-boxing, it’s a bit more exciting – so creating a winter/summer system.”
Secondly, she says to become a ‘bouncer’ – and adopt a one-in, one-out policy.
“Or two-in, one-out, to really think about what you wear. [Ask yourself] ‘What do I love?’ ‘What do I feel good in?’”
And you can always do a ‘maybe’ pile. “Put it somewhere for a couple of months, and if you don’t feel like you’re going to miss it or regret it, that’s when you get rid.”
She recommends clients use containers to put items in, if they have lots of shelving in their wardrobe, and not a lot of hanging space.
“Don’t have clothes out on shelves – contain them. Have baskets of loungewear, or jeans, for example, because often what happens is the shelves just get inundated with clothes – and by containing, you’re actually limiting the ability to do that.”