Woman on a Mission

Simple Missions for a Calmer, More Confident Life

5 Books you need to create a beautifully organised home.

5 Books you need to create a beautifully organised home.

by | Mar 14, 2021 | Home And Living, Lifestyle, Organisation

I love to be organised and find lots of inspiration from Instagram and books. This blog shares with you my top 5 books for home organisation.

During the Pandemic, sales online in garden centres, DIY stores, supermarkets ( including wine!) have soared as many of us have used the Lockdown Year to redecorate and use the space in our homes more effectively. Dining rooms have turned into classrooms, kitchen tables have turned into offices, gardens (and parks when we were allowed) turned into mini holiday venues, if only for an hour or two!

Lockdown 1.0

One of the first things I did during Lockdown 1.0 was declutter every cupboard in my kitchen – rock and roll, I know!! It sounds crazy, but actually having a little headspace and time to think “that really doesn’t work there and I have a solution” as opposed to “that doesn’t work there but I don’t have the time or the inclination now to figure it out” I hope I’m not alone!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the progress I made – a year on and thanks to a busy household, a new declutter and reorganisation was required as we evolved as a family. More on that next week!

Remove the packaging and using jars to store your products.
These jars are from The White Company

Clear the clutter so you have room to see the potential in front of you.

Syd and Shea McGee

The Pandemic increased our need for Netflix and neat homes!

I wonder what you’ll remember most about the Covid years as we look back in 3 or maybe even in 10 years’ time?

During the summer months, my decluttering turned to makeover projects, and we also discovered Netflix – please don’t judge, hehe! Pre-COVID, I spent every evening driving to and from Swim training with my children – if you are a swimmer or swim parent, you’ll totally understand that watching any television is an absolute luxury! Netflix pre-COVID was something that sounded great, but again, no headspace to think about organising or when we would watch it – oh how times have changed – for now!

Lots of DIY projects, general faffing and giving the rooms a little refresh each season certainly helped over the summer during Lockdown!

With Netflix and more time on our hands came the discovery of programmes that were just up my street – organisation and decluttering your home. Wow, has this craze really taken off! I’m always having a little faff at home with my husband asking, “OK, I give up, where have you hidden….?”

Or, “That’s nice, is it new?” No, I’ve simply moved said item from another room!

My top 5 books you’ll need for creating a beautifully organised home.

Instagram and Pinterest have been invaluable for inspiration and clever storage ideas, as have the following 5 books, that have inspired me to make our space more effective and, as Marie Kondo would say, “Spark Joy!”

Spark Joy – Marie Kondo

Beautifully Organised – Nikki Boyd

Make Life Beautiful – Syd and Shea McGee

The Home Edit – Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

The Home Edit Life – Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

Scandi Rustic – Rebecca lawson and Reena Simon

I know that’s technically 6 books! Forgive me!

“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.”

Marie Kondo

Spark Joy – Marie Kondo

Spark Joy was the first book about tidying I’d ever bought, years ago. It seemed a little odd, we all know how to tidy, yet the cover first drew my attention, then flicking through the pages. I knew it would be useful.

Marie has introduced us to her now world renown KonMari tidying method, which is to focus on what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of.

This book covers every room in the house as well as a wide range of items, including photographs, cutlery and valuables. The book is one of a kind. It inspired a family game we lovingly call “yes, no, go!” when I was helping the children declutter their rooms when they were much younger.

Ask yourself if something ‘sparks joy’ and suddenly it becomes so much easier to understand if you really need it in your home and your life. When you surround yourself with things you love, you will find that your whole life begins to change. 

Beautifully Organised – A Guide to Function and Style in Your Home Nikki Boyd.

I bought this book literally two weeks before we went into Lockdown last March, not only does it look beautiful on the coffee table, but Nikki has shares her wealth of experience and best advice for how to create an organised, beautiful and welcoming home. Nikki developed and honed her five essential steps to an organised home through her experience working as a professional organiser. In her book, Nikki teaches you to: assess your home to transform the spaces within to enhance your lifestyle; declutter and curate your possessions to keep what is useful and meaningful; clean with efficiency, adding an element of pleasure to everyday tasks; organise so you can find what you need, when you need it; and beautify and decorate to create a welcoming atmosphere for family and friends. (Imagine when we can finally welcome family and friends to our homes again!)

Make Life Beautiful – Syd and Shea McGee

Studiomcgee.com

If there is anyone that I would love to come and spend a few days at my home to help me style and, yes, OK adopt as a friend, it would be Shea. Her style and flair for knowing what looks amazing where and how to turn an interior vision into a reality is second to none. Having watched the Dream Home Makeover series on Netflix, practically back to back, whilst decluttering my home office, I can honestly say that I loved every single makeover and home Shea and her team created for their clients.

Make Life Beautiful is a real behind the scenes account of how this powerhouse of a couple first met and turned their dreams into a reality.

Sharing golden nuggets of how they prioritised their values, defined their goals and put their dreams into action, going from not having a penny to their name to becoming interior design superstars, all while following their motto to “make life beautiful.”

I love this book, the backstory of how the McGees met and how they built such a successful company but also be inspired to build an authentic life by applying design principles such as embracing the process and finding the balance.

If you have a love of Interior Design and loved the Dream Makeover, I think you’ll love this too!

Regardless of where you are in your journey, it’s not about having all the answers – it’s about seeing the potential.

Syd and Shea McGee

The Home Edit – Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

thehomeedit.com

Clea and Joanna are literally girls after my own heart! I only found out about The Home Edit within the last 6 months care of Netflix, and I’m kind of obsessed! Yes, I’m the one who, when I’ve completed a project, even if it’s a cupboard and no one can actually see it, I feel the need to share with the family, oh and maybe Instagram!! The Home Edit certainly Sparks Joy!

Again, like all the books I’m sharing with you, it’s a beautifully photographed book. The Home Edit divided into three simple sections:

The Edit, The Assembly and the Upkeep.

They are quoted as saying “if we can do it, so can you” and with this very handy guide, it’s certainly true. No, you don’t need to go and buy zillions of jars, labels etc (and yes of course they have their own products, which are stunning!) but they key is having a system in place, bringing everything together, keeping things simply that can help you “conquer the clutter with style.” This book actually has a starter set of labels to help you create the look below in your fridge. Fabulous!

The Home Edit – Life – Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin

thehomedit.com

This book is basically part two to The Home Edit. Now you have the basic systems in place, Clea and Joanna talk you through how to harness these systems to all aspects of your life, not just your fridge and pantry!

Having used these systems for a number of months now (and I thought I was organised!) I can safely say that The Home Edit has made life simpler, less cluttered, and it’s a joy to open any cupboard now. Well, mostly, I still have a few to go, but I’m certainly in a more systemised place than this time last year. It’s the little things that make the big things come together!

Scandi Rustic – creating a cosy and happy home – Rebecca Lawson and Reena Simon

I first discovered Becca and Reena, who you may know as Malmo and Moss and Hygge for Home, through Instagram and their beautifully curated feed of images of their cosy, Scandinavian style homes. Scandi Rustic is their first book, and they reveal how to create a home that takes elements of Scandinavian design and introduces rustic natural materials and textures to create a Scandi-inspired interior that is cosy, relaxed and inviting. 

Becca and Reena showcase the very best in Scandi Rustic homes, so whether you live in an urban apartment, a country cottage or a blank canvas new-build, this relaxed, sustainable, modern rustic style will work perfectly for your home. if you love this style, you’ll love this book!

Scandi Rustic – creating a cosy and happy home – Rebecca Lawson and Reena Simon

“Now imagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn’t this the lifestyle you dream of?”

Marie Kondo
Make Life Beautiful – Syd and Shea McGee

I really hope you enjoy these books as much as I have. It really does make a huge difference having an organised home, whether it be your linen cupboard, kitchen, or the drawer in your console table in your hallway, not just because everything is in it’s place and easily found but I find having a clear decluttered space, I can work more effectively too, my brain is a little less muddled too! I have loved reading all the tips from each book and have adapted them to fit my home and lifestyle. Each book would make a fantastic present, without breaking the bank, for you or someone you know who loves feeling organised and having a practical yet stylish home.

Let me know which of these books is your favourite or perhaps you can recommend a book I haven’t yet discovered?

What’s next on the blog?

Over the next couple of weeks on the Blog, I’ll be sharing with you my kitchen pantry makeover, together with ideas to spring clean your home and garden ready to welcome your special guests back into your home post lockdown (fingers crossed!) I also have a couple of exciting giveaways to help you and am so excited to share with you on my instagram so do head over and join in the conversation! Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a Blog post – it’ll arrive straight to your inbox and I promise, no spam!

Stay happy and healthy,

Much love

A Little Mission – Linen Cupboard Makeover and Organisation

A Little Mission – Linen Cupboard Makeover and Organisation

by | Apr 9, 2020 | Decluttering, Home And Living, Home Tips And DIY


A little Mission, my linen cupboard makeover and organisation, sharing the 5 things I did in order to create an organised space for the laundry in our family home. So where to start..? With some good music and focus, my Power Hours came in handy! #powerofanhour

This time of year when the sun starts shining and the days are a little longer, it makes me want to throw open the windows and have a really good declutter – are you the same?

I don’t know about you but when everything is in order, I feel my brain works little more effectively and the house runs more smoothly. (My family may disagree, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) I was the same when I was revising for my exams at school, I simply couldn’t take anything in if my room or desk was cluttered or untidy..

The Declutter


It’s essential to know what space you really have and it’s tricky to see with anything from towels to an assortment of pillows and toiletries in the way. Everything was removed and put into piles; what needs to stay, go or recycle. Where this may seem drastic, a clear space is much easier to visualise what you have to work with. I gathered everything I needed from cleaning products to paint so I had everything to hand. The cupboard was then dusted from the top down, including the light fitting and prepped for painting.

The walls were painted in School House White and the shelves in All White, both Farrow and Ball. This immediately brightened the space and made so much difference. Exciting! 

With everything now out of the space and the paint drying, it was a time to get radical: old towels, bed linen that had seen better days and as Marie Kondo suggests didn’t “spark joy” were recycled. Toiletries and medicines that had expired were disposed of and everything that didn’t need to be in this cupboard had a new home to be found. It’s so easy to accumulate these items over the years. Somehow even our gift wrapping paper had found its way in here!

The Planning


With a clean slate so to speak, and a piece of paper, I planned what would work and where, what needed to be most accessible and what was required in order to make the best of the space. Everything should have its place. This way there should be more chance of the family being able to find and replace items with ease. The system should work!


Items that are used seasonally, such as beach towels and Christmas table linen, were placed on the higher shelves. Items such as towels, bed linen and body products that are used more frequently, were placed on lower, more accessible shelves.


I knew I wanted to have our washing baskets in the cupboard, a change from the bedrooms. This way, they would be hidden away and not taunting me to pop another load of washing on! This meant an additional shelf would be required, together with additional baskets and labels.

Measurements were recorded and off to the DIY store I went where they kindly cut the wood to size so that it matched the existing shelves. I’m quite pleased with the results, having learnt to make the shelf on the job!

Creating A System For Linen Cupboard Organisation.


Having decluttered and now having an idea of what was to go where, neatness and having a system makes a difference. 
Each bedlinen set is neatly folded together with the sheets into one pillow case. No more digging around looking for pillow cases and sheets. (We’ve all been there right, especially when the children are poorly in the middle of the night!) These are now housed in their own basket, perfectly large enough to hold all our bedlinen.

linen cupboard organisation
linen cupboard organisation


Hair, body, first aid, cleaning products and hand towels all have their own baskets as do our toilet rolls. I know that may sound a little over the top! However, if this area is to maintain a sense of calm and tidiness, everything needed had to have their own home and to be easily accessible. These have been placed in the middle shelves. 


I adore jars, they not only are super for storage but they also add a different dimension and light. Here in the larger jar I’ve decanted my Magnesium (epson) Salts so we all know where they are after exercising! 

linen cupboard organisation
linen cupboard organisation

Problems I encountered


Well thankfully only one and it’s a little one! The cupboard has a light at the top from the ceiling. It would have been really helpful to have sensory lights on each shelf so they activated as the door opened. I found some in Ikea, They were really reasonable and I bought one for each shelf.

Unfortunately, the door is too far away from the shelves due to the depth of the cupboard so they aren’t activated as soon as the door opens. However not all is lost, as soon as there is movement, the lights are activated. Not perfect, but not a huge problem either!

linen cupboard organisation
linen cupboard organisation

Everything in it’s place for optimal linen cupboard organisation.


Having decided what to go where, the gorgeous clay tags from Fabaclay were the perfect finishing touch for the baskets. Where it wasn’t possible to use the clay labels, these antique brass metal file holders add a unique touch.

linen cupboard makeover and organisation
linen cupboard makeover and organisation


The linen cupboard makeover and organisation has been complete almost 2 months now. I can happily share that it works! We can all readily find what we need and yes the washing does end up in the correct basket! Honestly, it’s a joy to now going to the linen cupboard rather than having a “heart sink” moment each time I open the door. It’s currently my favourite cupboard in our house!

I’d love to know what you think in the comments below.
Best wishes

I was delighted to hear that I’d won a giveaway with Fabaclay and the Basket Company as I was planning this project. It really helped the organisation of this makeover. I’m thrilled to say that both companies collaborated with me, with an instagram giveaway with The Basket Company and 5 tags gifted by Fabaclay.

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Opinions, as ever, are wholly my own and 100% authentic.