In your drawing room you have thick velvet curtains, three seater sofas, chairs with big fat cushions, floor cushions, tables in front of each sofa, plush carpeting, big paintings and picture frames on your walls. Cosy? Comfy?

At the same time your next-door neighbour, who has a place very similar to yours, has venetian blinds covering his windows, a two seater sofa, one table, one lamp and a book shelf with a poster on one of his walls. There are no carpets covering the floors, just a small rug in the centre of the room and yet his place doesn’t seem bare. If anything, it looks far more spacious than your place.

Why fill up all the space you have with stuff and make the room appear cluttered?

But what’s more you feel good when at your neighbour’s place than being at your own. Aha! So that’s the real reason behind your frequent trips to his place with those empty bowls of sugar. Face it, no one likes clutter. Clutter increases stress levels. It makes one anxious. The minimalist way of doing up your home is becoming more popular because it looks neat and clean, which has a peaceful and calming effect on the mind.

Clutter can make you unwell

With so much stuff piled up, reaching nooks and crannies for cleaning becomes difficult. When you can’t clean things, especially soft furnishings, they develop dust. With dust you get dust-mites and their faeces on your sofas, cushions and curtains, which may not be visible to the human eye, can become the cause of severe allergy and even asthma.

Clutter can also be the cause of depression. A dark gloomy room can lead you in that direction. Small, tight spaces can also make you feel trapped, closed in or anxious.

Striking a balance

Actually, when it comes to easing the burden and lesser stuff and furnishings you cannot chuck everything out and sit in an empty room where your voice echoes. No, that would have an adverse effect, bringing on a feeling of emptiness. Your place still needs to feel warm and welcoming.

For that you need to be surrounded by things you love. Maybe some mementos, books you like or family pictures or maybe a painting that you like very much. These can be neatly placed in a small bookshelf or maybe under a coffee table. The pictures or paintings can go on the wall of course but don’t hang too many to create a haven for spiders and lizards.

The colour of the room is also very important to not make it look too bare. Lighting plays a part too. Choose warm shades and cool lamps to spread the warmth. If you like white, at least paint one wall blue or brown or any other dark colour. Then add hints of the same colour in the form of knick knacks like cushions or vases, picture frames or maybe a rug.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine December 27th, 2015