Japan’s declutter queen expands her empire
the Middle East. As for her new show, Netflix ordered an initial eight episodes of her series of home consultations but will say little else on the record.
For now, it’s all about the boxes, in pale pink, soft gray, taupe and purple watercolor designs. The sets are dubbed Wonder, Harmony, Clarity and Balance. Customers ordering the containers for delivery in midSeptember from her website, konmari.com, will receive a series of emails and other help online to guide them through the tidying process.
Perhaps more important, she hopes to connect devotees to one another online via her take on social networking.
“I often hear that it is very difficult to sustain your motivation to tidy when you’re doing it all by yourself, so I very much feel that having this community is very important,” Kondo said.
She has adorned just the interiors of the boxes. One set has a purple tree branch with white buds inside. Others are done in abstract swirls. The idea, Kondo said, is to “make the things that you store inside happy,” rather than merely hide belongings away. Their plain exterior design also makes the boxes easier to blend with just about any decor.
Two additional sets of boxes in smaller sizes and different color schemes are planned for the holiday season later this year.
Kondo, based in Tokyo, told The Associated Press in an interview after the crowd cleared out that she’s not done writing books quite yet. Her next one will focus on workplace organizing.
She is traveling less now and no longer does regular home consultations, a business she began building as a 19-yearold college student studying sociology. Working one on one again in homes for Netflix was a highlight of Kondo’s year.
“It was a very exciting, very enjoyable experience for me,” she said. “I’ve been engaged so much in giving lectures, doing media appearances and so on.”
She has also been engaged in motherhood, not a small thing when your passion since age 5 has been tidying. The unflappable Kondo still lives a tidy life, of course, but young kids have been a challenge.
“I try to teach them how to fold clothes. Children are very close observers, so I try to make it so they can watch me folding clothes,” Kondo said. “From time to time I do feel anxious. It’s not 100 percent. It’s not perfect.”