From the Editor

We need to be HONEST with ourselves.

Life is disordered, messy, colourful and

WONDERFUL

Okay, don’t tell anyone, but I’m a lapsed clean freak… Throughout my life, I’ve always been of the ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ mentality, somewhat thrilled by having a specific place for everything: a cutlery drawer that looks untouched by human hands, neat piles of clothes on wardrobe shelves that would have the likes of Marie Kondo drooling, and uncluttered surfaces as far as the eye can see.

However, my recent reality is far from this minimalist ideal. More time spent at home mostly seems to involve having lots more stuff to cram into the same amount of space. All the tech and piles of paper that used to happily sit on my desk at work now crowd my dining table 24-7. I’m surrounded by boxes of lateral flow tests, tottering towers of magazines and lurid-coloured dog toys, having just welcomed a puppy into the chaos that is my life.

Every month, on the pages of this magazine, we show you houses where perfection reigns, curated spaces where the owners’ finely honed sense of style and personality are revealed by a few carefully placed objects and nothing more. Don’t get me wrong, they’re beautiful and something to aspire to, but I also advise caution.

Whereas in the past an untidy home would have been something else to beat myself up about, now I realise we all need to be honest with ourselves. Life is disordered, messy, colourful, wonderful, and it needs to be embraced. A place where people exist, where stuff happens, is never going to be pristine all the time. If it is, I’d suggest you’re probably doing something wrong.

While we are always looking forward at ELLE Decoration, we are also concerned with tackling the here-and-now problems. In this issue, that means showing how you can use a new flexible approach to space in the home to deal with the frenzy that is life in 2022. Storage is the only real way to conquer clutter, so we also showcase the best of the best, whether you choose to put things on show or hide them away. Plus, we meet some savvy style folk who have succeeded at getting their wardrobes in check.

So, as we’re at that time of year when resolutions fall by the wayside, don’t beat yourself up. Just relax and remember these three important words: mess doesn’t matter.