The Piece of Art That is My Sock Drawer

Socks, yes, and a few knickers…

“The life changing magic of tidying” by Marie Kondo is the book that inspired me to arrange my socks in this particular manner, among other things.

The title of the book pretty much summarises a number of outrageous claims she makes about the effects of tidying. However, these effects do not follow from any kind of tidying, but tidying the Marie Kondo way. Going through the process of tidying the Marie Kondo way leads to a new-found awareness of, and an increased appreciation for your belongings.

Another benefit is that - if done correctly - you tidy once and as if by magic you never have to tidy ever again. This is because now, every single item, from your guest duvet to your collection of multi-colour paperclips, has now a designated home in your house. Therefore, you’ll never again have to wonder where to put an item.

A side-effect of following the step-by-step instructions in the book is that you’ll also get rid of loads of stuff in the process. Stuff, you don’t love anymore. And this is the only criterion by which you decide whether to keep an item or discard it: Holding it in your hands, and only if it brings you joy you keep it.

For example, the super hip boots I bought in Berlin on a lovely long weekend with a past boyfriend, while still bringing back happy memories, don’t bring me joy anymore. This is because I have hardly ever worn them since my cobbler refused to fix the hole in the sole. He refused out of work-ethic - they were irreparable - and maybe because they smelled. So away with them! I said goodbye, and it was sad, but I don’t miss them.

Other things are more difficult. Some postcards and letters for example. However, once you’ve been through clothes and books, you’ll have learned more about your relationship to your belongings, and it gets easier to make the decisions.

And there is a whole lot of direction on how to store things - vertically if possible.

But other people have written about this much better than I could, and like mine, this article features a picture of a drawer with vertically stored clothes! click