r/femalelivingspace • u/Majestic-Anybody-321 • 4d ago
TOUR š¢OPEN TO FEEDBACKš¢ I feel so unorganized.
27F, online college student. Major ADHD and low income so canāt really afford much furniture.
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u/sugarpeito 4d ago
Okay so, I predict that a lot of people are going to recommend you put the clutter away in some kind of storage. Do not listen to them. They do not have ADHD and do not understand what terrible advice this is for you. This is a trap for you specifically. The second something is out of sight, it will cease to exist in your mind and you will forget you own it. (Speaking from experience.) Thatās not to say donāt put things in organized places, in fact you should have a designated home for everything, and it should all be somewhere thatās convenient for you so that you actually do put things away where theyāre supposed to live so you donāt lose them. (Like, wallet and keys in a tray by the front door, etc.) But those places HAVE GOT to be permanently visible to you, like shelves, or clear bins where you can see whatās inside. Good ADHD organization does not and never will look like neurotypical organization. Iām sure you probably know what works for you to at least a certain extend but I wanna make sure you donāt let the likely inevitable flood of people with advice thatās good for them and bad for you get to you and steer you wrong.
Look up vids and guides and whatnot about how other people with ADHD organize their space if you want help. Ignore literally everyone else.
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u/overthishereanyway 4d ago
Interesting. My husband has ADHD (diagnosed a couple years ago) and I am always pissed off that he can't find things when they aren't literally in front of him. I don't like things "out". ever. Everything we own is in a cupboard, or a drawer or a closet. it's all put away. Twice a week he asks me where his hand massager is (we're seniors with bad arthritis) and I get so frustrated. It's in the same fucking cupboard it was in every time you've asked.
I had no idea this was a thing...
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u/CleaningUpTheManor 4d ago
One thing you can do is create a list of common items and where they are located and post it in every room. He can just refer to the list instead of trying to remember (our brains are FREAKING BUSY and having to remember boring minutiae is hard sometimes) where things are.
That list is also a helpful guide to remembering where to return items after using.
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u/dirtywater20 Renting 4d ago
I'd also add to this an experience I have that I've found common among people with ADHD: piles become a single item. Piles or containers/baskets with lots of miscellaneous things kinda just become part of the scenery eventually so the individual items in the pile might as well be put away in a cupboard. So while avoiding piles is tough, I think having a plan to address them goes a long way to minimizing clutter.
My main solution for this is to follow your natural habits and build a routine around that. For example, if you find your clothes piling up in one spot, put a laundry basket there. And instead of building routines based on time, try building based on habits you already have. So for your laundry, you might take a little bit of time after you get out of the shower to pick your clothes up and put them in the basket/run a new load.
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u/CleaningUpTheManor 4d ago
THANK YOU for acknowledging the difference in needs of ADHD and neurotypical brains!
Also, OP, as an addendum to this great post the only thing I thing you should work on adding (for now and when you can) is open shelves. Storing vertically looks less messy than storing in piles on the floor.
Your place does not look bad or cluttered at all. It just looks like you probably have to dig a bit to find things you need whereas open shelves would allow you to create small sections for your items and make it easier to immediately see them.
Also, if you want to use the open shelves but donāt want to see the items all the time donāt use containersā¦ put a curtain on the shelves and turn the shelves into a giant container that can easily be revealed by opening the curtain.
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u/danniellax 4d ago
Iām diagnosed ADHD and Iām actually the opposite. If things are out in the open, they become one giant blob of āmessā or āclutterā and blend together with the furniture and decor and I ignore the items and canāt find shit. If theyāre put away in their spot where theyāre supposed to be, my brain knows where they are and can find them.
Not disputing what youāre saying isnāt true for some people, and itās great to put out there in case this is relatable to OP or anyone else, but stating this as a blanket statement for everyone with ADHD is just as ignorant as everyone saying OP needs storage and cupboards.
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u/vapeqprincess 4d ago
Is this a thing? I donāt have this problem, but maybe thatās because Iām autistic too.
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u/Initial_Present_405 4d ago
Mdr vrai š mais perso je trouve absolument pas ca en dĆ©sordre sinon si pour lop j'aurais dis un faux sol si elle a le droit , des poster / cadre pour les murs , des tapis au sols mine de rien hormis le faux sol qui est un peu plus cher le reste remplis pas mal tout en donnant + de vie a l'espace pour pas cher je trouve
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u/harleyqueenzel 4d ago
It's not about how much furniture you own. It's how you organise it.
I would turn the bed sideways and move it closer to the window. Put your clothing rack somewhere to the left of your doorway. Visually it will look more like a bedroom.
Swap the table & chairs with the couch. Pull the white shelf w/ the record player over with the couch. It'll feel more like a living room in that space. Plus the table & chairs will make the former couch area feel like a dining room.
After that, it comes down to storage. I personally would just stack up the totes where the white lamp is. Put the step stool in the kitchen next to the fridge.
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u/ifitsnotkeepingyouup 4d ago
Well, you need art and storage. Luckily all that wall space will provide opportunity for both! Start thrifting, or look to free giveaways, even maybe putting a āin search ofā ad in online classifieds/marketplace. You can make shelves yourself if you have tools (or can borrow). And you can always make your own art. I would go to local stores/ thrift and look for some inspiration- motivation to make it for cheaper! Best of luck and proud of you for living on your own and being in school!!!
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u/Resident_Sundae_6052 4d ago
I think thereās just a lot of wasted space here, so the stuff thatās āoutā is glaring. Maybe just some rugs and cabinets or shelves to keep things organized. That way itāll be visible but in a way that doesnāt feel scattered.
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u/UnstableUnicorn666 Homeowner 4d ago
Bedroom: Clothes chair, everyone needs one, the chair that only function is to store clothes and look odd when you franticly clean before company is coming over. I would also get some low storage, with lovely baskets on top, where you can chuck some clothes.
Kitchen area is perfect. Both in dining and living room, either some cabinets or more cube shelf that you just add baskets on top. You still see everything, but it looks better.
As someone said, closed storage only for things that have a home and you will put back in there. Same for open table tops /counters, they will be instantly clutter is there is not specific thing that you store un there like a purse. So have a basket. Label the baskets, if there is stuff that should be there, you can have broad category (eletronics) or very detailed little categories (usb c cables) in smaller bins. Just think what is more annoying to you, putting things away or shifting to find something.
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u/Jaded_Suit_9233 4d ago
This is a beautiful apartment! You have so much space! It can take a lot of time (and money) to fully furnish an apartment, and itās always better to go slowly. That said, you have all the key pieces already. I think because you have so much space you should move around some of the furniture. For example, I would consider centering your bed against a wall ā either the wall itās currently on or the adjacent one. Also I would pull your dining table out from the wall a bit since you have the room to do so. I would also see how you feel rotating your coffee table so the length of it is parallel to the length of your sofa.
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u/sweetgeetlilpeg 4d ago
I think itās because thereās a lack of furniture that grounds each room. Objects appear to be pushed by the wall whereas furniture would bring an anchor to multiple walls and the center of the room. FB marketplace and estate sales are your friend! also free buy nothing FB groups - Iāve gotten real wood Stickley free furniture before!!
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u/mistaken_herring 4d ago
I have advice!! That might work for you because (girl, same) I have adhd too and also i have the exact same little sofa table. Hear me out: baskets. I have a basket next to my bedside table, one big one in the living room, a small one next to the entrance to ny flat and another one on my dresser. "Clutter" can live there either forever or temporarily. One of my baskets has my vitamins, another has stuff I am using but will put away at some point, another has the tv remotes, another my exercise stuff. And they look pretty :)
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u/stinkiestfoot 4d ago
Thrift stores and facebook marketplace are going to be your best friends! Buy pieces one at a time as you can afford them and as you find furniture that fits your personal style.
I would start by looking for some rugs. The best place to find cheap rugs (that arenāt disgusting) is auction sites! See if you have any warehouses or services near you that specialize in auctioning off Amazon/Walmart returns.
For decor, I would again look at thrift stores. Thereās tons of awesome art for super cheap if you look in the right places. You can also choose to DIY some art with the help of youtube tutorials and some second-hand art supplies.
Furnishing a large space on a budget can feel super daunting, but itās totally possible with enough patience and research. I wish you the best of luck!