Sort it out: the extra time at home during the pandemic and a wave of reality shows have helped drive a trend towards decluttering. Photograph: Slavica/Getty Images Homes ‘They’re just better at it’: the rise of the rock star home organiser What was popularised as a lockdown trend is now a booming commercial industry. Why are so many of us still fixated on decluttering our interiors? Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email

However, as Shanahan notes, “just like anyone can mow the lawn, not everybody wants to”. And now, thanks to Shanahan and others like her, not everybody has to.

“We are hiring new staff nearly every week to keep up with client inquiries,” says Amy Revell, co-owner and CEO of home organisation business The Art of Decluttering. The company’s team of 40 services “hundreds and hundreds of clients each year” nationally and its weekly podcast has had more than 3.3m listens to date.

The US tends towards the accumulation of “things”, evident in the success of big box retailers such as The Container Store. “More gadgets, more problem solving, life-enhancing ‘stuff’ and larger suburban home footprints,” Cleghorn says. “Australia tends to be a blend of more European and US trends.”

Not just for celebrities

As our interest in storage sustainability changes, so too does the face of home organisation, which is no longer perceived as a folly only for affluent individuals and celebrities (hello Khloé Kardashian). Shanahan and Revell’s clientele is diverse – from parents juggling family life to bereaved caretakers, Airbnb managers, home movers and downsizers.

Beck Quade, a Sydney-based business owner, first engaged home organisation services for an overseas move. “That whole part of moving is so stressful, particularly if you’re a busy parent or businessperson,” she says. “It’s worth it … just to take out all that stress and time. And they’re just better at it than me.”

Quade has also sought professional organiser expertise at emotional junctions in her life, from recalibrating her house as her family expanded to packing up the home of her late mother-in-law. “Sometimes it’s just about having someone holding your hand throughout an otherwise stressful process.”

Revell and her colleagues are part of a growing cohort also offering services through the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) for people living with physical disabilities or neurodiversities. “Whether you are living with or caring for someone with a disability, there can be additional hurdles to being able to maintain a safe, organised and clutter-free home,” she says.

Source: The Guardian

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