Instant Tidy: Bedside Table Styling

My mom just arrived to LA for a little visit! I'm very excited to be hosting her. Of course, before I could welcome her into my home, I had to do some light cleaning. Except it wasn't so light. It was more of the "holy cow how have I let myself descend into such squalor?!" kinda cleaning. You know, the sort where you stand in the center of your own personal pigsty and don't know where to begin…

In situations like that, I find it helps me to take a small bite from the big mess—which usually means giving my nightstand some TLC. In addition to dusting (how do lampshades manage to get so filthy, by the way?) I like to switch out my knicknacks, swap out the books, snip a flower from the yard and pop it in a bud vase. Starting small like this makes the big task feel more manageable, and also sets a standard of tidiness to which I can aspire as I work through the remaining chaos.

Even if you're not scrambling to clean for guests, a well-ordered bedside table is one of life's small joys. Not only do the items you choose to keep on your nightstand say a lot about your personality (a journal? a radio? a plethora of beauty potions?) but the assortment is the first thing you see on waking and the last you see before sleep. So make it count!