Met Deco #11: Aurélie Malau part 2, organization at the service of decoration

Quark continues his Home tour with Aurélie. Here is the second part of his interview. Let's take a closer look at his house. How did she give birth to her ideas? How does she organize herself?

What is your storage system? Do you have a way of organizing yourself?

We have created storage that adapts to everyone's needs . We have really worked so that our daughters can have space in their rooms and receive friends. We ask for a certain rigor in storage. Everything is set up so that they can store their belongings properly. It's true that the little one pulls out a lot of toys. But the storage is really simple so it's not a torture.

Schoolbags are often lying around when they come home from school. They are asked to put everything away at the end of homework. Everything must be in its place . They have a place to store their bags and a shelf to store their notebooks and books. When it is adapted it is necessarily simpler. We tend to leave everything lying around when we don't have storage.

The girls are completely free to manage their storage as they wish in their rooms. The little one can keep toys for weeks. It is his space. But she must tidy up from the moment she no longer plays. We want the rooms to be clean. We organized everything together. We bought crates for the toys where we wrote down what it was. They now enjoy tidying up, because they know where everything is going.

I know that folding t-shirts is not easy for children. We give them tips to make it easier for them. There are things that we bend. There are other things that we put away Marie Kondo style .

Where do you look for your ideas and inspirations?

I worked in clothing stores for a very long time. I think my inspirations come partly from there. We are used to storing, folding and optimizing our space. I was also inspired by Marie Kondo's folding method . We try to adapt storage systems to children. They can't tidy up like me. It doesn't have to be complicated. They like everything to be tidy when there are girlfriends coming. They like there to be space.

When possible, we try to improve and find suitable solutions . I know my eldest daughter wanted a vanity area. She has a large dressing room. We did it inside. We try to make their life easier. We listen to their needs.

What advice would you give to someone who can't find inspiration?

When buying, the house must be pretty, but you must also identify the necessary storage space . Sometimes interiors are difficult to arrange and organize.

I advise not to stop at a YouTube video, a press article or a Pinterest pin. It can sometimes take weeks of research. We arrive at a time when we say to ourselves that it can do it. You don't have to rush. We moved in August. We have just finished our room. So it took us 9 months. We have the time. It is sure that we miss some tidying up.

We are not very organized at the moment. You have to tell yourself that it will. Taking the time allowed us to optimize the space and do it at best. There are always things that are flexible. You have to tell yourself that what you see in others is not necessarily adaptable to yourself . But that there are always solutions

Is there a space you still dislike in your home? If yes, why ?

No. We really thought about a lot of things. The only thing I would change is the laundry room. I would like to add 15m2. It's not a question of layout. The parts with us are well distributed. It is not the surface that is important. It is necessary to dedicate the volumes in each room from the start of the project. When some build their house, they put more volume in the master bedroom. We wanted the girls' rooms to be bigger than ours. We only use our bedroom for sleeping. The girls receive their friends in their room. They have toys. You have to think about the volumes. You shouldn't say to yourself “I'm going to make a large kitchen of 30 m2 and a living room of 30 m2” when you don't cook much. If we want to organize ourselves, we have to think about exactly where we want to put these volumes.

You have to anticipate. Built-in furniture should be made whenever possible. This avoids having extra furniture. This saves space. We asked the architect for a space in which we could put shelves.

What is the most important thing in decoration for you?

It's about being inspired by others. But you have to do it in relation to your lifestyle. You have to understand their wants and needs. The ideal is to do regular sorting through your belongings. We will not be invaded by things that we no longer use. This makes it easier to tidy up and to feel better at home.

In your opinion, what is the thing to avoid when it comes to storage?

Avoid keeping everything . It's the worst when it comes to storage. You should also avoid buying a piece of furniture just because it is beautiful. Rather, we should buy a piece of furniture because it suits our needs. It is better to buy a large TV stand rather than a small one. There is more storage there. It is also necessary to opt for two-in-one furniture. Modularity opens interesting doors. The furniture is thus more durable. We can always find a new function for them in the future.

What is the most important thing in decoration for you?

Some like to live in an organized bazaar. I find that storage helps to live better at home. I tend to get upset more easily when the house is messy. When the house is tidy we relax. We feel better.

Interview by Imane Charkaoui

Formatting by Coralie Mottu