Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization: Unclutter Your Home, Unclutter Your Life

by Christopher Lowell

Seven out of ten Americans live in cluttered homes. Now, Emmy Award-winning host and design guru Christopher Lowell comes to the rescue with a colorful, no-nonsense guide that's designed to teach readers how to purge their homes mentally, physically, and spiritually--so they'll be clutter-free for life!

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Design

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great thought provoking questions for the after Christmas mess and the January sorting and organizing season. Cleaning out and trying again here I come!

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the introduction in this book with a description of the different kind of hoarders out there. I think I’ve developed into a possibility procrastinator with a pinch of guilty glutton and a sprinkle of keep-it-till-I-read-it pack rat. However, I’m married to the guilty-glutton-appropriate-appropriator-heartfelt-hoarder-keep-it-till-I-read-it-pack-rat-had-to-have-hoarder-perfectly-good-pack-rat-possibility-procrastinator. Well, at least he’s not a true shopaholic. Phew.

Unfortunately, one being willing to go through the steps of uncluttering and organizing when the partner is not makes this publication, as good as it may be, useless for the time being.

I still find the book nicely arranged into 7 steps - though the suggestions for organization and display may vary by taste and wallet of the home owner.

[Sonya Feher · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Lowell's decorating style including his Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design: Fearless, Fabulous Decorating is not something I particularly like or would emulate, his approach to organization could help just about anyone. The inner cover claims Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization: Unclutter Your Home, Unclutter Your Life shows readers how to "mentally, physically, and spiritually purge" their homes in ten days. He deals with the kinds of clutter people keep and why they keep it. While the pictures of Lowell are hokey and the design of most rooms rates on my over-the-top scale, the principles are sound, the text is free-flowing, and the concepts are simple to implement. I just finished reading this book for the second time in order to review some ideas for my organizing clients. It'll well worth the time.

[Dooz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It transformed me into an anti-clutter crusader. Delightfully written and packed with good information, this not only an informative book but a fun read as well.

As a kid I was a horrific hoarder. I dropped the habit as I got older, but I still retained some clutter-acquiring tendencies. This book made clutter purging FUN, and gave good reasons as to why we don't need to hold onto clutter. One aspect in particular that I loved was how the author pointed out our emotional connections to objects we own. It may remind us of a fond memory or someone we care about. But, as Lowell points out, the memory is in our hearts and not the object itself.

I'm realizing how much storage my house actually has now that I've gotten rid of so much junk! Clutter purging is not so much a one time thing as it is a continual habit. There's always someplace new to clear out, and I actually get excited when I find a junky and disorganized place. This last week alone I purged the linen closet and bathroom cupboards. I found soaps from the 1980s.
Why? Why???
Out they go!

Highly recommended.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the ideas & suggestions in the book. There were a lot of great tips. The part I didn't really like was the sample rooms. Individual pieces of each room were helpful, or good ideas. However, the full rooms were, in general, not my taste. They had a very Pottery Barn/ Pier One/ white, middle class, homeowner feel... I live in a studio apartment with a lot of furniture that I have acquired for free or from Craigslist, and most of the things I own are bright colors, instead of neutrals, so it just didn't fit my more eccentric, less expensive tastes. Otherwise, great tips. :)

These are the seven layers:
1. Assess & Schedule
2. Detach & Purge
3. Reclaim & Update
4. Sort & Contain
5. Design & Build
6. Arrange & Display
7. Cease & Maintain

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was too complicated for this disorganized homeowner. I need simple, simple, simple! I did enjoy the beautiful before and after photos and wish that I had the money to implement some of the suggestions made. If I could afford the beautiful storage pieces I would have room for all the "stuff" I have in my home. On a threadbare budget and without my own carpenter, many of these suggestions are impossible for me.

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Likes: This man is like the over-the-top, flaming Italian cousin I never had. Better than any other designer / organizer, he helped me understand why I hold onto stuff and how my home could improve by tossing it. I like his ideas about multi-functional furniture.

Dislikes: As other reviews stated, his designs are somewhat dated or over-done. My style is more modern / retro, so I would decorate a little more funky than he does.

[Debbie Petersen Wolven · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good ideas in here for those who want to reduce or manage clutter. I decided to just give away anything that can be used by someone else that does not bring me delight, and throw the rest out. I don't feel like taking the time to organize it--life is too short and I have books to read!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Lowell's style of decorating isn't really for me and the book is a little bit dated. But, in the first half of the book, he accurately describes the emotional effects of clutter better than any other clutter book I've read this year. It's very easy to understand, get started, and stay motivated. There are great quotes from this book too.

[Go · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this organization book. I read it once a year and skim through it many times. It always inspires me to declutter my home. He has great ideas that are not only practical but they help you decorate your home. He is a big advocate for multi-functional furniture too. I recommend this book to people often.

[Romie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. He's kind of goofy and has some great ideas. It seems like the main great idea was to use IKEA bookshelves in new ways. What I l really loved was the great pictures. Even though he shows a kids room, many of the ideas weren't kid-friendly I thought. But still it made me look at my spaces in a new way.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like his idea of detaching yourself from your home and stuff to really see if you need it or love it. I am not very good with room design. I like some of his ideas, but can not imagine any of them in my own home.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm working on totally cleaning and organizing every inch of my home so books like this come in very handy for ideas. This guy has a great sense of humor, yet is very intelligent and creative. This book has been very helpful and inspiring so far.

[Michelle Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. He doesn't dwell too long on how to get organized, but he does get his point across. The bulk of the book is spent on decorating and designing your rooms. There were a lot of good ideas.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 3.5 stars if that were possible. I thought this book was pretty interesting - my friend wisely told me to just read the first 100 pages and ignore the "makeover section" which was very smart. It complements the Peter Walsh book quite nicely.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

The makeovers are outdated at the end of the book. The first part is great. He really goes through all the steps of decluttering and helps you deal with the different reasons you maybe keeping stuff you don't need.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Points for this book: good use of pictures and bullet points; cheeseball pictures of the author throughout.

Points against this book: the 2005 color schemes; to much building makes it impractical for me.

[JoDee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me the kick in the ... I needed to get rid of uneccessary junk around my house and make room for things of beauty.

[Leia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great organization tips for small spaces.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so great on the organizing suggestions. However, the photos of his room mmakeovers were great!

[Candy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer. Not so great on the suggestions. Flylady.net is much more helpful then what he actually suggests that you do, but the pictures are great.

[Deni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to be a little obsessed with Christopher Lowell and will always love him! This book's been around since 2005 so it's starting to feel a little dated but the basic ideas still work.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great motivator for helping me de-junk our home and start on the road to organization. I didn't love his decorating ideas, but he gave a good framework to get started.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how he started out by telling the story of his own disorganization and went from there. He's an artist, and I respect that, as most artists are disorganized.

[Mitzi Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't give it five stars, because it was written six years ago and is already slightly out of date, but this is the book I've been looking for. Inspiring and creative.

[Katharine Holden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful decluttering steps. Really ugly decorating suggestions.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

So dated!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inspired me to purge. We'll see if I actually do it.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas presented

[Valerie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

He really knows his way around basic bookshelves.