Simple Living Today

We cannot thank Debbie at Simple Living enough for everything that she did for us in the sale of our cottage in the Peak District. We don’t think we would have been able to achieve the sale without her help. We had moved out of the area so Debbie handled everything that needed doing and was always a pleasure to deal with. She understood us and our needs very well and we had good clear communications with her. She was responsive, clear and helpful. Debbie ‘staged’ our cottage to ‘show’ in its best light for the brochure / viewings by removing some of our furniture that she did not think quite right and replacing them with alternative pieces, plus soft furnishings and accessories that she brought in. It transformed some of the rooms to make them substantially more appealing. Debbie also did everything else for us, including conducting prospective buyer viewings, arranging to meet surveyors etc. But she did so much more than that; she visited the property weekly to ensure everything was in good order, arranged for the garden to be kept neat and tidy, arranged for blown windows to be replaced, got someone to move furniture to our new house and even de-spidered and cleaned windows as that became necessary – and so much more. We simply do not know how we would have managed without her. Debbie went above and beyond what was required, and was always on hand to help. We would absolutely recommend Simple Living.

Virtual Decluttering & Reorganising Debbie is an absolute pleasure to work with! I’ve always struggled with motivation and time to declutter, and after several house moves, life changes, two growing children shedding clothes and books, as well as inheriting ‘stuff’ after my Mum passed away, I’d had enough. From the very start of the process, she was on fire. Before we even had our first session, she had researched and found clothes banks, tip availability slots, recycling points for various items - all in lockdown! She also advised on items to have to hand - boxes, bags etc, and asked for photos of the room exactly as it was. I decided to start with my bedroom - with Debbie’s advice. It had become the dumping ground for everything that belonged somewhere else, as I was desperate to keep the rest of the house liveable and clear… I had also lost underbed storage after buying a new bed so the room was just piled with various bags and boxes that needed sorting and rehoming. I won’t even mention the state of my wardrobe and bedside tables… Debbie was kind, empathetic and gentle from the start, and skilfully guided me through some tough decision making. I was worried that it would be a ruthless barrage of ‘GET RID!’ but not at all. The amazing part was how she guided me to consider the role all the ‘things’ had in my life, and where they would live if kept. I found myself discovering uses for items I’d stashed, and repurposing various baskets and storage items I had squirreled around the house. I now have a beautiful, uncluttered, neat space to call my own. I wake up every morning with a smile, and it has even encouraged me to reboot my morning meditation, which was just impossible with the chaos surrounding me. I go to bed after the kids are settled, light a couple of candles in front of a mirror and just enjoy my book in what feels like a luxury boutique! Such a change from looking around with constant nagging thoughts of ‘I need to do this, I really should do that…’

I can unreservedly recommend using Simple Living Today. Debbie advised us on ways to declutter, decorate and dress one house in preparation for sale and to get an even smaller house ready to move into! She has great imaginative and innovative ideas, practical solutions and a range of suggestions that we had not considered, all within a range of different budgets. I was a little nervous beforehand because it's quite exposing to let someone into your home and for them to open the cupboards you would rather stay closed! I needn't have worried though as Debbie is professional, friendly and completely non judgmental. The results of our consultation mean that our house is now on the market and looks better than it ever has! We have reorganised our new home, especially the small kitchen to good effect, using clever shelving and storage ideas. My favourite room is now my home office, which is functional but elegant.

Debbie spent the day with us sorting our playroom. She gently and playfully involved the children so that we made lots of decisions together about what was used regularly and what we could part with. She guided us with loads of energy and encouragement and did all the work deciding how to make the room look totally lovely whilst also thinking about what would work practically for the children. The end result has halved the amount of stuff we had and hugely increased the playing space, whilst still giving us a new arts and crafts corner. The room looks bigger, tidier and much more inviting and is so much easier to keep tidy now that the children can find the things they want much more easily. Debbie is full of great ideas, sensitive and understanding, great fun to spend the day with and kept me motivated miles beyond where I would have got to if I had attempted to tackle it all alone.