This guest column is part of our Organize the World series, in which we feature KonMari Consultants from the many countries (58 and counting!) where they’re changing lives through organizing. We’ve asked them to give us their unique insights into living a more organized life. 

That’s where KonMari Consultant Rawan Al Khawaldeh comes in. Rawan works as a home organizer in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (currently the only UAE National Consultant in the country!), where she’s steadily built a successful business and social following by teaching others how to apply the KonMari Method to their homes and lives. She is also passionate about interior design and fashion, a background she uses to fill her home (and clients’ homes) with joy-sparking decor and surprise elements. 

“When you start seeing the trees bloom, colors getting back to life, and the weather getting better, it is definitely a good time to give attention to your home!” says Rawan. We asked her for tips on making a house feel joyful and lively as we move from season to season.

Even if you’ve experienced the life-changing magic of tidying the KonMari way, life priorities shift over time, including seasonally. For that reason, Rawan recommends starting a spring refresh by returning to the KonMari Method’s basic tenets. Up first: decluttering. 

“First, you need to declutter and purge all the things that no longer serve you,” she says. “That might be expired canned foods or medications, clothes that no longer fit, house decorations that don’t spark joy, or old furniture you don’t use anymore.

Tidy Tip: This process should feel relatively quick and easy — think of it as maintenance rather than an organization overhaul. If this step feels overwhelming or begins to take hours, your home likely needs a full tidying festival. KonMari Consultants can help. 

“Once you declutter, you will have a clear idea of all your belongings,” says Rawan. “You can then start by grouping them. Group items that are similar to each other and the items that you use together. Put those groups close to where you usually use them. For example, put your teas, coffees, syrups, sugars, and mugs near the kettle. This way, the system will make your life easier and will last longer.” It’s much easier to put things back in their “homes” when those homes are in logical locations. 

Like Marie Kondo, Rawan is a huge fan of labels. Spring is an ideal time to add labels to any new containers you add while regrouping. Labels also add a lovely, fresh aesthetic to shelves (though Rawan quickly points out that they are more than pretty design! “They actually help everyone in the household put things back where they belong,” she says). 

Now comes the “just for fun” part. In addition to her organizing work, Rawan loves to add extra details around her home as a way of turning toward a new season. Think flowers, burning incense, and tackling other small DIY and interior design projects (she loves the occasional fresh coat of paint). 

“I also like to rotate between small decorative items to make me feel refreshed, so I have a set of pillows for summer and another one for winter,” she says. “And I rotate vases to mark new seasons and special occasions. This is an inexpensive way to refresh your home without being wasteful. I have a storage room where I keep boxes with each season’s decorations so I can easily take them out and use them every season.”  

***

Above all, Rawan encourages you to see every refresh project as an opportunity to make the home more your own every year. “Applying the KonMari Method provides a structured approach for organizing all the belongings in a household to ensure the system suits both your needs and lifestyle,” she says. As your tastes, priorities, and lifestyle shift, return to the Method for periodic joy checks, and you’ll never get lost. “The KonMari Method helps you get organized in a way that lasts.”