I used to have a chair in my bedroom I felt guilty about. It was stacked high with clothes I had taken off but didn’t quite know what to do with. They were’t really dirty enough to be laundered but at the same time I didn’t want to put them back with my totally clean clothes.

When we moved a couple of years ago, I was determined not to have an unkempt laundry chair. I would put everything away. Today, I keep a little round stool in my closet to sit on, like for hoisting on a pair of Spanx, and recently that little stool has started to become my latest laundry chair. Oh no!

But during my early morning read of the Washington Post last week, this headline caught my eye:

Don’t feel bad about your laundry chair. Why a landing spot for the pile of in-between clothes is vital to every bedroom.

Tra-la! I was saved. I immediately bought house and laundry expert Patric Richardson’s book House Love: A Joyful guide to Cleaning, Organizing, and Loving the Home You’re In. I haven’t even gotten to the chapter about the “laundry chair” because I’m immersed in all of his other house tips. So many wonderful ideas.

My first project is going to be tackle our foyer. He suggests these 4 things:

Something beautiful

Something scented

A place to drop your keys and mail

A place to hang your coat.

But what I love most about his book is the overarching theme of making your house your own—from beautiful sticks you gather on a walk to homemade art to antique gilded mirrors to lots of lights. And, of course, how to keep it all clean!

I’ve never felt so excited about decorating and cleaning!