Monica Leed - Simply Spaced: Clear the Clutter and Style Your Life

My name is Monica Leed, and Im an art director, professional organizer, entrepreneur, and principal founder of Simply Spaced, LLC a professional organizing company headquartered in Los Angeles. With a background in design and ten years of work in the film industry, Ive transferred my passion for efficient space design, time management, and the power of organizational systems into a growing company that helps people get organized across many areas of their lives. In 2011, life threw me an unexpected curve ball when I got in a serious car accident. At the time, I was living a hectic all-work-and-no-play lifestyle with an out-of-balance home life that left me feeling stuck and overwhelmed. The universe dealt me a blow and forced me to take a step back and focus on the things that mattered most, like my family, my husband, and my well-being. So, I decided to get rid of the inessential extraneous things in my life and I began, what organizers deem decluttering, my home and life. In a time of healing, I started to clear out the physical clutter and, like magic, unearthed an entirely new perspective. I learned that simplicity wasnt just a trend, it was the catalyst for creativity. I wrote a screenplay. I launched a business and I learned that a less-is-more approach to life spoke to far more than the number of shoes in my closet.

My passion for creating livable spaces led me to professional organizing at a time when the field was really beginning to hit its stride. What I found missing from the newly-popularized decluttering movement, however, was any mention of style. After years of creating environments that told a story for fictional characters, I was drawn to the idea of helping real people curate their own spaces to reflect their real lives. I believe everyone deserves to live in a home that inspires creativity, calm, and purpose, regardless of its size.

You wont walk into my house on any given day and see it looking like my Simply Spaced Instagram feed (follow me if you dont already!), which is aspirational and showcases my organizational systems at their peak. The photos capture perfectly decluttered, tidied spaces that have been styled by a team of people over the course of several days in preparation of the photo shoot. Of course, this doesnt mean its fake. Its real, just not real life.

Now that you know a bit about me, tell me about you. What is your story? What would your home tell me if I stepped through the front door? Also, do me a favor and stop apologizing for the imperfections and forget about ever being perfectly organized. Being organized is a journey, not a destination. You will never have all your stuff togetherand what fun would that be anyway? The goal is to feel in control. People are so fascinated by the phenomena behind organization and tidying up right now, but as someone who has been doing this for seven years, I am not surprised at all. I know what it feels like to live in chaos, and Ive also seen lives change when they take back control.