LOS GATOS, Calif. - In time for the New Year, Netflix launched an eight-episode series featuring Marie Kondo, the international home organization guru and neatness sensation.
Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, swept the nation and sold more than 3 million copies globally. A professional cleaning consultant with a three-month wait list, Kondo is the creator of the KonMari Method, a detailed category-by-category guide for decluttering space. She says that once you "properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again."
The reality- style television program follows the structure of its genre, presenting the backstory of individual families who seek Kondo's help in straightening the messes that are their closets.
Recently widowed, she looks at releasing her husband's possessions.
These include a family of four who have relocated to a Los Angeles apartment from a four-bedroom home in Michigan; a recently widowed woman grappling with how to let go of her beloved late husband's possessions, but not his memory; a young couple living in West Hollywood who are ready to leave their college-style of living behind; as well as soon-to-be parents who realize it’s time to let go of the past to pave way for their future family.
More broadly, Kondo performs the role home organization design professionals are frequently pulled into: guiding people as they tackle the clutter and frequently excessive numbers of possessions that overwhelm their lives and their homes.
As a series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo struggles a bit with the language divide - but communicates well that neatness and home organization are universally appealing qualities.
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