July 2026 - Room to Breathe
- Judy Granlee Gates
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
Newsletter Topic of the Month
Room to Breathe
It’s the year of less, with less buying and consuming. But I interrupt this newsletter to give you some great news. My audiobook was a finalist in the prestigious IPPY awards! I am so excited, you can get a copy here!
The IPPY awards recognize outstanding work by independent authors and publishers. I am honored to have my audiobook selected.
For July, we are focusing on “room the breathe.” After two back-to-back whole homes that needed to be cleared out for sale, I can tell you, this is NEEDED. Let’s dive in. I hope everyone will challenge themselves to create a little more space in their own home, which creates peace of mind. My current client says they “wish they had done this 20 years ago.”
Get my free guide to LESS here!
Decluttering and Organizing:
One of the biggest luxuries you can have is space. But Americans generally buy a home, fill it up, then either rent storage units for the overflow, or move to a bigger house, take everything with, and fill that one up.
Space to walk with ease, space to open a cabinet without an avalanche, space to think, relax, and just breathe and be.
Visual clutter creates heavy mental clutter. In July, focus on removing bulky items, tackling storage rooms, garages, and releasing those “someday” projects that have been waiting for years. I just did my garage and let so many things go I have been packing around for 40 plus years. It felt GOOD.
Quick declutter: open a drawer or cabinet and declutter it until it is 75% or less full.
Home Edits:
Beautiful and peaceful homes are not filled to every corner. They have space, and lots of it. Great design gives focus to the beautiful items you own. Often, removing even one or two items can make all the difference in a space.
Quick Edit: Walk through one space and ask yourself, “What could leave this space and actually make it feel bigger?”
Short Term Rentals:
A great vacation rental has personality and a great theme, but it also needs to have space for guests. Clear entries, open and clear counters, uncluttered nightstands, coffee and end tables. Sadly, too many vacation rentals become the dumping ground for stuff the owner already had, they stick in the rental even when it doesn’t have a purpose.
Quick Task: take away 25% of décor and snap a photo, compare that to the listing photo and see if it looks better or not!
Have a topic idea? Area of struggle? A fun tip? Send it in and I may make it the topic of the month. Email me at hello@judygranleegates.com
Join in the conversation at Home Elevated on Facebook or Home_Elevated_WA on Instagram!
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