The superstar tidying guru who transformed our homes: How Marie Kondo’s ‘Life-Changing Magic’ cast its spell
says Mindy Gooding, a 20-year tidying expert and president of the Center Naboo (National Association of Productivity and Organization Professionals). “I think people found it very soothing, like a balm,” she told the BBC. “For someone steeped in clutter and chaos, the essence of calm and serenity portrayed by Marie Kondo—and her simple routine—can be intoxicating.”
But that success depends on the results, like the thousands of over-cluttered, over-arranged “before” and “after” photos and videos transformed into havens of calm. Her reality TV series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, showcased those transformations, as Kondo’s tiny figure (4 feet 8 inches) was overwhelmed by mountains of clutter, clothes and objects at the start of the episode. It quickly brought order to chaos. Her secret weapon Review said From the Netflix series Was She: “Dispenses blessings and prescriptions, not judgements” and “There are no real heroes or villains. Just an awareness of a consumer culture in chaos.”
The Netflix series launched on January 1, 2019, further cementing Kondo’s global reach and influence. Charity shops in UK and we Significant spikes in donations have been reported; The stores were pRecord sales of stocking items, as customers rushed to join the tidying up movement. A spokesperson for UK department store John Lewis said: “The popularity of Marie Kondo showcasing the best ways to declutter your home has had a huge impact on our customers.”
The arrangement became political in September 2023, when Kondo joined the likes of Bill Gates and Al Gore in Climate forward. She was invited to discuss “Can a tidy home save the world?”, share her thoughts on over-consumption and extravagance, and summarize her life’s message: Stop by to buy only the things you love and need. When she was criticized for adding to the mountain of rubbish by selling products through her website, she responded: “Some items provide us with happiness and can provide us with energy. I really believe in the energy items can provide.”
How does she feel when he calls her “?”Teacher ranking Who transformed modern minimalism?” She pauses: “I’m not sure I can take any credit [for that]it’s humbling to draw a link. I think that although each movement has its own ideology, there are common ideas and goals… and the fact that people are taking steps in this direction is wonderful.
In fact, arranging is a big business, though Home organization industry Valued at $15.2 billion in 2023, it is expected to grow at a rate of 4.7% between 2024 and 2031.
She says her legacy lies in the army of KonMari consultants she trained, which now number 900 in more than 60 countries. She is currently writing a book about Japanese culture today. “My philosophy and methods are heavily influenced by Japanese history and culture, and writing it will be an exercise for me to explore and understand those connections.”
Kondo is married to Takumi Kawahara, the CEO of her company, and they have three children. Since the birth of their third child, a son, in 2021, she has had little time to get organized. She recently told Sky News: “I’m not perfect, and I never was.” He admitted to Telegraph: “My house is a mess now that I have kids.”
“It dawned on me that I didn’t have as much time to arrange it perfectly as I used to—you can’t always maintain the perfect space at a moment’s notice,” she says. But she found truth in the old saying that teaches your children how to live: “I asked myself: What sparks joy in my life? And my answer was right in front of me.”
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