Things I’d buy from Marie Kondo: trays, drawer organisers, nesting boxes, sensible cardigans, New York Times bestselling books. Well, good for me, because yesterday, Kondo expanded her lifestyle brand and turned it into a hub for all things Marie Kondo, called The Shop at KonMari.
The shop launched with six categories: the obvious Tidying & Organising and Decor & Living; as well as the not-so-obvious Tabletop & Entertaining, Aromatherapy, Cooking & Kitchen, and Bath Essentials. You can also expect new products to hit these virtual shelves every month. It’s a highly curated, uber-stylish collection of lifestyle items and homewares. As of yet, it's only available in the US.
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But it appears that items which truly spark joy come at a price. Some notable inclusions: this $50 (£39) tuning fork to help you reset and "restore a sense of balance" and help amplify the healing qualities of your crystal collection. This $150 (£116) brass mirror looks like it will show you your reflection if you were in an entirely different tax bracket. Other items, like this computer brush (made with goat hair) or crumb brush (for when a swipe of the hand isn't enough) hold the promise of turning your daily tasks into exercises in mindfulness. Some items, like this $200 (£155) tea container or desktop box (a totally normal $75/£58) are a clear attempt to keep that appetite for Kondo-esque organisation going throughout the year.
Yes, these items are elegant, but the prices are steep – and forking out big sums of money to maintain your commitment to KonMari is a recipe to make you feel like a failure when you inevitably don't manage to keep up with a professional organiser's way of living. Normal life gets in the way, and you don't need a £135 countertop compost bin (even one made from naturally fallen trees from a forest in Alabama) to stare passive-aggressively at you after you accidentally dump a bunch of carrot peel in the normal bin.
And do you know what? It's okay that every item you own doesn't spark joy. Things like your kitchen utensils. Your soap holders. Your rubbish bin. They serve a purpose and, while it may seem noble to replace them with eco-friendly, naturally sourced materially made items that biodegrade or raise awareness or whatever, the actual most eco-friendly thing you can do is keep the products you already own and make use of them – rather than sending them all off to landfill.
And that, my friends, should spark the most joy of all.