Alex Bates, cofounder and creative director of lifestyle brand, Bloomist, has tunnel vision when it comes to home organization and design. “Don’t stop editing,” she says. “I am on a mission this year to really simplify on all levels. Life is short, we all have too much stuff. I am challenging myself this month to focus on one spot a day, aiming for small victories like cleaning out a junk drawer or a cabinet in my kitchen.” 

Bates, a self-proclaimed obsessive gardener—whose career has included developing hand-crafted goods and brands that do-good—teamed up with business partner and entrepreneur Michael Zung in 2018 to launch Bloomist, dedicated to helping artisans, artists, and makers flourish. “We quickly realized they we shared not just a love of nature, but also a vision for a new kind of company,” she explains. “One that designed and curated the beautiful, meaningful, purposeful things you need to make a natural home.” 

From setting workspace boundaries to editing the home desk and her own sources of inspiration, Bates sits down for a q+a and offers her tried and true tips for starting fresh here. 

Bates’ New Year Hacks

Visualize and Set Boundaries

First, visualize how you want to feel when you walk into your space. Like many of us working at home, I have fallen into a few bad habits. This year, I am setting up better boundaries and disciplines between my workspace and bedroom. Your bedroom should truly be a quiet sanctuary to create better sleep health. And your desk and work area should be clutter-free, yet inspiring. You need to carve a peaceful space for media detoxing and bringing closure to your day. And, try to be disciplined about putting your work away at the end of the day whichever room you end up in.

Think Color and Texture

Consider all the senses. Neutral colors in organic natural materials like wool, clay, leather, stone and natural wood evoke a calm and relaxed feeling. Layer textures for warmth and tactile experience. Use candles or incense for scent. I love having a pelt bedside. That first moment out of bed (winter or summer) is a cozy one as my bare feet sink into it. It eases me into the day.

Edit, Edit, Edit

Clear your desk and purge paper, then place only those things you love or need back on it. Less is more, especially visually. Use covered baskets or cloth covered files to organize paper. I love our Dania letter tray to keep things sorted, and stone bookends and simple leather trays to catch small bits. A chic desk pad and calendar helps me feel organized. I must physically write it down to remember anything. I love natural materials and flowers. 

Your best design advice and Bloomist go-to piece?

Buy the best you can afford in simple profiles that will grow with you over time. Waste not, want not. The Georg Desk is a perfect example. It’s great in a studio apartment, and can do double duty as a dining table. It can also work as a hall table or a child’s bedroom as you scale up. I have a simple armless sofa from my husband’s bachelor days, and it has moved with us in every apartment through the years and eventually out to our beach house. We’ve recovered it through the years until it moved onto our daughter’s first apartment.

Your personal sources for organization or decor inspiration? 

Nature, travel, and artisans, are always our design inspirations. Nature is our muse and primary source of inspiration. In Paris, my favorite destinations are Ogata (which is pure heaven and a sensory wonderland), and the National Museum of Natural History  in the gorgeous Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The Fossils and Gem Hall is always amazing for the material inspiration and forms. Tokyo is also a general source of inspiration. The Japanese relationship with nature is intimate and respectful. I saw an exhibit years ago at the Mori Art Museum, Sensing Nature: Rethinking the Japanese Perception of Nature, that still remains vivid in my memory today. In New York, I like Muji for their organization files and boxes. In Los Angeles, I love Obsolete for an irreverent mix of antiques and art. My friend and owner Ray Azoulay’s eye is unerring. 

What’s ahead for this year?

We’re focusing on everything plant-based in 2022 from jute rugs and hemp textiles to palm leaf woven baskets and botanically-dyed pillows. And patterns of the earth from wild marble veins to the dramatic striations of amber alabaster and undulating wood grains.