Marie Kondo may be sparking joy with her decluttering techniques in households around the world,
but there's one person who isn't buying into the KonMari method.
That's because Linda Koopersmith, who is also known as "The Beverly Hills Organizer" says
the upright fold is not Kondo's, its hers.
New York Times book reviewer Penelope Green, who called Kondo "a kind of Zen Nanny" and
admitted that her review may have helped Kondo skyrocket onto the bestseller lists, told
Vox:
"I loved...this notion that your things, even your socks, were nearly animate, and deserved
compassion and respect.
All that folding and twirling and stacking made my drawers and shelves and closets so
beautiful.
It was soothing to just look at everything all rolled up and spare."
Things got even bigger for Marie Kondo in 2019, when Netflix released Tidying Up with
Marie Kondo.
The KonMari method really took off then, and "sparking joy" became a thing.
Rolling Stone says to "spark joy" is really just another way to say "tokimeku," a Japanese
word that roughly translates to "heart aflutter."
But Marie Kondo didn't spark joy for everyone.
While most of the world has fallen in love with Kondo and her KonMari method, not everyone
is thrilled with the professional organizer.
Linda Koopersmith says she’s been using the so-called KonMari fold for most of her
career.
She says she invented the upright fold in 1992 for her daughter, who was then 3 years
old, so her child could see everything in her drawers.
Koopersmith told Page Six in June 2019:
"What Marie calls her KonMari Method, is actually a folding technique created by me 27 years
ago.
It was published in my book in 2005, it was shown on the TV show Clean House for years
and seen on YouTube videos."
"So, 2005, six years before Marie Kondo ever saw print, this is your drawer."
As proof, Clean House co-host Allen Haff uploaded a video on YouTube showing Koopersmith organizing
various closets for the show.
The clip also came with the caption:
"These clips demonstrate that Linda's 'upright folding technique' was featured frequently
on Style's #1 rated TV program.
While other newcomers may claim credit for this innovation Linda is proud to have inspired
the shows millions of fans and she looks forward to sharing more of her original patented organizing
technology in the future."
Aside from being a regular on Clean House, which ran from 2003 to 2005 on The Style Network,
Koopersmith has also written a book on home organizing.
House Beautiful says her A-list client roster includes celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and
John Legend, Serena Williams, Jennifer Lopez, and Khloé Kardashian.
What do home organizing audiences have to say about Kondo after this controversy?
Book lovers were ready to do battle with Kondo when they thought she was suggesting they
should cull their collections.
Novelist Anakana Schofield tweeted:
"DO NOT listen to Marie Kondo or Konmari in relation to books.
Fill your apartment & world with them.
I don't give a s---- if you throw out your knickers and Tupperware but the woman is very
misguided about BOOKS.
Every human needs a [very] extensive library not clean, boring shelves."
"She told me to get rid of the Marie Kondo book."
"I like her already."
Kondo was also heavily criticized for her stand against hanging onto things with sentimental
value, and she's not a fan of giving things to friends and family, unless they ask, of
course.
Arielle Bernstein told The Atlantic that simplicity is a hot trend and says especially for some
people,
"Putting things in order simply doesn't equate to just throwing things away.”
"That's why I guess it’s little things like this mean something to me."
"But this is something you would like to keep as part of your life going forward?"
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