Marie Kondo opens up about huge reaction to Netflix show: ‘I’m still a little bit in shock’

‘I’m overwhelmed with gratitude’, the tidying expert says

Sabrina Barr
Friday 11 January 2019 06:29 EST
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Tidying Up with Marie Kondo - trailer

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Marie Kondo has spoken about the unprecedented reaction her new Netflix show has had, revealing that she never imagined she’d ever have her own TV programme.

When the release of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo was announced, Kondo fans promptly swamped social media with messages of support for the acclaimed tidying expert.

While Kondo has become a household name since the release of her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, she never anticipated the monumental reaction her collaboration with Netflix would spark across the world.

“What has surprised me the most is the speed at which people have responded,” she tells Variety.

“It’s only been a week, but viewers are putting the KonMari Method into action immediately – folding their clothes and joy-checking their belongings!

“I’m still a little bit in shock – and overwhelmed with gratitude.”

The KonMari Method is a unique technique coined by Kondo that involves figuring out which of your possessions “spark joy” in your life.

By placing your belongings into separate categories and determining which items add happiness to your life, this should in theory allow you to declutter your home with greater ease.

Kondo began her career by working as a tidying consultant in Japan, a business that she started while studying at university in Tokyo.

The organisation specialist has accumulated a huge online following over the past few years, amassing more than a million followers on Instagram, more than 400,000 followers on Facebook and more than 80,000 followers on Twitter.

While Kondo’s taken part in several local TV programmes before to promote her book, the notion of having her very own show wasn’t one that ever crossed her mind during the rapid growth of her career.

“I never imagined that I’d one day have my own show – with global reach!” she says.

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Kondo hopes that the show will inspire viewers to adopt her decluttering technique by watching her help American families learn how to better organise their homes.

“The benefit of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is that you can see what it looks like when the KonMari Method is implemented in a home,” she says.

“My hope is that by witnessing this transformation, viewers will be motivated to join the movement.”

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is available to watch on Netflix now.

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