Even those of us who keep the most tidy of homes need an organizing redux once in a while. A common time we see this is when the kids leave home, especially for active parents. This is the case for a couple we recently assisted after they moved to the Cape. With their kids off at college they decided to organize their new home completely. Today we’re looking at the process to see just how much of a difference bespoke home organization services make.
Great Home Organization Tips: It’s More than Putting Things in Boxes
When working with clients it goes beyond a checklist of what rooms need to be improved. At Peaceful Places we believe in a highly bespoke approach. We know that organization isn’t just about boxes and shelving: it has to be functional and work in tandem with the household’s lifestyle.
This couple is married and working. His work includes travel. She works part time, and is outdoorsy and an accomplished ballroom dancer which means she has clothing that requires special storage.
When we met with the couple we worked with them to decide on the areas they wanted to address. These included:
her master closet including clothes organization
coat closet
basement
bathrooms
From there we systematically approached each area to find the best ways to incorporate existing furniture with their habits to build a structure and process that worked for them. The highlights from this job contain tips that will give you a sense of how to approach small organizing projects.
Organizing Her Master Closet and Clothes
It’s easy for bureau drawers to get a little out of hand. One reason is that drawers just don’t seem to be built for clothes. One of the easiest ways to conquer this home organization challenge? Dividing up drawers so that things fit better. For example, we divided some drawers in half but others into more sections so that things fit naturally when folded.
Now clothes are easy to find and simple to put away after doing laundry.
When working with closets we run into the same primary issue in nearly every home: areas above and below where clothes hang are disorganized. Often the top shelf is a resting place for things that don’t get used regularly, whereas the bottom is shoes, luggage and clothes that have been stripped off while trying to find the perfect outfit.
Our approach is to create systems that work for these oft-neglected areas.
For this closet’s upper shelf, we went with a favorite: clear lidless boxes up top. These hold items that might not get used often but make it easy to see and keep organized. It divides the space allowing for a user-friendly usable area that is usually fated for clutter.
Underneath the clothes the addition of a simple, two-tiered horizontal shoe rack both makes it simple to find shoes and keeps them from cluttering other areas.
And what about those ballroom gowns? We found the perfect solution: underbed storage. This keeps them out of the way until they’re used and saves closet space.
Tips for Organizing Coat Closets
Coat closets area a popular area for home organization. They are right at the front of the home and can be a funcional place, especially for active families or those who entertain. But they can also be a problem.
For these clients on the Cape, we noticed that the space was not overstuffed. Instead there were some boxes on the top shelf that also had items on top of them. The floor had one box and some items on the bottom.
Coat Closets are often a place where things get put because they don’t have an existing home. We opened up the space by using three translucent, uniform lidless boxes with labels. Now it’s simple to open and put things in their appropriate place. We included one small storage box on the floor to keep things more tidy.
Now this space is perfect for hanging guests’ outerwear and a shoe rack could easily be added or a small organizing cube for other items. Organizing shouldn’t be about adding extra shelves and systems. It should be about freeing space by putting things in their places and allowing the beauty and energy of a home to flow.
Basement Organization Basics
These clients have an unfinished basement, which is common throughout New England. It’s also common for these to become storage spaces much like a garage. And, like coat closets, to accumulate piles of things that don’t have a space otherwise.
We don’t believe that every basement has to be the epitome of a wood shop, man cave or crafts studio. Without kids and with an active lifestyle this couple needed extra storage, but to conquer what was getting to be out of hand and likely never to be tamed.
We put in uniform shelves and plastic bins, sorted everything and labeled them clearly. Notice that we didn’t go overboard on the labels and boxes. Simple is okay.
If you need to attack a room or even just a desk or counter that has become a dumping ground, the easiest way to do this is to:
Sort the items into three piles: keep, donate, toss
Toss the tossables, donate the donations
Put things from the keep pile in their space. If they don’t have one, group them together and then once you’ve just got homeless items, make a home for them.
This simple approach, employed by many companies offering home organization services, will feel less overwhelming and help you get rid of things. This couple was very good at editing items, which helps.
Home Organization: Bathrooms
Most people like to start cleaning in the bathroom because it’s smaller and you can see the payoff quickly. This couple had bathrooms on their list because like most of us, theirs was cluttered.
Similar to bureau drawers, bathroom cabinets are often too large to make sense out of. We added some small trays to help divide up these spaces and the bathrooms looked better quickly. Sometimes it’s just a question of mapping out what you want where and then finding appropriate sized containers for separating.
The Peaceful Places Home Organization Services
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