Category Archives: Organization

You’ve decided that it is time to tackle some organization and storage problems in your home. But when you look around, all you feel is overwhelmed and it all needs work.

Take a deep breath

Relax. Just pick one room, one space in your home. Now commit to organizing that space.

By focusing on just one project, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and that may be enough. After all, the worst thing that could happen is you get the energy and initiative to do more organizing in your home!

Which space will you organize this year?

There are dozens of spaces in your home that might have organization or storage problems. We have design solutions for each of them but you have to decide where to start.

Closets

Do you have to slowly open your closet door just in case something is about to fall out on you? Is there a knee-deep pile of clothing on your floor? It’s time to look at some solutions to keeping your closet organized.

From simple to extravagant, discover how reach-in closets can maximize your storage space.

Bedroom Cabinetry

If the last thing you look at before closing your eyes each night is a tabletop of clutter, you might want to think beyond replacing your nightstand. Bedroom cabinetry is custom-designed for your space and offer a stylish solution to a good night’s sleep.

Laundry Room

Do you dread doing laundry? It may feel like it’s a chore because it’s buried in a dark and dingy spot in your home, or it’s just a dreary process. It doesn’t have to be.

Treat your laundry room like any decorated room that can use a designer’s flare. From simple solutions to high-quality custom solutions, just look at what’s available to transform that space.

Mudroom

The mudroom is another overlooked area of the home that can make a big contribution towards keeping your living space organized.

Whether your mudroom is a small room near an entrance, is combined with your laundry room, or is a dedicated space in the hall of your home’s entryway, there are many ways to enhance its functionality.

Home Office

Paper isn’t going away anytime soon and home offices still need filing space to store your hard copies. Whether it’s a corner carved out under a staircase or a full-sized room in your home, treat yourself to a home office with function and style.

Entertainment Centre

As our home screens become bigger, we seem to be plugging more and more devices into our TVs – AppleTV, Google Chromecast, Sonos PLAYBAR, and more. Maybe you received a Google Home or Amazon Echo.

Keeping all of these devices and cables organized requires more than a sturdy shelf. Choosing a custom solution over a prefab unit has many advantages. Find out why custom entertainment units are better than prefab units from big box retail stores.

Bathroom

The layout works, the fixtures are fine, but your bathroom cabinets are showing their age. Changing moisture levels and wear from dampness can make cabinets look dingy and worn.

If it’s time for an upgrade, replace them with long-lasting, beautiful cabinets. Learn more about our custom bathroom cabinetry.

Wall Bed

If your holiday guests looked tired when they woke up, maybe its time to get rid of that lumpy, bulky futon. But where can you put a mattress that’s not used every day without taking up precious space?

You won’t believe how a small condo added a whole guest room without adding square footage!

Kitchen Cabinetry

Your kitchen is the hardest working room in your home. It also demands the most organization to function properly. You can achieve the most efficient space when you are part of planning the solution.

Take a look at some of the latest innovations in our kitchen cabinetry.

Dressing Room

You’ve been eyeing that spare room, contemplating its next incarnation, plotting the takeover, and this is the year. Transform a whole room into a dressing room.

Imagine wall-to-wall cabinetry for clothing and accessories, a makeup area complete with vanity and even a lounging space because dressing can be so exhausting. Prepare to drool.

Wine Room

Collecting wine is more popular and we now see the value of devoting more space in our home to fit it into our lifestyle. Wine requires ideal conditions: a space that is dry, dark and away from movement.

A rack wedged under a staircase just won’t do. Here are some wine room for keeping your collection organized.

Wardrobe Closets

Are all your closets bulging with too much stuff? If you’re not ready to reduce clutter, redistribute it.

Instead of buying a pre-finished, assemble-it-yourself wardrobe unit from a big box store, take a look at a custom solution. You choose the finish, the interior layout, and the size to suit you, not the other way around.

Wet Bar

Aside from a wet bar requiring running water, you can set up a bar in almost any room in your home. All you need is a little imagination, inspiration, and customization. Have a look at some of these wet bar ideas from Organized Interiors.

Upgrade your closet with accessories

Sometimes it’s the smallest projects that give us the greatest sense of satisfaction. Keeping everything in your closet organized starts your day and ends it on a good note.

From shoe racks to jewelry drawers, there are many options to get you organized. A valet rod is one of our most popular closet accessories.

Decorative hardware

Quality decorative hardware that’s added to the custom cabinetry that will help keep your home more organized has several benefits:

• the hundreds of types of pulls, knobs, and hooks we offer will better complement the cabinetry and your décor
• high-quality decorative hardware is more durable and long-lasting
• decorative hardware of a higher quality provides a better tactile experience when using your custom cabinetry

The garage

Do you see your garage as one big storage container? When it comes to attention to detail for organizing solutions the garage is the new laundry room. This could be your one big project of 2018.

From flooring to overhead storage, Garage Living has everything to keep your garage looking pristine and organized.

Get organized. Start planning.

Whether you decide to organize your whole home or just one space in 2018, the storage solutions are abundant and available.

Request a free design consultation to have an Organized Interiors designer come to your home and provide you with a detailed quote.

The end of the year is a stress-causing time for many. While the holiday season is fun and gives us the chance to spend time with family and friends, there are a lot of extra demands on our time.

Those demands can overwhelm you if you’re not careful. With some smart planning, however, you can avoid the added stress that comes with poor organization.

Being more organized during the holidays will allow you to enjoy this special time of year even more. And after all, that’s the whole point of the holiday season, isn’t it?

Use these holiday home organization tips to help. Some of them can even be applied throughout the rest of the year as well.

1. Plan your holidays carefully

Any effective organization strategy involves good planning. Of all the holiday home organization tips listed here, this one should be considered the most important.

It may well be your family’s busiest time of year with all the holiday events and functions going on. There’s recitals, school plays, family dinners, work parties, and other commitments that all need to be kept track of. Set up a planner or schedule documenting all the events your family members are attending. Ensure you’re not overcommitting yourself to too many functions.

Leave enough time for other holiday-related tasks like decorating your home, gift shopping, baking, and sending holiday cards. If you’re hosting a holiday dinner, invite a manageable number of guests and plan your menu and grocery list well in advance. Prepare the kitchen by tidying up so there’s lots of counter space and an empty dishwasher that’s ready to be loaded after your meal.

To lighten the cooking load on the day of your dinner, cook anything in advance that can be refrigerated and reheated without losing much of its flavour or fresh-out-of-the-oven appearance. That’ll also save you from having extra dirty pots and pans taking up counter or sink space.

2. Plan for overnight guests

You might have space in your home for overnight guests during the holidays, but how comfortable is the surface they’re sleeping on? Air mattresses, pullout sofa beds, or futons don’t tend to provide the most comfort, especially when they’re used for a few nights.

A Murphy bed (also known as a wall bed) makes for a much more hospitable sleeping solution for your holiday guests. The mattress on a Murphy bed is every as comfortable as mattresses on traditional beds, which helps your guests get a good night’s sleep.

And Murphy beds barely take up any space because they easily fold out from the wall when needed. When the bed isn’t being used, it folds right up and can be integrated into beautiful surrounding cabinetry. When it comes to holiday home organization tips that save space in your guest room, consider adding a Murphy bed.

Murphy beds are perfect for overnight guests during the holiday season.

3. Declutter as you decorate

Are your holiday decorations already up and bringing some festive ambiance to your home? If so, this is one of the holiday home organization tips you can use for next year before decorating. This tip can also be helpful when you’re packing your decorations away after the holidays.

The tip is to declutter your holiday decorations. Whether it’s getting rid of burnt out holiday lights, broken ornaments, or never-used decorations, your holiday storage containers can surely benefit from a little cleaning up.

Getting your holiday decorations organized as they’re being put up or stored away simplifies the task of decorating next holiday season. Use labels for each container to locate items easier.

4. Tidy up

Entertaining guests during the holidays requires you to do a thorough tidying up of your home. Don’t settle for the “stash it behind a closet door” method of dealing with your clutter, however.

Ask yourself how your home could be more organized so that you won’t need to work at a frantic pace to get it looking presentable for guests. Could you benefit from an upgrade to your front entryway or mudroom that makes a positive first impression to your arriving holiday guests?

Perhaps you’re having trouble locating that specific holiday-themed sweater that’s perfect for this time of year. Or maybe that certain dress you’d like to wear to your office holiday party is hiding somewhere in your messy closet. A good closet organizer can work wonders for a closet’s functionality by utilizing its storage space smarter.

Even just having the rest of your bedroom organized may be a concern if you planned to follow the common practice of letting guests leave their coats on your bed. Taking advantage of the effective bedroom storage solutions available (like a bed surround or wardrobe) can help.

5. Don’t overbuy (for yourself or others)

Christmas and other traditions celebrated during the holiday season place a lot of emphasis on gift-giving. But if your kids are older, there’s no reason not to scale back a little on the number of gifts you buy.

Too many gifts, while thoughtful, just never get used much (or at all) by the recipient. Buying for others also gets harder as we get older. Use wish lists so that the gifts you’re giving are actually useful to the recipient.

If you have a big family, buying for everyone can get time-consuming and expensive. Consider getting the family together before the holidays where arrangements are made to select one family member you’ll buy for. Invest all your gift money in that one gift, which results in the recipient getting something extra special.

The holiday season provides lots of shopping opportunities with great sales that are hard to pass up. And that shopping season has only gotten longer in recent years with the popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Just don’t get caught up in the tempting lure of great deals for things you don’t really need. That’s one of many ways clutter accumulates in homes.

6. Make space for entertaining

Time may be running out to improve your home in 2017 with some significant upgrades that make space for entertaining during the holidays. Even still, it’s worth looking at some ways to make your home stand out to guests you’re entertaining in the future.

Any home entertaining usually involves the drinking of wine, so why not appreciate your vino in stylish, ultra-comfortable surroundings? Organized Interiors’ custom wine cabinetry solutions include designing wine cellar rooms with tables and seating for guests.

Custom bar cabinetry that provides a storage and preparation area for your libations couldn’t be more ideal for entertaining guests and taking care of all their drink needs.

A fireplace always adds ambiance to a room, but who wants to add “log maintenance” to their already-long list of duties when hosting a holiday party? An electric fireplace provides the ambiance without the maintenance a wood-burning fireplace requires. Just push a button to start it and that’s it.

A fireplace feature wall also adds a stunning room showpiece to your home, which will impress your guests.

Take care of your holiday guest’s drink needs with a custom bar.

7. Set up a holiday gift wrapping area

The last of our holiday home organization tips involves establishing one area in your home that can handle all gift wrapping tasks. Doing so will minimize the likelihood of wrapping-related clutter being left all throughout your home.

Use plastic storage bins to store all of your wrapping paper and clear off a flat surface for baskets that can hold tape, ribbons, scissors, gift bags, and tags. Or go one step better. Pick up a gift wrap storage bag or hanging organizer for around $20-30, which will take up even less space.

Minimize your stress with these holiday home organization tips

Being organized is important at any time of the year, but especially during the holiday season. Hopefully, these holiday home organization tips can help you minimize the stress that commonly accompanies this time of the year.

It’s never too early to plan ahead so your home is more holiday-ready with some of our organization and storage solutions.

Book a free in-home consultation with an Organized Interiors design expert today.

See also:

• 13 Home Organization Gift Ideas to Add to Your Holiday Shopping List
• 6 Home Holiday Tips That Make Space For Living
• Wall Beds: Plan Now for Overnight Holiday Guests

As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, the need to tackle your fall closet organization project looms even larger.

Even with the occasional warm and sunny October day, the window for wearing your lighter summer clothing has all but closed for the year. If you haven’t already, that means it’s time to turn your attention toward your closets to prioritize the warmer clothing you’ll need for the colder weather ahead.

ApartmentGuide.com surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and found that 80% of them reorganize their homes in late summer/early fall. We still have more than two months until the official start of winter, so it’s not too late to begin with your fall closet organization plans!

Use these tips to simplify your fall closet organization effort

The seasonal transition for your clothing storage doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. All you need is a solid game plan, the right storage solutions, and a little bit of time to produce effective results with your fall closet organization effort.

Setting up your closets to put your warmer clothing front and centre will make life easier over the coming months. It’s also a great opportunity to declutter, which will make your closets and the rest of your home more functional.

Make use of these seven fall closet organization tips to aid you when tackling this home organization project.

1. Start by emptying and cleaning your closets

Begin your fall closet organization project by completely emptying all closets of their contents, along with your dresser drawers. Yes, this will take some time, but your efforts will be worth it.

Because closets are typically hidden away much of the time behind doors, we can misguidedly develop somewhat of an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality towards their interior. This includes not just their contents, but how clean your closet space is.

Emptying all of your closet’s contents gives you the chance to give it the thorough cleaning it likely needs. After all, cleaning areas of your home that don’t necessarily get regular cleaning attention shouldn’t be limited to just spring time.

Once your closets have been emptied, wipe down their baseboards walls and ceiling, along with any shelving and parts of your closet organizers. Vacuum your closet floors and, if it’s overdue, give any carpets in your closets a good cleaning.

2. Evaluate your closet space

Now that your closets have been refreshed with a top-to-bottom cleaning, it’s the perfect time to evaluate your closet space. An empty closet allows you to view its interior in a much different manner than you’re able to when it’s full.

Consider what areas related to closet storage and organization have presented problems for you and your family in the past. Is it a lack of space? An inability to locate items as quickly as you’d like? The need for more helpful closet accessories? Better lighting?

Make a list of what you’d like to improve and do your research on what types of effective closet organization products are available.

You can stop by Organized Interiors’ 10,0000 square foot showroom to sample what we offer. Our knowledgeable and helpful staff can also answer any questions you might have when it comes to your fall closet organization needs.

3. Sort through everything and start discarding items

Even if you’ve decided that you’re ready to upgrade your closet space with the help of a professional, you’ll still need to deal with all of the closet contents you’ve emptied.

With everything from your closets out in the open, start going through every bathing suit, tank top, sundress, pair of shorts, and other summer clothing item and decide what you can cull from your collection.

As with any decluttering effort, if you haven’t worn or used a piece of clothing or accessory in the past one or two years then you can live without it.

Put the expendable items in one of three piles:

• torn or worn-out items that no longer have any use and should be tossed
• items you can donate
• items that a friend or family member can use

Summer clothing tends to get worn out a little quicker than the clothing we wear in other seasons. One reason is that it’s thinner and lighter. Another reason is that chlorine, sweat, and sunscreen will degrade the clothing’s material quickly. And prolonged exposure to sunlight will also cause fabrics to fade over time.

You’ll find items for yourself that may be in fine shape but are no longer in style or appeal to you as they originally did. If you have kids, you’ll also probably be able to get rid of several pieces of their wardrobe that they’ve outgrown.

4. Organize and store what you’re keeping

Once you’ve managed to get rid of a bunch of little-used items that were taking up valuable closet space, organize the keepers according to colour and/or type. Wash, dry clean, or repair any of these items so they’ll be fresh and ready next spring.

Now decide on where and how you’ll store those keepers. If your closets or dressing room/walk-in closet are large enough, your spring and summer clothing items can be returned to your closets.

You’ll want to store them as out-of-the-way as possible, such as on upper or lower shelves. Most closets don’t fully utilize their valuable vertical storage space. Your fall closet organization project presents an ideal time to correct this if the upper space in your closets is currently underused.

Use plastic storage bins to protect your clothing from dust and keep them fresh (cardboard boxes aren’t recommended). Remember not to overpack your storage containers. Leave a little room inside for air to circulate, which allows your clothes to breathe.

Maximize your containers’ storage space by employing the “KonMari Method” of vertical clothes folding from Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo.

5. Sort through all your fall and winter clothing

Get all your stored fall and winter clothing items and, once again, reduce what you’re keeping by using the toss/donate/hand-me-down sorting method. This will also help you assess what you’ll need to buy for the fall and winter.

Winter can also be tough on clothing. Salt, snow rain, and highly physical outdoor winter activities (like skiing and tobogganing) will take a toll on your winter outfits. Make sure what you’re keeping is in good shape and still fits.

One of the benefits of a fall closet organization is that it can end up helping those in need. Donated winter clothing that’s been outgrown or simply no longer needed will be greatly appreciated by the less fortunate at the exact time of year it’s really needed.

Organized Interiors is proud to be a participant in The Children’s Breakfast Clubs 2017-2018 Winter Coat Drive. Clean, good quality, new, or gently-used winter coats and warm winter clothing can be donated at the Coat Drive drop-off centre in our showroom from November 2017 to March 2018.

6. Fill your closets with your warmer clothing

Your fall and winter clothing is bulkier and will take up more space in your closets. As such, you’ll be even more grateful that you took the time to take care of your fall closet organization now.

Just as your closet’s upper space can be underutilized, so too can its lower space. Consider adding an extra lower hanging rod in your closet. You’ll be wearing more long pants between October and April, so an extra hanging rod can help. A pullout pant rack is another smart option.

Sweaters that are hung up tend to leave hanger marks and get stretched, so fold them instead. They can be stored in drawers, cubbies, or open shelving in your closet. You can also use shelf dividers to help you organize.

For busy front entryway closets, make sure it’s not overloaded with more fall and winter clothing items than will be needed. Coats, winter gloves and mittens, scarves, ear muffs, and hats should be limited to one or two pairs per family member.

Add hooks to provide your home with extra hanging spots for the many items that will be worn during the wintertime. Winter footwear should also be limited to a pair or two per person to prevent clutter. And be sure to use a boot tray to contain the messes they will assuredly make.

7. Add supplemental storage solutions to your home

Even with a pared-down clothing collection after your fall closet organization efforts, you may still be looking for more home storage space.

Whether you need extra space to store your spring and summer clothing, or for the fall and winter clothing you need right now, a few options are available:

• a bed surround that maximizes a bedroom’s storage space
• a better closet organizer
• closet accessories to get more functionality out of your closet space
• a custom wardrobe for a hallway or bedroom
• a smart product like create-a-closet®, which lets you add closet space anywhere
• a mudroom addition to minimize clutter and mess

Get a helping hand with your fall closet organization project

Taking inventory of your clothing and decluttering where necessary will make your fall and winter easier to navigate when it comes to your wardrobe.

Clean, organized closets also ensure that all your clothing is well-used and not lost within a messy space.

Get your fall closet organization project started on the right track. Schedule your free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors today!

See also:

• Mudroom Storage Ideas to Reduce Clutter This Fall
• 17 Effective Closet Accessory Storage Solutions Every Closet Needs
• How To Increase Your Clothes Drawer Storage By Up To 50%