You know that it’s long overdue – it’s time to update the storage space in your home and get organized. If the pandemic did one thing, it heightened all the areas in your home that just weren’t working.
On a typical day (pre-pandemic), you’d be rushing to get ready in the morning and encouraging everyone else to get their skates on, as you tossed breakfast dishes into the sink or dishwasher, lined up lunch boxes, and helped child number two find suitable footwear for the day ahead. Once home, after work and school, dinner, homework and nighttime routines took over, and you continued on as you did the day before, and the day before that.
Even if things weren’t working, you didn’t have time to think about making changes, let alone actually doing it.
Now you’re able to reassess how you’ve set up your house, and if it’s really working for you and your family. Are there obstacles in the way? Are there things that you do by rote when there might be a better way?
An organized home creates a feeling of calm and efficiency
Tripping over shoes when you enter your home isn’t welcoming. Tossing your coat on the back of the couch infringes on your seating area, and turning a blind eye to things that never got put away only ups the frustration level and leads to a chaotic atmosphere.
There’s a feeling of calm and sensibility that is derived from an organized home. Similar to the feeling that you have after cleaning, you want to maintain that status quo for as long as you can. Family members and pets are banned from traipsing in from the outside on a recently washed kitchen floor, and heaven help the person who makes the first spill on a freshly shampooed carpet.
Nate Berkus, a favourite designer of Oprah Winfrey, says, “Your home should rise up to greet you. And, at the end of the day, it should ground you in a sense of peace.”
Consider every inch of valuable storage space
Floor surfaces aren’t the only place where you can arrange things. Look up – way up. All that wall space affords many options and alternatives when it comes to storage, shelving, and wall units.
You may be too close to visualize the breadth of possibilities, or even know what options are available. For this reason, you’ll benefit from a design consultation from Organized Interiors.
One of our design consultants can analyze your space, to understand how it is that you live and what specific requirements are applicable to your family’s needs. You’ll be amazed with the design solution we come up with, and you’ll begin to see your surroundings in a more manageable way.
5 steps to creating an organized home environment
- Edit: Pare back your belongings. Go through clothes that your children have out-grown, and items that you haven’t worn in years. Get rid of paper – magazines, newspapers, and outdated bills. When’s the last time that Johnny played with that train? Donate items to charity and recycle toys with other families. Be ruthless. If you don’t use it – get rid of it.
- Space planning: The layout of a room should support its function, as well as have a natural flow. Reclaim space that isn’t being used to its full potential.
- Proper lighting: This is so important to the function of any room or storage space. If you can’t adequately see the contents, then you’ll become frustrated in your search, and all that you’ve organized will be for naught.
- Zone designation: If room permits, have designated areas for playing games, crafts or personal collections, and then have display cases made, and storage designed to accommodate specific items.
- Comfort and compatibility: Ultimately, this is what you’re going for. You want your home to be comfortable and well-organized – a space that is tailor-made to its occupants and everyday living.
Update the outdated
Editing your belongings does not mean that your home has been decluttered. It’s how you organize what you have left that ultimately provides a feeling of living in a cohesive environment.
It could be as simple as using hooks, instead of hangers, for everyday outerwear, so that family members actually hang up their coats. And using the ‘right’ hangers for specific closets also helps to maintain order.
Depending upon the age of the house that you live in, closet space might be at a premium, and what little you do have doesn’t accommodate all that you own. What’s behind those closet and cabinet doors is what’s important.
Each grouping of items needs to be defined and accounted for. A simple shelf isn’t adequate. Instead, drawers, dividers, rods, shelving, and angled shoe shelves, as well as belt, tie, scarf and jewelry racks are just the tip of the iceberg. Once you’ve redesigned your closet space, and moved on to the laundry room, the office, and the mudroom, the need for order will become a condition of the household.
The possibilities are limitless in terms of how a space in your home can be reconfigured and re-adapted. Start anew with a fresh perspective on a better way of living.
Request a free design consultation
Organized Interiors can transform any living space to adapt to your specific requirements. If you are considering a closet makeover or a bigger-scale project in your home, contact Organized Interiors for a free design consultation today.
From concept to completion we can reconfigure your space for maximum efficiency.