Tuesday, March 30, 2010

More Storage Doesn't Mean Being More Organized


(credenza in open living/dining area)
(left, before)
(left, after)
(right, before)
(right, after)

A recent client needed help to convert her home office to a baby's room in her two bedroom apartment. The existing office desk didn't work anywhere else in the apt, so she thought about getting a new one, as well as an another credenza for additional storage. Before jumping to buy anything new, I prefer to make the most out of the existing storage. After editing, I look at organizing a space like playing the Tile Game; moving things around until they're in perfect order functionally and esthetically. It's what I call 'mapping out the house'.

We started with their four closets; deep closet in new baby's room, two closets in the master bedroom, and the coat closet. The former office closet held her husband's clothing and is now the baby/linen closet. The two closets in the master bedroom held all her clothes; the larger for current season plus household linens, and the smaller one for off-season clothes, shoes, bags, and more household linens. The larger now holds all her clothes and accessories, and the smaller is now for her husband's clothes.

We then focused on her existing living room credenza. We moved the serving pieces to her small kitchen pantry making room for all the household and her business papers now in Muji file bins (not on the internet), including the misc household manuals that were clogging a kitchen drawer (which is now holding paper napkins, aprons, and towels. sorry I don't have any pics).

In the end to the client's surprise, no new furniture was needed. Guess who wasn't surprised by that....

6 comments:

Liz said...

Wow! So inspirational!

I love reading your blog and getting great ideas for simplifying and organizing.

Keep up the good work :)

laura said...

thanks liz and to all that read my (our) blog. it really means a lot!!

:O)

Ellen said...

I love these makeunders too. Such great inspiration to simplify and organize.

riye said...

Great points that bear repeating! Your blog has been a big help with my preparations to move. Cleaned out/reorganized my things so now everything fits in the closet I have now. The closet in the new place will be larger but I'd rather have some room to breathe. :-)

sunny said...

I agree with the idea that more storage doesn't equal more organized. When I moved into my apartment three years ago, I had too much storage, so I tossed things in drawers and on shelves and let it be.

Now I glance into those shelves and closets and am craving order and breathing space. Nothing is over full but it lacks the o-word (organization).

I love this post because of the containers you used in the existing furniture. Those white, partially opaque containers are ones that I love!! (MUJI?)

laura said...

yes mri all the bins are muji :O)