Reader's Questions: Constant Moving + Staying Organized

(me a couple weeks after I moved into my current apt)

samia asks "I'm all about organization as well, but so far am not that successful with my endeavours coz we are frequent movers; as frequent as six months or worst 2 months. It's just my hubby and his projects... dont ask! Any tips or advice as I'm frustrated with my efforts to organize but still losing things and you know failing..."

Moving is truly the worst, so I feel your pain. Sounds like you need to take the time to properly edit and sort all your belongings. I'm guessing from moving so often, there are boxes that stay unpacked which says you probably don't need a lot of the things you have been dragging around with you. Editing down will not only make your life easier where you are now but that much easier when/if you have to move next time. Note: be respectful of your husband's things and don't edit his things without his permission! You wouldn't want him doing it to your things.

Sort your things together (all kitchen, all office, all memorabilia, all clothes, etc) and figure a way to store them where you are now, and reuse these techniques for the next place. There's no need to reinvent the wheel when setting your home up each time.

As far as your husband's things/projects, is it possible to keep those things separate so they aren't in your way? When working with couples I separate the storage for their personal things; things that aren't shared like clothes, personal memorabilia, hobby materials. It's so important to have some areas of the home that's yours only.

If you find yourself having to move again, here are a couple of good resources for you: Real Simple and the Gilbert Guide.

Reader's Questions: Childhood Memorabilia

(OK, this shot has nothing to do with the topic, i just really like it.

Interior by Brad Ford, you know his blog, check out his flickr)

Jess asks "Hi! I have a question relating to keeping childhood memorabilia. I am 25, and my mom recently gave me all of my childhood papers, artwork, etc. I have ruthlessly been going through it, but I get stumped up. It would just sit in a tub of storage if I keep it, but I don't want to erase all of my childhood memories. My husband also has several totes of his childhood/high school memorabilia. Do you have any suggestions? I also struggle with what to do with the doll crib and high chair (larger items) that were mine. Keep for a little girl someday? Or will she be into her own things? They are in good condition. Thanks for any advise on this!"

First, don't let anyone else put THEIR feelings of how much and what personal memorabilia YOU should keep (and vice versa, a common mistake with spouses). Some people can't bear to part with anything from their past, while others like me keep very little. You need to figure out where you fit in the spectrum.

I don't believe that by editing down your memorabilia all your childhood memories magically disappear. It's fun to see pictures we drew and report cards from grade school, but is it necessary to keep ALL of them? Keep the ones that get more of an emotional response then others. As far as the big stuff, think of this way; is it something you can properly store (keeping it clean and functioning) for the amount of time you'd need to in order to pass on to someone that may not love it as much as you did? If you do decide to let it go, take a few pictures of it beforehand so you can see it again when you like. And you must feel good about passing along something to someone NOW who will make just as many happy memories with it. Getting rid of something from your past is not disrespecting the past, sometimes it's a matter of clearing some room in your home and mind for new memories and new energy to come in.

Deciding to keep or discard something is much easier when you let go of the idea that you HAVE to get rid of anything. Take that pressure off yourself for now. People lose momentum when editing when they stop making decisions; go through piece by piece saying definitely keep, definitely toss (or donate, sell, recycle) and when you get to something you're unsure of simply put in a 'maybe pile', move on until all immediate decisions are done and THEN tackle the leftover items.

One more note. Not all of your memorabilia has to be boxed up and put away. For the things you don't necessarily want out for everyone to see, why not hang on the inside of a closet door, back of a cabinet, or in the bathroom?

I hope this helps!

Living Better With Less... or 'Green' Living

(photo courtesy of UNIFORM natural's flickr)

Although I don't call myself an eco-organizer, eco-friendly, green, or use any other catchy, popular phrases, I promote a sustainable, 'living better with less' lifestyle which is at the heart of environmentalism. I don't think you have to say you're something to be it. I'm not into gimmicks, tricks, or one-size-fits-all answers. I help people change the way they see the things in their life; to see them as tools to help live the life they want, not just consuming for consuming's sake. The term reduce, reuse, recycle is in that order for a reason; recycling isn't the first step, it's the last resort. With my process, reduced, conscious consumption is the end result which is the first and most important step to living a more environmentally conscious life (whether you're looking for that or not).

While there are a ton of obvious ways to be more earth conscious:

• turn off electricity and water when not it's not needed like when you're not in the room!
• take your name off junk mail lists
• don't leave your chargers plugged in when not in use
• use natural cleaning products
• avoid using disposable products; silverware, razors...

Here a maybe less obvious way; watch how much plastic you consume:

• get Q-tips with cardboard stems not plastic
• tampons with cardboard applicators not plastic
• eggs in paper cartons not plastic

Example, I opted for a metal scooper for my litter box instead of plastic. If properly kept it will last a very long time and when it's done it can be recycled rather than tossed in the trash.

Designing Small Spaces

(Jesse Carrier & Mara Miller, principals. photo courtesy of carrierandcompany.com)

(Jason Wu office. photo courtesy of carrierandcompany.com)

Williams Sonoma Home has a great feature on their website, 'Designer Series' and I wanted to share what Jesse and Mara of Carrier and Company have to say about designing small spaces:

Juggle big and little. It's important to vary the scale of furniture. Just because a room is small, doesn't mean everything in it should be petite. At the very least, there needs to be one key item that's human-size. If you live in a one bedroom apartment for example, your couch has to function not just for entertaining, but for watching TV and napping, so a loveseat isn't practical. You can balance the proportions of a larger sofa with delicate, lighter pieces like armless side chairs or a glass coffee table.

Do double-duty. It's all about flexibility when you're working in a tight area. Look for furniture that can multitask, like side tables with drawers or shelving underneath that provide extra storage. We sometimes suggest skirted file cabinets to our clients that can be used as console tables, and in our own home, we have chests of drawers on either side of our couch that hold our four year-old's toys. Stools are often underutilized but so useful. They work as extra seating, or as a cocktail table, or to rest your feet; plus, they're very mobile and compact.

Air it out. Negative space is what creates a sense of serenity and spaciousness. This applies to any surface your eye moves across. If you're looking at a wall that has media center, side chair, lamp, and artwork against it, make sure each object has room to breathe—otherwise they'll start to overwhelm. The same rule applies to a furniture floorplan or even objects on a side table. It's better to create clusters or vignettes rather than spread your belongings everywhere.

Tame the clutter. Editing becomes even more crucial when you don't have a lot of room. Attractive storage is always a good thing, though it also has to be easy to access or you won't use it. We're big on baskets for organizing things like throws or magazines or toys. Covered boxes are great for taming piles of paperwork, and look nice interspersed on bookshelves.

Don't be afraid of the dark. Certain colors are better for certain types of rooms, irrespective of size, though if you're short on space, it's best to stay relatively monochromatic. Dark colors can actually expand the feel of a room, and are great in dens and bedrooms, so they're more cozy and atmospheric. For daytime areas, a lighter scheme may be more comfortable, though even in a bright space you always have to throw in a dark component to add depth and keep the room from looking washed out.

Make it shine. Light-reflecting high-gloss paint can make a room feel bigger, but it's expensive and tricky to achieve, since your surface needs to be primed and perfectly flat as not to show imperfections. Wall mirrors are an excellent substitute to get a similarly sparkly effect, especially paired with polished accessories in chrome or lacquer.

Create a glow. We tend to avoid overhead or recessed lighting, which is not only unflattering on your face but draws walls in. We like the soft, ambient pools of light you get from lamping, which also helps train your eye out to the perimeter of a room. Mix things up with shaded table lamps, metal floor lamps and picture lighting. Uplights can also give a sense of a taller ceiling, and they're discreet, since they don't register as yet another fixture.

Reader's Questions: Ikea Pax Wardrobes

(images courtesy of MakingItLovely.com)

(images courtesy of MakingItLovely.com)

Leah asks: "Have you ever organized Ikea wardrobes for a client? We just bought a pair of Pax wardrobes (the largest size) and it will become my only closet (to hold, ahem, everythingggg for me). I am wondering how I can maximize every inch ... thinking along the lines of hooks in the interior doors and such. I just don't know how well Ikea furniture holds up to changes like that."

I LOVE the Pax wardrobes and have used them many times. I almost always install at least one hook on the side of the unit. Just make sure you use hooks small enough that they don't go through the wall. Here are some suggestions for you:

• don't rush it; for maximum stability, it needs to be assembled correctly which means following the directions to the tee!
• get it level; place a level on the top of the unit and use shims if needed underneath. Just know sometimes you have to go with what looks better to the eye than to what is actually level.
• get it on the wall; once level, mount it to the wall for maximum stability.
• planning is key; figure what you're going to store in it beforehand not after.
• group like-things together; all pajamas, all workout, all t-shirts, all pants, or all work pants and then casual pants; whatever makes the most sense to you and your lifestyle.
• drawer it out; especially when using the deep wardrobes, go with drawers from the bottom, going as high up as is comfortable for you.
• don't be afraid to put anything and everything in a drawer including handbags, shoes, boots...
• install one drawer at a time from the bottom up making sure you don't waste any space; and if you're doing shelves, install the shelf, put what you're going to put on it so you can place the next shelf up exactly where it should be so you aren't loosing as much as an inch of space.

In addition to the images above, check out Nicole Balch's original post for more shots on her blog MakingItLovely.com. And Lonny magazine's current issue (issue 3 feb/march 2010, page 21) has a great article showcasing Pax wardrobes for even more great ideas and gorgeous shots of Pax in action.

If you like, send me some pics of what you've come up. Thanks for reading and thanks for the great question Leah!