Tips for Organization in Smaller Spaces
Space is not a luxury that everyone has. Older homes and historic lofts are full of character, but often lack adequate storage space and closets for the typical person or family. Whether it is an apparent lack of closet storage or square footage in your home, here are a few tips to make fitting into your space possible:
Pare down. It is physically impossible to fit 10 cubic feet of stuff into 5 cubic feet of space. No matter how much you re-arrange, re-organize, or shuffle around your stuff, it’s just not going to fit. One of the first things to do when you can’t fit nicely into your space is to decide what things you really need to keep and the things that can find a new home.
Play favorites. There is an organizing game called “Friends, Acquaintances, and Strangers.” The object of the game is to sort all of your belongings into each category. The idea is to keep your friends, get rid of the strangers, and highly critique whether you need to keep the acquaintances. This can help tremendously when deciding what gets to take up prime space in your home.
Think multi-purpose. When infinite storage space isn’t available, consider options that have dual-purposes. For example, an ottoman can double as storage for extra blankets or movies. Stacking crates can be used as side tables to house games or photographs. In the day of infomercials selling quesadilla and panini makers, reconsider how many fancy gadgets are needed to make a meal, when a simple frying pan will do the trick.
Get creative. Few of us have to live in a New York City sized apartment, but we can still steal some tricks from those that have learned to live in small spaces. Consider utilizing a Murphy bed for converting an office into a guest room or a child’s room into a playroom during the day. If kitchen drawer space is at a minimum, use wall-mounted racks with hooks to hang kitchen cooking utensils.
For more tips or help organizing and designing your spaces, please contact us!
Best,
Jen Starbuck
Organizing Consultant |  |
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© 2009 Starbuck Life Design, LLC