Help me unclutter my world

Have you ever walked into your house, room, office and felt that stuff has taken over your life? Don't feel bad, you are not alone. There are so many great things available to us it is difficult to resist that urge to bring it home and how could you possibly throw anything away? It all comes with a memory and a need that was to be met at the time. Plus, you spent how much on it? You can't possibly throw it away or even give it away. What is the solution?

You first have to start by prioritizing what is important in your life and then looking at each item and ask yourself when is the last time you actually used it? Moving it from one cluttered spot to another in your house does not count. If you start with your closet, ask yourself when was the last time you actually wore that item. If it has been over a year, that is your first item to donate to charity or sell at a garage sale. No, that piece of clothing won't come back in style and no, you won't lose that extra 25 pounds any time soon so you can wear it again. Trust me if you lose that weight, you will want to buy new clothes for yourself!

Once you have gone through the process of uncluttering, now you are ready to find a home for what remains. If you get stuck in the uncluttering process or find you can't part with any items, I recommend calling in a professional organizer to help you out. Throwing everything behind closed doors is not considered a home for your stuff. You need to continue the organizing by getting racks, bins or building custom shelves that will provide a spot for your stuff. If you get stuck at this step, I recommend calling in a custom shelving company such as a closet company that understand spacial organization.

Once you start the process, you will see the changes almost immediately. Starting can be a challenge sometimes so call a friend or family member over to get you started. Plus, someone else does not have that same emotional bond to your stuff so they will be more practical in helping you part with your items.

Have fun!

Unique solutions to sloped ceilings

Sloped ceilings can be a homeowners worst fear when we are talking about a closet space. Most customers feel that this eats away space and the single shelf and pole running around the closet does not maximize the space. There is no need to fear. This can actually turn into a great space with a little creative design and quality installers.

In most situations, the best solution is to build a custom system right off of the sloped wall. If done correctly the lowest point of the slope can be used for extra storage for those bulky items like blankets, luggage, etc. It depends on the width of the space but there are many solutions that include additional hanging space, shelving and drawers. It is also important to look at the space and find ways to utilize every corner, such as with purse or hat hangers, belt racks, tie racks, etc.

Tackling a small space

We work with a lot of customers in the city of Chicago who are dealing with a small space and wondering how to maximize this space and make it functional. Today, I worked with a couple who had a beautiful condo overlooking the lake but were in need of more space. The challenge was what to do with their extra room? He wanted an office space and she wanted a guest bedroom for her sister when she came to visit. We were able to accomplish both with a custom wall unit that had a murphy bed. A murphy bed folds up into the wall so that when it is not in use, the floor space is better utilized. It also keeps the room looking neat and allows for more working space for the desk that was put in the room opposite the unit. The great part about the murphy bed is that it is comfortable and practical.
The room is now functional and meets both his and her objectives for the room. In addition, they now have some additional shelf space to house some great antiques handed down from her great grandmother.
You can view a picture of a murphy bed at this link http://mydreamclosets.com/showroom.html

Organize or bust!

A customer called today wondering where to start in her quest to be organized. Her goal was to get started this weekend and she was not coming out of the house until something was started. She felt overwhelmed with "stuff" that was slowly creeping into her personal living space. My suggestion is to start with a personal organizer. They can make sense of the "stuff" and give you the permission to get rid of items that you don't use or donate it to a charity. Once the "stuff" is sorted through that is where the custom closet companies come in and decide how to best utilize the space with built in systems. That is when it gets really fun because you can add all kinds of accessories that make your life easier.

There are some great professional organizers that are linked to the custom closet companies. All About Closets - chicago (mydreamclosets.com) has some links that can get your started on your quest to simplify and organize your home.

Take A Walk Through Your Closet

I was exposed to a new world today called Second Life. As I flew around the different islands, I was able to redesign a kitchen and customize it to my liking and then I walked through it to see what the newly designed kitchen and appliances would look like. We have a similar program at All About Closets-Chicago that allows the customer to get a 3-D version of what their closet will look like when it is completed. At that point, the designer is able to print it out or download it for the customer so that they can show friends, family and anticipate their new purchase. It does not have the capacity to "walk or fly" into the closet but that would be really impressive to a client to be able to walk around or even start filling their virtual closet with clothes, shoes, etc.

Market to make it!

As an owner of a small business, I can speak first hand about the importance of marketing. It is essential to the success or failure of a business. The best concepts in the world don't sell if no one is aware or them or do not know how to get them. Where do you start to even put together the concepts? We have discussed it many times.......ask, ask, ask everyone their opinion. Elicit responses on your product from friends, family, coworkers but don't stop with just those people. We surround ourselves with people who are like us, so it is possible they see the same view points as you. I would highly recommend going to networking events, joining chambers and organizations and doing your own informal discussions with strangers. You need to find your target market and talk to them! Find out their needs, wants, desires and then start to build your whole marketing campaign around this research. Once you have ideas, thought, outlines and plans on paper, hire a professional (unless you are one). Following my own advice, I will pose the question to you. What would you search for on line if you were looking for a custom closet or your dream closet? Where would you start? What do you want to see when you get there?

Once you get those suggestions, consider looking into Google Adwords. It is a great marketing tool that will assist with your web page traffic.

Where do I start

People often ask me where to start when they need their life organized? The easiest way is to pick a room and get started! The initial first step is the hardest, but once you get going you will see what progress you will make quickly. First, you need to assess the situation. What are you dealing with? Do you need to discard some items or move items to different rooms that are more functional. For example, put the staple in the office not the kitchen. Do you need help? Is it time to call in your friends who owe you a favor or your family to support you through this cleansing?

Are you crazy?

I love organizing! It makes me happy in every way. After a long hard day there is nothing better than opening up your closet to neatly organized clothes, shoes, accessories that are all color coordinated and easy to see. My closet is my place of escape. Between the kids, the phone, my husband and the pets where else do you go to get away?