Kitchen REorganization REveal

Here is the Kitchen REorganization REveal that you have been waiting to see...

(Holly Kunze, hope this is what you were hoping for!!!)

Before photo of the (NOT SO) "walk in" pantry...

Voila!!!  Thank you Target!!

You might be wondering why there are bins for this pantry REdo?

Well, it's simple.  After asking my client what she liked and hated about her pantry, I found out that she:

• was sick and tired of stuff falling through the wire shelving
• didn't really want to see her food...because it might tempt her to eat it
• had a hard time keeping it all organized...and had too much of the same item because she would rebuy them over and over because she couldn't find what she needed.

So, bins it was...and cute ones at that!  Thanks again, Target.

I also made laminated labels for the new bins in her pantry and cabinets.  (My favorite of all the labels was the KOOZIES one!  Seriously!)  BTW, I am proud to say I own a laminator.

Now on to the more "boring" photos for some of you...but this is like EYE CANDY for me.  No joke.

Rule #1:  PUT LIKE ITEMS WITH LIKE ITEMS.  

Rule #2:  NEST THE ITEMS, if at all possible.

Rule #3:  LAZY SUSANS SUCK...seriously.

Rule #4:  KEEP ITEMS THAT YOU USE ALOT ACCESSIBLE AND DOWN LOW.  (This client LOVES to bake, so the baking items were kept low in the Lazy Susan and in a lower cabinet right next to each other.)

Rule #5:  DO NOT HAVE MORE THAN ONE SET OF KITCHEN TOOLS...(I know this is hard!)

Rule #6:  ONLY KEEP NICE OVEN PADS/MITTS.  Seriously...you only live once and you deserve it.

Rule #7:  KEEP ALL BAGGIES, CLING WRAP, WAX PAPER, FOIL TOGETHER.

Rule #8:  KEEP ALL DISHWARE TOGETHER.

Rule #9 and #10:  KEEP SPICES WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM AND MEDICINES IN SEE THROUGH CONTAINERS UP HIGH... (so kids can't get to them!)

REorganized in ABC order...(Yes, I used to be a teacher--love!)

I did label these containers with my label maker after this photo was taken...I'm sick and I love it.  (No pun intended!)

Rule #11:  KEEP TUPPERWARE ACCESSIBLE AND ONY KEEP WHAT HAS A LID TO MATCH THE BOTTOM.  (My client obviously needs to buy more since I recycled all the ones that did not match...)

Rule #12:  TAKE UNWANTED ITEMS TO GOODWILL IMMEDIATELY!!!  (If you hire me, I will happily take the load for you...it thrills me...just ask the workers at GW!)

Are you inspired?  I hope so.

Are you overwhelmed?  I hope not.

BUT...if you are...CALL ME...I can help.

I promise.

Kitchen REorganization...A New Year's Resolution

It's 2013...a NEW year has just begun...and it's another one of my favorite times of the year!  

Why you're wondering? 

Because it's a time of NEW hopes and dreams and resolutions to live a better life than the year before...a time of NEW beginnings...and REORGANIZATION.   

That's right.

REORGANIZATION.

This is exactly what a recent client needed in her kitchen.  

REORGANIZATION.

Everything had just simply "gotten away" from her and she needed help to get her pantry and cabinets back to some kind of functioning order.  

She needed a bit of REorganization, so she called me.

Take a look....

You couldn't really "walk" into this "walk in" pantry anymore...

Look familiar?  If so, I can help.  Seriously.

This corner cabinet housed just about a little of everything...vases, pots and pans, serving platters, tupperware, baking dishes, and a toaster.  FAIL.

This lower cabinet held a second set of dinnerware, lots of mixing bowls, baking pans and few holiday towels?

Again, this lower cabinet was not functioning well...

And neither was this one...

Or this one.

All of this clutter and confusion would make anyone feel frustrated and a bit overwhelmed and lost as how to even begin to tackle this "problem"--sigh.

But not really.

Because as we ALL know, most problems CAN be solved at TARGET.  

Stay tuned for this kitchen's REorganization reveal...

Happy New Year!!

TARGET to the rescue! Again.

Some of you are probably wondering how my Bedroom Design Dilemma client only spent a couple hundred bucks when she decided to REthink, REdesign, and REorganize her entire house? Well, it was simple.

She went to TARGET ... the MECCA of all Mom Stores.

This got your ATTENTION, huh!?!

Going to Target = spending one hundred bucks (or two in this case!)

We ALL know that.

She bought bins for all three bedroom closets, spoiled herself with some matching hangers for HER closet, and a leather storage bench for the bottom of their GIGANTIC bed.

By the way, typing the word "bins" just made me smile...if you know me, you are laughing out loud. I feel the same way when I say "label maker"--no joke.

So, as you know by my previous post, we got rid of--- or I should say "Repurposed"--- her very cumbersome second dresser that was in her bedroom. It was carried by us, rather hilariously, to the basement. Check out how this bad boy got REpurposed.

TADA! Functional as a TV console AND it has tons of storage for all things related to Wii, Xbox 360, or DVDs. Huge success...Bam!

Next, I opened her bedroom closet door (I asked first) to find this!

Whoa....SCORE!!!

Let's get a closer look...at the size of those shoes!

WHOA! was my first thought, but my second was SCORE! Why, you ask? Because she already had a closet system installed...yippee! My job just got sooooo much easier! She has had these closets from Saint Louis Closet Company for over 10 years...it was the first improvement she had done to their house when they moved in. However, this is how they were "using" them. Whaa Whaa Whaaaaa! This is EXACTLY why SLCC and I have teamed up together...so I can be a resource to their clients of how to put back together their "stuff" in their newly installed closet systems.

After a bit of thought, we realized that it would be best if my client moved her clothes from their shared "master" closet into the office closet in the neighboring room. This way, all of the "stuff" that came out of the dresser that we moved out of the bedroom could fit into HIS closet---and very easily I might add. This giant of a man actually has a bit of extra room to grow into in this closet.

Note: His GIANT shoes now fit onto the shelves at almost his line of vision, so he does not have to bend down SO far...another plus. We tried to compartmentalize some of his shoes, but that did not work out so well. Bahahaha!

HIS and HERS

Next, we moved into my client's office to assess the closet situation.

FAIL.

A few bins and some matching hangers later....TADA!

On a side note, I think I need to give this client some props because not only does she have her all of clothes in here (and COLOR ORGANIZED, I might add), she also has a lot of her "work" equipment in this closet, as well. It is well hidden and contained inside of these colorful bins, but nonetheless, she made it all work with a huge sense of style and a SMILE.

Finally, we decided to tackle the boys' room. We had to do this because at some point in time she had decided in was a good idea to keep some of their clothes in her office, even though they have the BIGGEST closet and a dresser, plus two night stands. Did NOT work for me. And, she admitted, very easily, that it did NOT for her either, but she just didn't know how to make it work. They are boys, after all, which means messy and unorganized.

Oh NO they didn't.

When I saw this I LITERALLY got down on my hands and knees...not to pray...but to get this pile of boy things put into their right places. After all, everything should have a place, especially to a child. (Parenting tip: Train them well now, so they can function well later as adults.) A lot of this stuff went right into the trash--they'll never know, I promise. A few 3M hooks and some new bins later...TADA!

3M hooks in action!

My client had never heard of them before...gasp...

she is now keeping them in business!!!

The two boys can reach everything easily now and know WHERE all of their toys go because we decided to buy only clear, plastic bins for these millions of tiny pieces of things. The wicker or colored bins hold things like socks/underwear (on the lower shelves) and albums/extra sheets (on the higher shelves)--brilliant, I know. The boys were happy with the REorganization, as well. After all, everyone...but especially children...want boundaries and routine and stability. Ask any therapist or teacher...they will agree with this 1000%. Sorry if this hits a nerve for some of you, but it's true. Call me and I can help...I am cheaper than a therapist!

Now the inside of the closet matches the inside of the boys' room....organized, functional, and AMAZING!

After all, isn't that what we all want to BE?

Organized, functional, and AMAZING?

Yep.

Now onto my next Design Dilemma...

This time it's a KITCHEN.

Stay tuned...