Here you will find “Organization Station”. We’re going to help you think like an organized human when striving to keep all the rooms in your home up-to-snuff. These past few pandemic “years” have taught us all a lot. One thing most have learned is how much organization help their homes need! Some of us don’t mind organization, others can’t stand the process and others crave it. Whichever category you place yourself under, let us help you think through some easy organization tips so your home can run more smoothly. Also, (we will say this till the cows come home) farm house living contributes almost no storage help! So, let’s get crafty…
Remember to always start by breaking down your “stuff”. What closet or drawer are you organizing? What are the items in that space? Now lay out all of the “stuff” you find in that space and start grouping things together to create categories. This process will give you a general idea as to what you are looking to inevitably organize and store. We are all about the visual. We try to give each room a purpose (ie: the entertaining dishes are stored in the dining room and/or living room. They don’t necessarily need to be in the Kitchen because they are not something that need 24/7 access). Sometimes we like to think of ourselves as Houdini because our farm house had minimal practical storage when we bought it, so we’ve shifted and re-aligned several times to finally get it right over 5 years’ time. However, we are always growing and introducing new “stuff”, so we are assured that we will continue to be challenged by this in our dwelling. Our main goal always is to never succumb to adding extra pieces of furniture that would take away from the overall Feng Shui of our home. We have to love it and it has to fit, rightfully so, in its place.
Let’s get started in the Kitchen. It is the heart of most homes and we think the easiest to break down.
- Look at the wall space you may have available. Is there enough room to incorporate exposed, decorative shelving or racks? This could be an excellent place to store tea cups or pretty dishes (the ones you sometimes use). The cabinet space they would have stolen can be used for more practical day-to-day items like drinking glasses and silverware.
- Is there enough room to incorporate a decorative storage bench around your table or against an empty wall that doesn’t serve any other purpose in your day-to-day routine? This addition can offer extra seating when necessary. If you can find a piece that has drawers or shelving below the seat top it would be wise to store platters or the patio accessories (like melamine trays, patio glasses, paper napkins) that you only need minimally.
- A wine cabinet can help tremendously. Those wine bottles and stocked seltzer bottles can take up a lot of room in the fridge, on the counter tops or in the kitchen cabinets. When the right piece of furniture appears, this can also create a “bar area” so when hosting there is a separate place for people to grab their cocktail. When entertaining, we all know what a huge pain in the neck it is to have our guests using up the kitchen space and kitchen counters to pour a cocktail! We need them for food prep, plating, etc.!
- Whether the fridge is vintage or modern, we always struggle with fridge storage. Recently, we’ve taken to some BPA-free plastic bins. One of our purchased bins holds our drinking cans (seltzer, beer). Another bin holds ingredients for upcoming meals. Then there is one more at the top of our fridge (in a space that doesn’t store much anyway) that holds refrigerated ingredients we don’t need to access that frequently (almond flour bags, hemp seeds, flax seed meal).
- Wall desk. We all need a “cockpit” downstairs. A place to keep the papers and happenings of today that require action (eventually). We had a wall desk in our first home and oh boy did it serve its purpose without taking up too much space! We found it at Ikea (many years ago), but this can be DIY-ed, as well. A pull-down stationery (& stationary, hah!) desk that can hide all of your “to-dos” like a grocery list and pen.
What should we organize next?! Maybe we’ll move on to the office. Stay tuned. *If organization isn’t quite your thing, consider hiring a professional “organizer”. This career has taken off and we’ve seen Organizers for hire popping up in many places. Color-coding and inspirational organization is all the rage! Post-career stay-at-home Moms looking to make an earning while keeping their foot in the working jungle. This is a win-win for all involved!
