Having my home organised and neat with everything accessible when and where I need it saves time, frustration, keeps my life in balance and gives me peace of mind.
There should be bookshelves for your favourite reads or research, drawers for your stationery and a filing cabinet to tuck away all your confidential papers.At the change of season everyone is talking about spring cleaning. Your space can affect how you feel. Do you feel overwhelmed with cluttered spaces or areas in your home that just do not work for you? Now is the time to take action and transform your space.
It is time for a thorough clean-up, to spruce up your décor and find ways to simplify your life. Take stock of what's working and what isn't and change it to suit your specific needs.
Paint it
Tired of the grubby walls or the colour? There is no easier way to give your space a quick facelift than to paint it.
Rethink your furniture placement
Don’t keep furniture because it was handed down to you by your favourite aunt for your first flat. If you’ve outgrown it, you can either sell it or give it away to charity and replace it with something that you really love. You can gain extra space by turning furniture or moving it to another place in the house.
Keep it clean and organised
Good storage systems or hooks for gardening equipment, pegboards for tools and cupboards or shelving for paints, maintenance, hiking and camping gear become essential for a well organised garage.- All areas in the house need a thorough clean and maintenance annually, over and above your normal cleaning.
- Curtains need to be laundered or washed.
- Have the carpets cleaned regularly.
- Vacuum the soft upholstery and mattresses.
- Rid yourself of things that are broken or have fallen into disuse, regularly.
- Return the things that have been borrowed.
- Keep order on a daily basis - it is easier to find and access things if you have less and know where it lives.
- Make repairs as and when needed.
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products
Appraise blinds and curtains
Blinds and curtains dress the windows, give you privacy and create ambiance.
Tired of the grubby walls or the colour? There is no easier way to give your space a quick facelift than to paint it.Ensure that the curtains are well hung, the hooks hooked into the runners and into the ends of the rails. Replace faded curtains and broken blinds.
No space should go to waste:
Consider the function and storage of each room before you decide on making changes, observe the habits of the family and make it more efficient.
1. Well organised laundry
Create a functional laundry with a wide worktop to fold clothing, hanging space and storage for detergents. Sliding baskets for each member of the family are great to sort clothing into, before taking them to the individual rooms.
2. Kitchen and pantry
Make the best use of the space that you have. Any cupboard space can be transformed into a functional pantry by adding accessories, to get easy access to your tinned, dry goods and seldom used dishes.
Step organisers and pull out racks create visibility of packaged and canned food, preventing double purchases.
Labelled containers keep your dry goods fresh and easy to identify. Storage containers to hold soup and sauce bags, keep you well organised. Spice racks make your spices more accessible rather than keeping them on a shelf.
Cutlery trays keeps your cutlery organised, no more wasted time scratching in drawers. Chrome rods with hooks, hanging shelves, cookbook holder, paper towel and foil holders keeps stuff off the kitchen tops and gives you more preparation surface. Carousels or fold out units in corner cupboards give you greater accessibility.
3. Closet space
Have the carpets cleaned regularly.Make your daily wardrobe choice a breeze with easy access to your clothes and jewellery, accessories and shoes. Maximise cupboards with sufficient hanging space, drawers, shelf dividers and drawer organisers. It should showcase what you have, bags in one shelf, scarves, ties and belts on sliding rails.
Extra shoe shelves or drawers designated to your shoes are essential to have them easily accessible. If you have a walk-in cupboard, install a centre island with extra storage and a seat to put on your shoes.
4. Living room or lounge
As a shared space it becomes out of hand quickly - for easy straightening of the living room, display books and décor on open shelves or cubes.
Install an entertainment unit to hold TV, media, music and movies, cupboards to store games and puzzles, as well as drawers to hold toys. Coffee tables with additional storage are perfect to hide away your magazine collection.
5. Tranquil work space
Maximise cupboards with sufficient hanging space, drawers, shelf dividers and drawer organisers. You should be able to work efficiently in your office. Your computer desk or worktop should be within easy reach of all the electronic devices that you need to work.
There should be bookshelves for your favourite reads or research, drawers for your stationery and a filing cabinet to tuck away all your confidential papers. An ergonomic chair is a must. Keep current projects close at hand, either in a deep drawer next to where you work or in a step organiser on your desk or on the wall.
6. Entry hall
This is the primary entry or exit of the home, being the first stop it commonly becomes the dumping ground. If you want to change it to a neater functional space, look at what is stashed there to come up with solutions.
Keep your kids in mind when organising this space because they are the most difficult to get out of the door in time. Install built-in cubbies or open lockers for each family member with hooks to hang jackets and backpacks, a bench with space for shoes underneath and a closet with shelves and hanging space.
Add outlets for charging electronic devices so that they don’t clutter up the kitchen surface. Install key hooks and a place for the mail.
7. Garage
Apart from being the primary parking space for cars and cycles, many garages carry the overflow from the home.
Good storage systems or hooks for gardening equipment, pegboards for tools and cupboards or shelving for paints, maintenance, hiking and camping gear become essential for a well organised garage.
Put your stamp on it
As you work your way through your home personalise it with paintings, photos, ornaments and décor items that brings in your personal taste and makes it home.
Should you have a problem in getting things done, contact a professional to advise you on layout, style and colour selection. Transform your space to what you want and need. - Heidi Meyer
