Clutter Confessions

I subscribed to HGTV’s new magazine, and they featured a section called something along the lines of, “Clutter Confessions”.  We all have them…areas of your home that need a little bit of time, but just aren’t important enough to make it on the ‘to-do list’ - mostly because they aren’t seen by daily visitors.

For me, well...let’s just say there are MANY dirty little secrets, but for a starter I decided to shamefully share with you under my kitchen sink & my laundry room. …

Here is the before of my kitchen sink:

I took everything out and realized that the majority of the items I don't use, or were duplicates.  So, anything that I didn’t use on a regular basis (such as insect killer, mouse traps & bug spray) I put either in the garage or on a shelf in the basement.  If there were any cleaners that were duplicates and I could pour them into one, I combined them (but don't worry folks, only those of the same brand).  If they were too full, I transferred them to another bathroom.  For instance, I have an upstairs bathroom, so it was nice to have glass cleaner & floor cleaner up there rather than going up & down the stairs each time I clean, which is what I did before.  The out-of-control grocery bags I put into one tote bag to keep them organized for easy grabbing. 

So, this was my finished result:  

Now, on to my laundry room.  As you may know, my husband & I built our home.  I studied each room of the floor plans, making the finest detailed change.  Some rooms I even completely ‘redesigned’ the floor plan.  But then, there’s the laundry room…I neglected that room completely.  Which if you ask my hubby, he wouldn’t be surprised…as this is the room I had planned on spending the least amount of time in! 

A lot of newer homes have a grand laundry/mudroom combo…there are endless possibilities with spaces like those to make you want to enjoy the room.  However, when your laundry room basically leaves just enough room for the laundry machines & opening the doors…you have to get a little creative with your space planning.  In my mind, the original plan was to stack the washer & dryer.  We tried that, and it simply overwhelmed the room, making it feel even tighter.  Why?  Well, because a stacked unit is like creating a floor to ceiling 'wall' in a room that is already tight.

If you have a small room in your home, you know where I’m coming from when I say that a few out-of-place items can make it look messy.  That is exactly what we faced.  Luckily for you, I never took ‘before’ pics…(well, I guess it would have been a good laugh for you…but yuck!)  So, below are my ‘after’ pics.

Here’s what I did:  By moving both units to one side of the room, opposite the entry door, it gave vertical space for brooms, mops, etc.   I asked my husband to install a wire shelving system for me.  Why wire?  Because it gives the illusion of a more open space, just as when the machines were stacked, solid shelving would have created a visual ‘wall’.  I chose a grey color because it was a little more industrial, and different than your basic white wire shelving units you see everywhere. 

Here you can see how 'tight' the space is...

Finished layout

  I tend to 'merchandise' our stuff to make it look better! :)

  Keeping clear surfaces, will make your room look bigger.

Vertical storage space

Final touches...but oh, SO important!

The last - and very important - part is something I’m very passionate about, and you will hear me say over & over…and that’s “ART”!  I have had several clients over the years who had me help them design framing for laundry rooms.  The first time I heard it I thought (to myself of course) “Well, that must be nice to have enough art to decorate my laundry room.”  Honestly, it makes the room more enjoyable.  Art is YOUR creative stamp on ANY space.  I wanted a serene laundry room with soft colors, so this black & white image is perfect.  I personally have a thing for stormy skies & I love that, in this image, you can see that a storm is coming, even though it is black & white.   

So, don’t forget to design EVERY room in your home.  It’s YOUR home, make it YOUR OWN by spending time on each space little by little.  Please share any of your organization stories with me, I’d love to hear/see what you’ve come up with!  If you have a question or want advice, just post it here or on FB, I’m happy to answer!