I’m Not Alone

Well, it’s official. 

After watching today’s episode of the Nate Berkus show, I now know I’m not the only one obsessed with organization and de-cluttering. It’s o.k. to admit I’m a perpetual organizer.

 

In my last post, I shared with you some of the areas of my home where I have re-organized again.  I also mentioned that I am constantly cleaning things out. I think more clearly when my stuff is organized.  I certainly like carefully edited spaces when it comes to design although I’m not a minimalist.

 

Turns out, I’m in good company. Nate’s guest on the segment De-cluttering 101 was organizational expert, Jill Pollack who said she is constantly purging her closets.  Really? We must be kindred spirits. lol  She said it is not something that’s one time and done, but something that has to be on-going to be effective.  And, of course, the more you clean things out, the easier it is to stay organized.

Nate said that de-cluttering and organizing was THE FIRST STEP TO GOOD DESIGN.

I couldn’t agree more.

 

There’s still time left in January to “knock-out” all those cluttered areas in your home and start the New Year off right with organizational solutions for every room. There’s a multitude of books and info on the web of tips and tricks to get you started and a host of organizing solution stores.

What are you waiting on?

Move over, clutter….here comes great designs!!!

Blessings,

Kim

Getting It Together

I cannot function well if my things are not together properly.

That said, I am definitely an example of a perpetual organizer.

I am literally organizing something all the time…

drawers, closets, bookshelves, rooms, then all over again:

drawers, closets, bookshelves---well, you get the picture.

I have always been like this.  Miss neat freak organization guru. Even in grade school, I always had to have the neatest desk with books stacked by color or size. Pencils had to have attractive containers, and the same thing with my high school locker.

So, when we built our house, one priority for me was lots of effective storage.

Here is our master closet after I re-organized it.

I cleaned out lots of items and had 3 garbage bags full of clothes, accessories, and shoes for donation.

There are jewelry organizers in the top drawers, but my husband gave me this beautiful handcrafted jewelry box by a Kentucky artist.  It has several different inlaid woods.

O.K. a sneak peek at HIS side.  You can barely see my purse storage in the back left. I had acrylic doors attached to keep out dust and also on the long hanging middle section.  Cedar paneling lines the backs, too.

 

This is a view that leads to my dressing room.

The left of the mirror leads to the bathroom.

And, here is a very personal space that mostly only I ever see. I have romantic mementos of my husband and I.

I fell in love with this French laundry basket from Pottery Barn and had to have it, even though it jumbles up the space a bit. (We have built-in laundry hampers on the other side of the closet!).  You can see my “jeans” stack in the foreground.

 

This is a great place to hang scarves and totes.

I actually do sit here occasionally to put on socks or stockings.

My husband and I on our first anniversary. The traditional first gift is paper, so it made sense because photos are printed on paper!!!

Cool belt storage. I also really like the small jewelry mannequins, too.

 

Also, from Pottery Barn, a necklace holder in a frame. Of course, these are very easy craft projects that many bloggers have done.  All you need is a great old frame and some hooks.

One of my all-time favorite architectural salvage finds is this etched cherub glass. It dates to about 1910 and  was part of an old door that I found while on an antiquing excursion to Louisville.  It was installed between the dressing room and the master bath (the master tub is on the other side). 

And, there you have it.

A place for everything and everything in it’s place.

For those of you wondering if I ever have messy closets, the answer is “yes”.

The garage foyer closet before:

AFTER

It’s hard to get good photos because the closet light is automatic when you open the door so I can’t ever turn it off!

I cleaned out lots of unused baseball hats and now have additional spaces for cleaning supplies.

This is an awkward closet because of the laundry shoot that is above, but it’s still an o.k. extra place for stuff.

I also started hanging all my table runners.  It keeps them so much neater and easier to find.

And last, but not least, here’s a look at the organized pantry.

Same thing with the automatic light, but you get the idea.

Happy Organizing.

Here’s to Getting It Together in the New Year!!!

Blessing,

Kim

Linking to Cottage and Vine’s Getting It Together Party