Before & After: Meal Planning Corner

Disclaimers:  
1.  This is my own house
2.  The before pictures are real (even organizers get too busy to stay organized)
3.  The after pictures are real except that fruit has been replaced with other fruit and my pocket book is thrown in there somewhere now too.
4.  We happily rent this house, which means no home-improvement weekends for me!  I can just live here peacefully and quiet my mind except to think you'd be horrified that your interior designer's kitchen looked like this.  Well, we'll see. Here goes nothing!  

About Organizing Before & After Images:
1.  I rarely show before pictures of my organizing work for client confidentiality reasons. 
2.  I sometimes before-and-after something in my own home because it:
     a.  shows I'm a real human and collect real mess too, and 
     b.  gives me a little reward after completing a project 
          to see how much better it looks
3.  Recently, I have gently bribed some clients into letting me use before images from their projects - you'll see those in the coming months as those projects finish up.  

The Meal Planning Corner in the kitchen is where we store our pantry items, and also houses our paperwork, mail, recipe books, etc.  It's a landing spot too, so our "stuff" collects there quite a bit.  The before image represents a nearly empty cupboard and a colossal mess below with mail, paperwork, junk, etc.  

Disorganized Corner of Our Happy Old Kitchen

Mission: Organization begins using the S.P.A.C.E. method 
Sort:   Categorize
Purge: Check expiration dates, toss empty containers
Analyze:  What's going back?
Containerize:  How shall we store what's going back?  
Evaluate:  How is it working?

All Neat and Tidy!

Organizing is the least expensive way to give your space a quick face-lift.  Also, it helps us to use these healthy food items more frequently - they are top of mind when it comes to planning what's on the weekly menu.  

With these nifty glass containers from The Christmas Tree shops (2 for $5), the pantry goods are visible and appropriately stored in air-tight containers.  

Believe it or not, the white scallop-edge tray on the counter was in there somewhere - buried - in the before shot.  I gave it a quick coat of paint, and it has a new life.

Years ago, I covered a couple of 3-ring binders, which serve as my recipe books, with some remnant designer fabrics - those are the lovely coral-colored binders on the left.  The white binder is different - it is special.  Not only is it not really white, is actually a faux alligator skin :) how chic.  It houses my materials for the MIX Wellness Detox and 8-week "Lose Weight Feel Great" programs.  Learn more about the detox here and the 8-week program here.  Essentially, I teamed up with Kristen Boucher of MIX Wellness Solutions to participate in the cleanse and be an kitchen organizing resource for the participants.  It was a tremendous experience, and I'm in the beginning half of the 8-week program now.  Check it out!  She is a genius, plain and simple.  Let's just say she is partially responsible for all of the dried legumes in this cupboard...

Visual Organization / Functional Organization

Here are a couple of shots I took in my own office of two particularly organized spots.  An organizer by nature and profession, I'm pretty organized.  However, being so doesn't always mean that my spaces look organized.  Also, it's tricky sometimes to show organizing after shots because sometimes organization is in the eye of the beholder, and it is all relative.  One person's degree of organization might be another person's idea of total chaos.  So, I spent some time and tidied up my functionally organized spaces so that they would appear visually organized as well and snapped a picture for my recently updated website (www.tapperrichards.com).  

File cabinet drawer

Tapper Richards Interiors - Organizing

Office supplies drawer
Tapper Richards Interiors - Organizing

If you had seen the way the rest of my office looked just to get these two shots of an organized spot, you might be somewhat surprised.  I had stuff everywhere.  It was organized chaos, but it was everywhere.  It was easy to put it back together again, because I am actually very organized, but you might not have thought so if you had seen it in it's day-to-day state.  See below...not so bad, but not as inspirationaly, organizationally beautiful as above.  In this case, the before is actually the after and vice versa.  

The point is, although I'm an organizer, I'm not a total neat freak.  I respect that organizing and organization is cyclical.  It is always hard to enter into my clients homes for the first time, and hear some apologize for "what I'm about to see," or warn me that, "it's really bad."  To this I say, "I applaud you.  You are human and you have a life rich in activities beyond being obsessed with your file cabinet (kitchen, office, etc.)!  Now, let's see how we can alleviate some clutter so that you may enjoy life even more!"

Master Bedroom Closet

I'm on a blog posting spree...

Here is another project from the old condo.  This was our shared closet.  Me and the Mr. split this little thing in half for clothing and shoe storage.  This would indicate a truth of my life - I never have anything to wear.  I'm not a shopper, but hope to be one day or to have someone do all the dirty work for me.  It was a good thing this was the case while living in those close quarters though - where would I have put anything?  Example - that is my laptop on the (shared) dresser.  That was my desk after the kids were born.  It was always easier for me to work standing up because (1) I was trained to do so back in my restaurant managing days and (2) any one with kids knows - they can smell relaxation and when you sit down it's like a grand announcement that you're about to get something done or just take a moment to yourself and it's over before it began.  

So, here's the closet's before and after shots.  This little reorganizing project didn't take very long, just an hour or so.  That's the great thing about being relatively organized at least most of the time.  When life gets extra crazy or one more thing pushes the balance into temporary chaos, you can always regain control of your space and belongings relatively quickly.  

January is GO Month for NAPO.  Get organized before it's more attractive to be on the boat, at the beach, at a barbeque, at a wedding or graduation party or just plain not trapped inside your house cleaning stuff.  It will pay off, I promise!

Before

After

Baby Changing Table & Clothing Organization

Ahh the old condo.  It was fun while it lasted, but I'm glad it didn't last much longer.  We started our married life there as well as brought our two babies home there.  It was bitter sweet to leave, but more sweet than bitter.  This post is a homage to ye 'ole changing table.  We actually still use this piece of furniture as the kids' dresser and changing table at the new house.  Re-purposing the antique proved to be a great move.  Both the littles loved being on the changing table and looking at themselves in the mirror/smearing drool, etc on it/peeing, etc. on it.  Everything was close at hand for Mom and Dad too! Here is a glimpse of the space:

Hamper to the left, diaper genie to the right, wipes in the drawer, diapers on the shelf behind the mirror, toys around the perimeter to distract (attempt to distract) busy babies.

Bottom drawer - linens, sheets, cloth diapers.

Middle drawer - clothes folded and "filed" helped keep everything visible for easy dressing.  

Top drawer - diapering supplies, onesies, bibs, burp cloths, extra wipes.  

Very handy having everything nearby.  The lamp helped shed a little light on certain things needing further attention...diaper rashes, etc.

Now, with a 3 year-old and a 1-year-old, we're still using this method.  The linens from the bottom drawer are stored elsewhere with larger items like sweatshirts and bulky pants for cold seasons stored there instead, and there is a pink drawer (top) and a blue drawer (middle).  We're getting ready to upgrade the little man/older brother to his own dresser seeing as he hasn't laid on this changing table in a while, but for now things are working just fine.  

Project Reorganization - Shoe Cubby

So, we've been in the new house (that we are renting) for about 6-months now.  I live here, so changes are always happening with furniture layouts, accessories, lighting schemes, etc.  We're working out the kinks in other areas as well.  Here, I tackled the little cubby closet under our stairway.  We've had a variety of things stored here, but it seems the best use of it is a spot to keep our shoes.  Here is how the reorganization went:

Before picture - before the reorganization, but right after Christmas...all sorts of stuff ended up in here.  

 Progress shot - pull everything out, make a total mess of surrounding areas, let toddlers crawl all over it, the fun begins and there is no turning back now...

 Progress shot - Finally empty

 After shot - all nice and neat. 

Oh, come on...even a professional organizer like myself can't keep it looking like this all of the time, but it would be easier to whip things back into order once they started out like this.  

We decided not to store things in here that we were not using very frequently or even in this area of the house.  (Christmas wrapping paper, softball bat and ball, life jackets, gloves/hats/scarves, painting supplies, tutu, etc. - random, huh?)  

So, now it is just shoes and tennis rackets...for now.  

Unpacking One Box at a Time

I do love organizing, but up until a few days ago I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by our recent move. But I am happy to report that the essentials are unpacked and we are now operational in the basic level - kitchen, toiletries, clothing. Of course the bedroom still looks like this, but I am coping just fine.

Merchandised Refrigerator

Merchandised Refrigerator

This is a topic I have mentioned before.  I love doing this at my house.  It is so essential a task because it is so closely related to a life-supporting act - EATING!  We all love to eat, and some of us like to cook.  Here is a picture chronicle of my refrigerator clean out.  Yes, I know there is a watermelon in there.  These aren't new pictures.  They are from a past project at the old condo.  We had a smaller fridge than some households, but it was more energy efficient.  We didn't need much more space but we kept it pretty neat to maximize the space we did have.  

Now that we are in a house, we have a full-sized refrigerator as well as a chest freezer in the garage - both full.  My how things have changed.  

As far as refrigerator design, I am a huge fan of a fridge with as much open space as possible.  I do not like those that have many different shelf levels, divided shelves or item specific compartments everywhere.  One thing is for sure, everyone has different stuff in their fridge and you likely have different items in yours from one week to the next...so, why have so many limitations on your storage.  

It is true for any storage space - the more open and flexible, the better!  I believe this phenomena will someday explain why people's guest rooms frequently turn into their catch-all rooms.  It's easy to put stuff in an open spot.  I like the simple refrigerator, and will one day own a french door, top fridge, bottom freezer unit.  Will I ever be satisfied? Well, maybe not...

Before shots:

Fridge door - BEFORE

Fridge - BEFORE

Fridge - BEFORE

All Empty and Clean!

And, here is the stuff.  Cleaned off, organized and ready to go back.

Fridge Door - AFTER

AFTER - See how much brighter!  It is so easy to see everything, and to reach things as well.

Progress shots:

After shots:

Happy organizing!  

Looks Better, Works Better - Cabinet Reorganization

Looks Better, Works Better - Cabinet Reorganization

Here is a simple reorganizing project I  tackled years ago in the old condo.  I am happy to report that those cabinets and archaic range hood were retired soon after these shots were taken.  But at the time we made do with what we had, and at least it was neat and organized.

The before shot isn't too bad.  The space was sufficient to house all of the necessary items, but it just looked a little sloppy, and I did have a few more items I wanted to put in there.  In a small kitchen, every little bit of storage space is important.  There is a difference between visual disorganization and functional disorganization.  I'd categorize this project as addressing the visual disorganization issue.  

Here is the before shot:

Kitchen Cabinet - BEFORE

Here is the after shot:

Kitchen Cabinet - AFTER

There is something to be said for forward-facing product labels, and I love them.  They are so pretty to look at and I can easily spot the items I need.  Round Lazy Susan Spice racks make this so easy.  A simple spin and you can see what you have.  It is like merchandising your own home for your own use.  You deserve it!

Linen Closet - Looks Better, Works Better

Linen Closet - Looks Better, Works Better
In my organizing work, I talk a lot about limits.  Setting limits and noticing when you've reached your limits is the most important thing in striking a balance between being organized and falling into being disorganized.  Organization is a highly subjective issue.  One person's organized is another person's disorganized.  The below pictures show an in-home organizing project of my own.  The Linen Closet.  It is a pretty good size, but in a particularly busy few weeks it just got out of control.  The limit had been reached - stuff was overflowing and I had a pile of towels to put away, but I didn't have a place to put them.  The signal to carve out some time and tackle it!  Get a trash bag ready, recycle bin nearby and go!

Hallway Linen Closet - BEFORE

Hallway Linen Closet - BEFORE
Look at the stuff just spewing out

Hallway Linen Closet - BEFORE
Who knows WHAT is in there?!?!? 

Hallway Linen Closet - BEFORE
The top shelf looks decent here, but as for the lowest shelf in this picture - who stores their sheets on top of a Vaseline jar?

Hallway Linen Closet - BEFORE
The limit - where do I put this? It used to fit in there??

And here are the after images.  After sorting everything out, I came across expired medicines and old lotions and potions that needed to be tossed.  

Hallway Linen Closet - AFTERWow, you can see the stuff now!

Hallway Linen Closet - AFTER
And, the clean towels all fit!

Hallway Linen Closet - AFTER
The sheets fit too, and they aren't stacked on top of the Vaseline jar anymore. 

I also added a door organizer to hold the little bottles and stuff that was getting lost on the shelves.  I love the deep shelves, but for the small things they weren't working so well.   See a similar  piece here.

Here is a look at the before shot one more time...and the AFTER!

Work-from-home Mommy Desk

I have decided that this would be the perfect desk for me right now.  I work from home.  I also have two little ones that are home with me 99% of the time.  Suprisingly, this usually works out pretty well; however, we also have a small space so I can't really leave anything out or it gets dismantled.  This counter-height "Tasting Table"  is 40" wide x 60" deep x 36" high.  I could easily spread out my work and leave it out and out of reach of climbing adventuring toddlers.  It would be ample for piles of projects and inspirations.  I also prefer to work standing.  It keeps me focused.  And usually sitting makes it look like I'm actually relaxing - although I'd still be working - and toddlers don't like when you relax.  

http://theplacefurnituregalleries.com/tasting-table.html