Fresh Ideas for Organizing- by guest designer Sarah Hodges

We are super excited to have Sarah Hodges as a guest designer on Fresh Nest today!  She is Russell & Mackenna’s in-house interior designer and Flagship Store Manager.  Have you seen there amazing furniture and fabrics? Sarah works with Russell & Mackenna clients to freshen up their nests by providing consultations, space planning, color scheme coordination and digital rendering services.  Go on over and visit the Russell & Mackenna website to find great furniture that is customizable.   

 

 
Transforming your home into an organized, efficient haven may seem like a daunting and even overwhelming task – but if you invest in a few fun and functional furniture pieces to get you on your way, staying organized will be a breeze!  Most of my clients are busy families looking to add fresh and colorful furniture to their homes - my starting point on any redesign is to help the client define their personal definition of organization, whether it involves everything in its own designated place out of sight, or right at their fingertips. Everyone looks at organization differently, so it’s helpful to define what it means for each client.  It is also important to define the organizational needs of each space.  I’ve found that if the room in question is a family space, it helps to get everyone involved in the process by giving each family member a sense of ownership in the project.

First, sit down and make a list of the rooms in need of organization (in order of importance).  Then, list organizational goals for each room.  For example, clear off desk, sort items under bed, empty junk drawer, sort DVDs and CDs, etc. This will help you to mentally prepare for the work ahead. Begin your mission in a room shared by the whole family, like the living room. Working together as a team will help everyone understand the steps in the process, so when the time comes to divide and conquer additional rooms in the house, the same organizational tasks will be carried out in a similar fashion.

Assigning dedicated organizational space for each member of the family can help keep order, and storage cubby boxes are a perfect vehicle to accomplish this goal. They’re great for keeping art supplies, books, magazines, and toys organized.  Many retailers offer large lockers with these cubby boxes below, which are perfect for mud rooms and entrance foyers. Each cubby box and corresponding hook can be assigned to an individual child, and there is still leftover space above on the shelf and below on the bench for additional kid gear, board games, or even out-of-season outerwear.

 

Russell & Mackenna Bethany Beach Locker in Key West Teal and White Linen with Arch Frill and Sail Boat Finial. Also shown, River Chair in Raspberry

Creating space for items used by the family as a whole will also help with organization and cut down on time wasted looking for misplaced items. Look for a piece of furniture that has it all - surface space for entertaining, open storage space for wine or collectibles, and closed storage for discreetly containing household essentials. Use this piece of furniture as your family’s “organization station” so that you can arrive home, put your bags and keys away, scan the mail and quickly separate the magazines from the bills by sliding them into dedicated cubbies.  The addition of these pieces will encourage routines, and thus (hopefully) eliminate the chore of digging through the trash for the electric bill that was thrown away with the junk mail. Keeping important dates and notes in one common, well-traveled area can also help with organization.   Cork boards are great for displaying party invitations, special reminder notes, flyers, photos – you name it!  I find that hanging a cork board over or near the family’s “organization station” (often in the kitchen) is helpful for keeping everything compact and mission-specific.

                    

Russell & Mackenna Big Round Bay Cork Board in Raspberry –

Parsons Cork Board in Eggplant with Flower Cutout

Organization isn’t just for the living room, playroom or kitchen – it can also benefit bedroom spaces.   For most people, organization begins with establishing routines.  Begin by making your bed everyday – if you start off your day with organization in mind it will help you continue to stay organized throughout the day. Organize your closet by moving your coats and winter gear to storage or to a designated coat closet.  Create more floor space by installing a shoe rack, condensing all purses and bags and donating all unwanted clothes to local charities. Again, as long as everything has its own space and is consistently kept there – there will be no more last-minute searching for that second shoe before work in the morning!

Giving toys a dedicated “home” when they aren’t being used is another must for efficient organization.  Purchase bins in a variety of sizes to accommodate toys in sizes ranging from tiny to gigantic!  Toy boxes and blanket chests are great ways to store large quantities of toys in one place, while camouflaging the clutter!  Children seem to thrive on competition, so ask your kids, “Who can get all of their toys back in the toy box first?!”  By making a game out of organization, your child will be more apt to play along and help out at the same time!  

Russell & Mackenna Blanket Chest in Sherbet with Key West Teal Butterfly Monogram –

Bethany Beach Bench in Lagoon with Vast Sky Cubby Boxes

For families on a budget (and let’s face it, most of us are), repurposing vintage items around the house can make for unique storage solutions – especially during the summer months when pool and sports clutter can take over your home.  Whether your home is modern, coastal cottage, or somewhere in-between, vintage always works in any home décor.  If you don’t have a lot of vintage items around the house, they are readily available at consignment shops and flea markets.  Try using old tin sap buckets to contain swim goggles, or vintage wooden cream cheese boxes for storing sun block – these are also great storage pieces for art supplies. Everyone loves to lug home seashells from a beach vacation, but they often end up in the garage instead of on a display shelf - try filling old milk bottles with the smaller shells and you’ve got yourself a new accessory full of memories.  Wooden milk crates look rustic and are a functional place to store fresh towels, blankets or flip-flops.  If the kids need a summer or rainy day project, try painting galvanized buckets with hand-painted fish or a beach scene and fill them with their toys.  Don’t forget the bathroom and shower areas – vintage glass containers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and are great for containing shampoo and soap. Think outside the box when choosing towel hooks – sometimes it’s fun to use something unexpected, like a collection of antique door knobs to hang your towels.

When sitting down to get organized, remember to be patient - it will take time to get everything under control. Set aside a specific time each day when you’re least likely to be interrupted – use this time to get your plans down on paper.  Keep with it and try not to get discouraged – by keeping your organizational goals displayed on the fridge, you won’t lose sight of the ultimate goal – an organized and happy home!

These tips are just a small sampling of an almost endless supply of organizing ideas for the home.  Remember, even the most disorganized family can become a model of efficiency in a matter of days with the help of a few key furniture pieces and storage supplies.