Friday, January 15, 2010

Reducing Clutter

Let me preface this post with saying that I'm a little embarrassed to show you this next image. Our kitchen counter has been an issue for as long as I can remember and we're working hard to make it better.  Take a look at this picture.

Kitchen Clutter


Scary, right?  At least I have the Clorox wipes handy in case it's too scary for you!  This has been a problem for as long as I can remember {I think I inherited this habit from my parents}, I called on Tanna with Complete Organized Solutions.  She asked me some simple questions to help me narrow down what the issues were.  Jump over to her write up about it as it has some really helpful tips.  She made the process so easy and fun.


Here is what my counter looks like this very minute.


Charging Station


And we've had it looking this way for a week! Let me zoom out so you can see I'm not kidding around!


Kitchen Counter



Here is what I learned from Tanna.  To de-clutter, it takes daily action.  Immediately pitching, shredding and filing items that come in the door.  I purchased a cute file box from Target {I can't find it on their website} that now sits in our office so if there are things that I need to keep handy for a little bit, they go here.  I knew that the electronics were a huge issue-- we have so many hand held devices around the house that a charging station was absolutely necessary.  Here is a great list of  charging stations -- and most of the stores have them on clearance right now as they were a holiday item.

Now, all I need to do is dress up the space next to the charging station every once and a while by adding flowers, don't you think?

What keeps you organized and keeps things from piling up at your house?

deb_sig

10 comments:

Tanna @ Complete Organizing Solutions said...

Deb, Great job! It is so nice that you were able to relocate your incoming papers to the office. I think it would be great to reward yourself with a nice vase of flowers. Empty space is nice but it has a funny way of attracting clutter. By adding some flowers next to the charging station it will help you keep the clutter at bay until you have broken the habit of throwing things there. Way to go!

suzanne said...

awesome and I need to get better at this too. Only ours sometimes jumps from where the phone is to the table, but the counters are usually good.

Nia Nielsen said...

Deb my breakfast bar looks exactly like this! (Ok like your before picture.) I hate that I am sacrificing good design because I am in the throws of being a working mom with two little one under the age of three. Any more tips you can send my way for child proof decor and organization solutions are always appreciated!

Sarah said...

Wow! I love that storage caddy for all your cords. Looks great!

Grace said...

That looks amazing. Doesn't it make you feel so much calmer when you look over and see a clear, organized space rather than clutter.

Marci@OvercomingBusy said...

Look at all that counter space you discovered! Tanna is right. It is a daily battle to keep up with the papers that enter the house on a daily basis. I moved our shredder from the office to the kitchen and that seemed to help a lot.

Petit Elefant said...

I love the new look! Organization makes my heart go pitter pat!

Dina said...

It was meant to be that I read this post today. Our kitchen island is a disaster and I shall have it clutter free by the end of the day today =)

Cindy said...

Looks great! Have to ask...Did you change the wall color too? It looks darker. WHat color is it?

Deb said...

Cindy- The wall color is the same. The pictures were taken at different times of the day. The color is Diamond Vogel's Tropical Tan #8455. If you don't have a Diamond Vogel nearby, let me know and I can send you the formula.