Hanging Out (to Dry) with Ranier Subic February 28, 2009

I’ve just discovered this delightful, nautical-knot-themed coat hanger system from European Designer, Ranier Subic.

Now Subic’s shirt suspension system isn’t for everyone. But for many readers, like those of you living in downtown (or Uptown in Charlotte) condos with a minimal, modern style, these hangers offer a unique way to not only store you clothes, but display them as part of your home. Obviously, you would still want storage for your more private and less frequently worn clothes items, but what could be nicer for a young urban banking-industry bachelor or smart Charlotte independent woman, than crisply pressed business shirts/blouses hanging neatly in the corner of a bedroom.

So get more use out of the design put into your clothes by bringing them out into the open light like a work of art.

No-Clutter Kitty Homes—not Katie Holmes ;-) February 26, 2009

As many of my friends know, my two great passions in life are organizing—duh!—and my three adorable loving cats: Juniper (British Shorthair breed), Rags (Ragdoll breed) and Savanah (Savanah breed)—a true Southern prissy puss.

So, I thought what better than to combine the two passions in one post. As you know, I believe the organized life is the enriched life, and I think little feline companions deserve the best in organized, enriched living—after all, they already are very neat with their persons.

So I’ve implemented a Rubbermaid-based system to organize sleep time for my lovely ladies in my laundry room (that’s a lot of L’s).

I ordered this system to the left from boaphileplastics.com. The nice folks at BoaPhile obviously create their bins for large reptiles, but these are certainly plenty spacious for your sweetie kitties.

My girls love them. Every night, when I put them in their bins—which, by the way, they are very fussy if you don’t put them in exactly their bin. I’ve created the cutest labels for each bin with yarn and hot glue—they seem full of excited energy.

There are also five-bin versions available from BoaPhile if you have more than three cats. If more than that, buy two sets and use the unused bins to store their toys and litter.

Now, one modification is critical but easy to tackle. BE SURE to take a drill and put a row of 1/2 to 3/4 inch holes along the top of the front side. You want to make sure they have plenty of fresh air.

This system has worked perfectly for me and my good friend Donna, who puts her two Siamese cats in one large bin on the bottom because they do not like to be separated.

Hope you fellow feline-loving friends find this wonderful system as fascinating as me (I love alliteration).

Cabinets are like mini closets. Organize ‘em. February 25, 2009

While my specialty is closet organization, the principals and organization methodology I’ve discovered/developed over the years can be applied to any storage space of the house. Basically, where any space can be hidden behind a door, you’re going to have a tendency toward clutter.

And as the title of this post says, this is as true of cabinets as it is closets.

My biggest frustration with kitchen and bathroom cabinets, especially the ones below a counter, is that they have two very bad clutter-making characteristics. One, they are hard to reach, which makes us more likely to toss something under there and shut the door quickly than to place it in it’s proper location with care. And B, usable space is limited to the amount of horizontal floorspace you have to place things on. So to maximize usability and usable surface area, I recommend installing roll-out cabinet organizers like the one shown below from www.kitchensource.com.

There is a wide array of these cabinet roll-outs available in all formats, including some designed for specific purposes, like spice racks and canned goods. And while the one pictured below is priced at around $300, there are many similar, economy-priced products available at retailers like IKEA and Target. So check out the many roll-out options available to you and let’s hit clutter below the bar.

Cabinet Organizer from www.kitchensource.com

IKEA, youKEA, we all KEA February 24, 2009

The closet organization gods have parted the skies and smiled upon we in the greater Charlotte metro region. The grand opening of our new IKEA store has finally arrived, and this past weekend I made my first of many trips to this incredible oasis of organized living.

Now, IKEA may not be for all of us. They have been known for their modern designs and industrial feel (although they have been branching into more traditional styles of home furnishings.

Yet for many of us who live in the uptown area, the modern trappings of IKEA are very apropos. Not to mention the fact that in these troubled economic times, so much style for such a low price is hard to pass up. I myself took a serious look at the Antonius shelving and storage system, which although very modern in feel is warmed by wicker bins and natural-toned wood shelving.

Check out the Antonius collection and others like it via a multimedia flash presentation here.

ANTONIUS Storage System

A Place for Everything and Everything in It’s Place February 22, 2009

I’ve organized closets in some of Charlotte’s most expensive homes and condos, so my blog cannot be a cluttered mess, right? Right!

So you’ll notice that I’ve organized my blog navigation to the right in the following logical progression:

Search – because sometimes you know exactly what you’re looking for and just need to find it fast.

Tag Cloud – this is the most direct way to find a posting on any specific subject.

Categories – because sometimes you may want to peruse broad topics.

Calendar – because you might not remember the title of my post, but that you read it last Thursday. The Calendar is for you!

Plus, enjoy recent posts and comments grouped nicely together down below where they are conveniently available but not in the way of your ability to get to the good stuff quick.

Okay, I know … just how far is this lady going to take this organization thing? Well the answer is … VERY FAR. I can’t help it. I’m nutty about organizing and you should be too. Why? Because the organized life is the richer, fuller life.

So here we go!