Something most all of us can relate to… the basement space that sometimes doesn’t get used to its capacity. We recently had a client that in addition to other areas of her house, wanted to reclaim the basement area for her family. It’s a great finished space, separated by the stairway that goes down into it…a built in divider creating individual spaces which can be used for different purposes. She already had the makings for a playroom and on the other side a family/exercise space but over the last few years the family side became more of a storage room. She had a great storage/utility room with shelves (we added a few) so any items that needed to be stored had a place to go. All we had to do (if it was really that simple, right?) was some sorting and purging to get the spaces ready for use. She did purchase some shelving units for the playroom and a TV mount for the family room side, but beyond that everything was there or repurposed from other rooms of the house. Take a look at some before and after pictures:

We created a great learning center just by placing already existing toys on labeled book shelves. 

Before and After Kitchen zone

The Family room before and after

 

So there it is…a picture speaks 1000 words... and more!

Nicole Unice is a busy mom and writer for Richmondmom.com. She invited A Sorted Affair into her home to organize her home office. She described step of her experience in a two part series on Richmondmom.com. Check it out!

http://richmondmom.com/index.php/funformoms/post/confess/

http://richmondmom.com/index.php/funformoms/page/category/random_rants/ 

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Chris called us recently to help with her busy home in Richmond's historic Fan district. With a full time job, a husband, 3 kids and a dog she has little time for organization. When we met, Chris expressed her concerns about the family's down stairs living space. Living in a row house in the Fan, there is not much square footage and little closet space. Chris and her husband had done a great job of making many rooms "multi-functional" and adding storage, but they needed help creating systems that would work for the whole family. Crayons in the kitchen, drawing paper in the laundry room and kitchen gadgets in the bathroom made it difficult to keep track of everything. A central location for mail, school supplies and office supplies would make their lives a lot easier. In addition, parting with items seldom or never used would help create more space for the important stuff. What happened when we tackled this busy 1st floor? We'll show you later this month.

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Carrie is a ten year-old who was ready to turn her little-girl room into a big-girl room. We found books and toys in her room that she’d had since preschool! As she’d gotten older, new things were just piled on top of old ones. And things she did enjoy had become hard to find and hard to store.

Carrie wasn’t sure she could get rid of much because Mom is pretty sentimental. But when Mom said keepsakes could go to the attic, Carrie purged like a pro! She filled 11 yard bags with donations, E-bay items, and junk. By moving her dresser into the closet, we opened up more floor space for play and got all of her clothes in one place. Best of all, Mom and Carrie don’t argue about her room anymore. It stays clean, and Carrie is proud of her organized space!