Organizing and Closets Dallas

Before Katie had the opportunity to organize Erin’s closet, there was plenty of space not being utilized. She did have some clothing items categorized together, but Katie helped put them in a more coherent and aesthetically pleasing order. Once again, thin velvet hangers give a clean look as well as prevent your clothing from slipping off the hanger. Color coordinating always makes it easier to find what you’re looking for quickly and now, Erin can display her shoe and scarf collection. Storage boxes on high shelves are a great way to store sweaters and allow for easy access.

Before:

After:

One of the greatest contributors to clutter is the lack of a clear vision for a space. Liz enlisted our help when she realized that although it had been over a year since she moved into her apartment, her closet still reflected the way she haphazardly organized (or rather, didn’t organize) her clothes during the chaos of moving. Sometimes you need a second pair of eyes to envision the space in ways you hadn’t thought of before. And that’s what we love to do!

Check out her closet before we took everything out to organize:

And after…Now Liz can actually see what she has in her closet! 

We find it so much easier to get work done and be productive when our desks are clean and organized. It relieves stress when you can easily find anything you need and have an aesthetically pleasing work space. Here are our tips on how to keep your desk clean and organized.

1. Start with a clean surface and empty drawers. Each item needs to be re-evaluated before it returns. The first drawer should hold your most frequently used items, i.e. pens, business cards, mini stapler, etc. Use drawer organizers so that items do not get cluttered within the drawers. Daily essentials should be within arms reach to prevent time wasted searching for what you need.

2. Post-its can be tempting but try using a small notepad or journal instead. A post-it can just as easily be lost as any other piece of paper. A single notepad insures all information is kept in one place. Keep it next to your office phone where it is most accessible during conversations at a moment’s notice.

3. Create a paper filing system that works for you. Immediately designate documents to an appropriate file or folder the minute they are received, to prevent paper from piling up on your desk. Or, set up an “inbox” tray to keep track of papers that have yet to be filed. Old documents and memos should be filed in a labeled storage box away from current items.

4. Invest in a scanner for any documents that can be stored electronically. To quickly search PDFs, export documents to Microsoft Word or Excel, and utilize Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

 5. Eliminate clutter by using cord turtles to shorten unnecessarily long wires, cord identifiers to indicate which plug belongs to which device, and cord clips to keep cords in place.

If your closet has the space, wooden hangers can totally change the look of even the simplest closet. We recently switched out all the wire hangers in Robert’s closet and organized his shirts by category—work versus casual, long sleeve versus short sleeve, polo versus button-down. Check out the before and after pictures below to see the difference!

We had a great time organizing Caroline’s closet! Before, she could barely walk into her walk-in closet. Now, there is plenty of space for her to pick out an outfit for the day. We brought in woven baskets to store less frequently used items on higher shelves and removed one shelf to display her jewelry above the white center drawers. We also adjusted the heights of her shoe shelves to accommodate heels, boots,and flats perfectly. We hope you enjoy the new look of your closet, Caroline!

Happy 2013! For those of you with the resolution to get organized this new year, we’ve decided to share “5 quick tips” each month, specific to a certain area of the home. This month, we’ve decided to start with the kitchen. Share your favorite tips with us on Twitter or our Facebook page!

Organizing Tips: The Kitchen

• Take 15 minutes once a month to sort through Tupperware, getting rid of lids and containers that no longer have a match, or “mate”
• Throw out expired spices. Can’t find the expiration date? Ground spices are good for two years, whole spices stay good for three. Consider placing frequently used spices on a lazy-susan (see our Novemeber post!) or an in-drawer spice rack (shown below, $28 Container Store)

• Donate old cookbooks. Most people only use two or three cookbooks on a regular basis.
• Place cans and jars one in front of the other, grouped by category (See the before-and-after picture of one kitchen pantry we recently organized below!)

• Transfer flour, sugar, lentils, rice, etc. to clear canisters in the pantry. Not only are these containers more visually appealing, but you’ll be able to see when it’s time to restock (See the canisters organized throughout the before and after pictures below!)

Check out one of the closets we are currently working on! We wanted to make sure that accessories were easy to find and still were visually appealing. Per her request, we also put all of her silk work shirts together, making morning outfit decisions easier.

Here are some of our favorite photos from this week. Follow us on instagram @dallasclosets!

Want to learn more about us? Our friend and writer for YouPlusStyle featured us on their site this week. Click here to read more!