Space Case
Reclaim your bedroom, nook by nook, drawer by drawer
Image courtesy istockphoto
When it comes to bedroom storage space, many Americans find themselves facing another type of real estate crisis.
"It's all about real estate, isn't it?" says Standolyn Robertson, the Waltham, Mass.-based president of the National Association of Professional Organizers. "When things do not have a home, they tend to pile up. And piles are a distraction." Finding a home for items in your bedroom begins with figuring out what you want your bedroom to be used for, says Robertson, who believes a bedroom should function as a retreat. Remove those things from the bedroom that you do not use, then develop a system for how you want to store the items you do.
"Then you decide where your shoes are going to live, where the throw pillow is going to live when you get into bed, etc.," says Robertson, a certified professional organizer and author. "For some people, reading is important. So a bookcase is a good idea." But be careful not to run out and buy storage products before developing your system, Robertson says. Instead, organize your available space. Jan Hayner, a professional organizer in Sheboygan, Wisc., says 80 percent of household clutter is the result of disorganization, not lack of space. Sometimes, it's just a matter or seeing your space in a creative way.
"It is easier for someone that doesn't live and use that room to be able to see hidden areas that you overlook," says Hayner, an author and columnist. She suggests placing extra shelving above windows or along the tops of walls, using a colored trunk as an end table, blanket chest or for seasonal clothing, adding a bookshelf with baskets for storage and even hanging a plastic chain from a plant hanger, using 'S' hooks as hangers. Robertson suggests hanging a 24-pocket holder on the back of a door - not for shoes - but for scarves, socks and other items that can be easily accessed.
Then there's the closet. Robertson suggests adding a shelf up high for random items and accessible hooks down low. If you have a lot of jeans, swap hanging space for shelf space. Old prom dresses and the like should reside in the hall closet.
And do you really need 65 t-shirts?
"If it's your favorite band, keep it," Robertson says. "But if you are keeping this shirt to paint in and you never paint, then don't keep it." Both Robertson and Hayner suggest drawer dividers for and see-through shoe storage holders. Using space under the bed is another option for storage bins, though Robertson does not believe in it.
"That's not the way to dream at night," she says. "But I know that if you are in Manhattan and closet space is short, you've got to put stuff under the bed." And if you take a little time to find a good home for your stuff in the bedroom, you may just find it a more restful place to be.
"The whole goal here is to have peace with your surroundings," Robertson says.
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