Room by Room - Office

Whether your office is in a separate room or part of you general living space, keeping it organized can help keep your home looking clean and spacious. My office space happens to be in my living room. I have designated a specific area for office related tasks but unfortunately their just isn't enough space. For this reason, it is important I keep it organized.

As mentioned in my post about organizing your living room, I plan on building a table to go behind my couch that has a hinged expansion so that the couch table will turn into an extra workspace for homework and crafts. This way, the couch table will serve two separate functions in my shared room! If you need extra work space, take a look around and see if there is anyway to use your furniture, or create furniture that can serve multiple functions.

I also found an idea for organizing paperwork. By dividing your papers by purpose or task you can quickly sort documents when you get them. Once it is full, or you get a chance to empty each bucket, you can do it quickly. You also don't have to worry about piles growing on your workspace, taking up valuable area. I would probably include a folder for filing and mailing. 

 

My favourite addition to my office area is my "Useful Box" organizer. I got it as a gift from a friend but have also seen them at Walmart. It provides several compartments that are perfect for storing staples, paperclips, USB drives, erasers, binder clips, push pins and really any other small trinket you can think of. You can easily see into the box and grab what you need in an instance. It could also be used for craft supplies if your office doubles as a craft room.

 

I love the idea of making this giant chalkboard calendar. It would be pretty easy and would only require tape, paint brushes, chalkboard paint and a little time. It makes it easy to see what you need to do at a glance and is a fun way to spice up your office.

Instead of throwing all of your office supplies in your drawer, use drawer dividers or small boxes and trays to keep everything organized.

 

Try a little organization DIY by turning a shoebox into a charging station. It helps keep everything looking tide by tucking away your cables. Be careful not to create a fire hazard though!

 

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Keep an eye out for more!

 

 

 

Optimizing Space with Colour

The colour of your walls can really affect the mood. Although I always go for white because of its neutrality and brightness, that may not be your cup of tea. I decided to collect information about what moods are evoked by different colours to help you choose which one is right for you. I also provided a selection of light colours that will help keep your room large and bright but will also fit your style.

 

Freshome offers more details as well as a great pictograph of what colours to use in each room!

 

 

If you are looking to use light colours but whites and neutrals aren't what you are looking for, try some of the following. You could even go lighter!

 

 

 

 

 



Murphy Desk - Love It!

 

In previous articles, I have discussed the benefit of space saving furniture. I found this fantastic murphy bed/desk while perusing the internet and fell in love with it. It allows you to quickly turn your desk into a spare bed and would be great for an office or guest room. I think this is great because usually if your desk doubles as an alternative piece of furniture you spend a lot of time moving your things around! Not the case with this murphy bed. You can not only save space but time as well.

 

What do you think of this piece of space saving furniture?

Organizing Your Gaming Station

I know a lot of people who have multiple game systems which means multiple controllers, chargers, games, units and everything else that goes with gaming. On top of that their are the controllers for your sound system, TV, cable box etc.





To alleviate our controller issue, I found a decorative box that sits in the centre of our table. I put all of our controllers in it when they are not in use.

 

Alternatively, you could Velcro your remotes and controllers to various storage units and walls.








You could also invest in an ottoman that will hold all of your games and gaming accessories. This one is specifically for storing gaming stuff but you could use any ottoman.









Use a shoe organizer - gees these are versatile. You can store your remotes and controllers in it and if you want it hidden when guest come, it can be placed on the backside of the closet door.







Or theme your storage area to match it's purpose. This is something I will definitely do when I have my own house and kids, or maybe just the house. You can make all of the storage blocks open and paint 1' square storage boxes with question marks so that they can be taken out easily. I believe the question marks are doors in this photo.








Or just use a drawer. You can use bins or drawer dividers to help separate everything. Bonus - newer systems don't have as many cords so you don't have to worry about tangling.

How do you keep your games and accessories in order?

Room by Room - Living Room

I am about to organize my living room to make it more functional.

 

The first thing I read was that before anything, consider what you do in your living room. The article made a good point. It said that even though you may not think that certain items, such as toys and LEGOs, belong in your living room, if they end up their during your family's living, it may be time to find them a home in the living room. They suggested storage ottomans.

 

 

 

Create a place for current projects. Instead of leaving half completed works of art sprawled across the table, you can designate a place where they will be safe until next time. It will help keep your living room clean.

 

 

Create a table to put behind your couch. This creates extra table space and can take the place of clunky side tables. You could also use it as a table, as in the picture. I am going to design one with an additional top width that is hinged on. This way I can make the table bigger when I need the space - such as for homework and crafts, but can easily make it smaller when I need the floor space.

 

 

Invest in a quilt rack or a blanket ladder. This will give your throws a home so that they aren't always taking up couch space. If you can't find one, you can always build one!

 

 

I absolutely love this next one but am unable to do it because our couch has funny shaped arms.

This organizer built a side table to go over the couches arm. This saves space by eliminating the need for side tables and it is small enough to find a place for when not in use.

 

  

 

Layout is key to optimizing space. Try setting up your living room in different ways to see which is better. If you don't want to move the furniture around, try making a room layout to test configurations. Visit Apartment Therapy for more ideas.

 

 

Did you find anything helpful? Share your ideas in the comments!



Furniture Arrangement Tips

Arranging your furniture in the proper way is one of the best ways to optimize space and make a room seem bigger. I came up with a list of tips to help you configure your furniture the best way possible. 

First, think about what the room is going to be used for, from all aspects, so that you know what kind of furniture you need to have to optimize the space.

 

Determine the focal point of the room and organize furniture around it. Your focal point may be a fireplace, television or piece of art.

 

 

Keep walkways to other rooms clear. When placing your furniture you want to be sure that you and your guests are not zigzagging through the room.

 

 

If a room, such as the living room, has several purposes, divide your room into mini rooms. The room will still be open but will seem larger because of the designation of functional spaces.

 

There are also a bunch of articles regarding optimal furniture spacing. I have included a selection below but for more information I suggest reading The Ultimate Decorators' Guide to Ideal Living Room Layout Measurements at Apartment Therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee table and sofa - 14 to 18 inches

Space between furniture - 30 to 36 inches

Distance between seating - 3 to 10 feet

Distance from television to sofa - 1.5 to 3 times the diagonal size of television

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, when placing your furniture into the room, place the largest items where you want them first, then organize the smaller items around it.

 

If you aren't sure where you want everything and don't want to repeatedly lift your furniture, try making a room layout, to test room configurations, first!

Organizing your Car

If you are anything like me, your car doesn't stay clean for long. I am constantly trying to figure out where to put my groceries while still having what I feel is essential to have in my car such as jumper cables, a change of clothes, seasonally appropriate attire and an emergency kit. I am sure a lot of my space problems have to do with the fact that I use my car as a toilet paper storage facility because I don't have room for it in my home (I tend to over buy when it is on sale). Bonus - if you are ever with me on a road trip, you don't have to use a leaf.

 

The first idea seems like it would be great for anybody who has kids. I find trips, with the children in my life, go much better when they have something to occupy their time. By installing a shoe organizer to the back of the front seats, you provide ample storage for your kids road trip goodies. It also provides extra space for storing car necessities.

 

 

To help reduce the spread of garbage and keep your car tidy, invest in a cereal container to use as a garbage can. Store garbage bags at the bottom of the container so that you always have one when it is time for a new one. This method makes it easy to quickly remove trash from your vehicle.

 

 

Use silicon cup cake liners in your cup holders to help catch crumbs and drips. It also makes it easier to clean out your cup holders, just remove the liners and clean.

 

 

To avoid making your trunk a giant pile of stuff, invest in an organizer. You can get ones in all shapes and sizes or get custom ones made specifically for you trunk. I really like the stretchy mesh that you strap to the underside of the trunk door or across the front/back of your trunk. They help keep items such as umbrellas and sporting goods easy to access while assisting you to keep the main trunk area clean.

 

 

 

Or try your hand at making a fold open shelf to help separate the items in your trunk. Visit Instructables for directions on making your own.

 

 

Use a small accordion file folder or binder in your car for all your important documents and receipts you may need later. This keeps everything in one place but also reduces the likelihood of receipts being lost under the seat or thrown away.

 

 

 

Let me know, in the comments, how you keep your vehicle organized!