Well Susan Main’s got a way-cool blog (mainwriter.com) about happenings in Vancouver, B.C., but like many highly creatives who are busy providing services to OTHERS, she’s got a bit of a problem with her AT HOME organization.  Biting off more than you can chew?  Join the club.  As professional organizers and designers we notice a few key items right away.  Susan’s primarily right-brain driven, needing everything available visually and physically within reach.  She’s got some serious lighting issues with a touch of “B” procrastination personality thrown in.  What surprises me the most is when you really take a look at this organization and storage problem, you see that for the most part, Susan is actually pretty together.  Books are grouped as are magazines and cds, but what her real issue is appears to be space and systems.  And she gives you a clue about her inner workings.  The painted red/orange wall packs a really high potential color scheme (coordinated with red & red/orange pillows and throws). What my mind’s eye goes to immediately, is her display of scientific butterflies.  Susan’s telling us just in the way this is highlighted, that she longs for more nature (stillness, calmness, beauty); deeper colors; and flexibility.

So it might be tempting (and I state for the record that other than obtaining rights to this photo, I have never spoken to Susan), to start helping her with chaos, clutter and disorganization by clearing the floor – but this would be a mistake because one would then naturally be tempted to move floor items to existing shelving units.  I think Susan would do well to totally clear out her bookshelves (I heard that gasp!) and in lieu of shelving units (which I would tell her to sell), I’d be talking to her about strong, horizontal, sturdy (knotted pine or oak) wood shelves (to bring out her floors) in long, long wide planks that run the course of the wall.  As I study what she’s got in these units now, most of her items are relatively small – so long plank solid shelving on the very same wall, would actually give her more shelves and storage space than she presently has.  Once the new shelves are installed floor to ceiling, I’d be looking to add metal and air elements to balance too much wood.  So it would be great if these new shelves could be braced with burnished silver steel or cast iron hooks and rods (brackets) to give this room an Old World library feel with a hint of nature element.

Now Susan should really look at her books, and the key to books is only keeping in the room what one actually uses. Her books and magazines should be at arms height, allowing top most shelves for valuables and breakables, and bottom most shelves for items like toys and CDs which could be grouped in very light bleach white or light tan wicker or wire baskets.  With the added room these shelves would give, the clutter on the floor would nearly be abolished. Susan needs to continue to keep like items together, and like activities together.  It’s difficult to see in this one photo we have in front of us, but I would consider moving the table mid room to act as a walk-around (and I’d be painting it the same color red as the walls to bring the room a unified feel).  I’d also move the couch to front-face the window which appears to be on the right.  In this way, Susan would be splitting her room by using the back of the couch as a divide – up against which would sit one side of the table.  I think she’d get more use out of her couch if it faced the window (natural lighting for reading), and she’d be less inclined to store stuff on the floor – but I suspect the couch presently faces a television and Susan may not want to move that.  (If so, I’d be looking to adding floor ottomans which can double as storage space).  

All together, these simple preliminary fixes constitute no more than a one weekend project (it’s really not that bad, girlfriend) and minimal costs for the hardwood shelves, the brackets, and the hardware to install them (Saturday) with reorganization and re-stocking of shelves (Sunday) – she’ll make a very big dent in her chaos in a very small way.  Even if she has to hire someone to install the shelves correctly, it’ll be well worth every penny as she’ll not only have room for everything shown here, but more of her art, toys, and yes, those nature elements from beautiful Vancouver – in your “after” photo, we want to see mirrors, art, shells, and some framed family photos!  :)  Enjoy!