 Do you dream of spending your summer nights walking in the sand and then coming home to your stunning beachfront home? So do we! Our organizers got to experience a little taste of paradise recently. Take a peek at this jaw-dropping beach home we transformed for our lovely clients. Our Professional, Perfected ProcessAfter we organized their primary residence in Cary, NC, the clients asked us to travel to their beach home to get organized there too! They spent summers at the beach when the kids were off school - and it was difficult for them to get organized while moving from one home to the other. They would leave items behind at one home, buy duplicates for the pantry, and not remember what was where. Although the beach home was very large, at 18,000 square feet, it didn't have as much storage as their primary residence. They needed our organizing expertise to make the most of the storage space they had. Because the home is right on the beach, they asked that we use plastic organizing products (such as pantry bins and closet baskets) since anything woven or metal could easily rust or get mildewy. We had so much fun making the LARGE product list. It was the biggest order we have ever placed, coming in at about $8,000. As a reminder, we purchase all products in advance, handle any returns, and then only bill clients for what we end up implementing. Our organizing team came in with grit and gusto! Team members organized for 8-10 hours per day because they had traveled to the site and wanted to accomplish as much as possible per day. The project took 4-5 organizers 3 days total (about 120 organizer hours). What a transformation!  Our Custom, Completed CreationOur favorite areas to organize were the kitchen/pantry and primary closet. There was a gorgeous gray wet bar where we organized all the stemware and drinking accoutrements. Our clients are ready to host! All the kitchen drawers were carefully curated with bamboo drawer organizers. The pantry got many plastic bins, turntables, can shelves, and chalkboard labels. Because it is all plastic, our clients won't have to worry about moisture sticking around from the sea breeze. And because everything is labeled, beach house guests can easily find and put back what they use too. This keeps the organization more maintainable long-term.  The primary closet had a stellar shoe and purse collection. The husband has a large shoe collection at home as well, so it was important for him to be able to see all his shoes and easily decide which ones to take with him. See his primary residence closet and impressive shoe collection here.  We used plastic bins in the closet as well to contain all of his toiletries. It's so much more visually appealing and he can easily see how much he has of each item. No more buying items for the beach house to find out you already have 10 of them!  Our Happy HomeownersOur clients were very happy with the finished results. They couldn't believe how much we got done in that time and loved that we were in and out quickly so they could get back to having guests and enjoying the beach. They originally thought we would need to come back another weekend, but our organizers powered through and completed the project ahead of schedule. Our clients were able to see what they had easily, and their large family and guests can find and put items back easily because everything is labeled. The transition between their Cary home and beach home was way less stressful. No more missing shoes or swimsuits!  I love that our organizing business is so versatile. One day we're helping someone declutter before transitioning into assisted living and the next we're organizing a beach home that belongs on HGTV. The best part of our job is connecting with our clients and making their busy lives a little less stressful.
You don't have to have a celebrity-level home to work with us. We just love to help clients get organized. If you'd like to learn more about our organizing process and what it's like to work with us, download our organizing guide here: https://www.hello-simplified.com/organizing-guide.html Until next time, Sandi
0 Comments
 Whether due to positive or negative reasons, change is hard. Change can bring stress and a sense of disarray to your life. Whether you're moving to a new home, welcoming a baby, caring for growing children, becoming empty nesters, retiring, or transitioning to senior living, these major life changes can throw you for a loop. Our team of professional organizers specializes in helping clients going through these life transitions. We take away the overwhelm so you can focus on what makes you happy. Why Get Organized When Life Feels So Overwhelming?When you're preparing to move, you may feel so overwhelmed that you just want to pack everything up quickly and deal with it at the new home. But then at the new home you're still overwhelmed. You want to put items into cabinets and deal with organizing everything later - but later doesn't usually come. Or maybe you've just received a houseful of items from a passed loved one and your first instinct is to put it all into storage to deal with later. It's human nature to push off difficult decisions until the future, but the weight of those decisions still weighs on you. You know you have to deal with it eventually and it's on your mind much more than you'd like! Deciding to deal with it now and get organized is proactive and will make the transition much smoother. With an organizer there to guide you, you can make the tough decisions, release the past, and prepare for life going forward. We will ask the tricky questions about if items serve you and if they're something you want to bring into the next chapter. Emotions will be felt and that's OK. Processing them now will help you feel better and create more mental and physical space for the future.  Change of Any Kind Calls for ReorganizationYou're so excited to welcome your baby soon, but there are gift bags, baby paraphernalia, and itty bitty cute clothes everywhere. Nothing is set up for the baby's room and your energy left the chat weeks ago. This is definitely not a workout/guest room anymore - it needs to transform into a nursery stat! Hiring a professional organizer can give you peace of mind when the idea of getting organized alone just feels like too much. We're here to put order back in your home and make you feel like someone is on your side and looking out for you. We can organize nurseries with new baskets, hangers, dividers, and systems. We can declutter as baby grows out of clothes (or store them in labeled bins if there will be more future kiddos!). We're here with you along the way to keep things organized and tidy.  When You're Feeling Stressed, Start with Systems You KnowInstead of letting the stress take over and focusing on all the things that don't work in your life and home, focus on the systems and habits that do work. We can build on those! For example, if we're unpacking your new home and it worked in your old home to take your shoes off in the mudroom, we can add a shoe rack there instead of in your coat closet. If you like clear bins because you can see what's inside, we won't bring deep wicker baskets, we'll bring clear! We like to hear from clients what already works for them, so we can integrate those systems into our new organization (and recommend our own best practices too, of course!). During life changes, it can help to mentally grab on to those little pieces of confidence. There are plenty of things you're already doing right!  Release Yourself from Expectations; Be OK with Just EnoughChange will happen. We can't plan and prepare for everything. Sometimes it's best to let go of previous expectations and be OK with "organized enough." The last thing you need when unpacking your home is to feel like everything must be perfect and set up like a magazine. If you know things will be a little chaotic for a while and can lean into that discomfort, you'll be able to get to the other side of the change less frazzled. Relieve the pressure valve just a little bit so that you don't pop! When you hire our team to help, we'll bring a sense of order to your home and life that you desperately need. It will allow you to relax even more and trust that things will get done. You have enough other things to worry about! We're not perfect either of course (no one is), but organizing is our passion and you're going to love your (nearly perfect) organized home.  Sorting, Purging, and Decluttering As Self-CareYou've worked hard your entire life. Now it's time to retire and transition into senior living. You're ready to make friends, take morning walks, and read a good book (book club anyone?) There's just one problem: You have thousands of memories in your home and have accumulated more than you'd like to admit over the years. Please be kind to yourself. Decluttering and preparing to downsize can be a long and arduous process. Start small and give yourself plenty of time. This is the perfect time to work with an organizer (retirement gift to yourself?). We'll do all the hard physical labor and will only pull you in for the decisions. We can work in shorter sessions so it's not too overwhelming. We even take donations away for you and bring you the donations receipt after. Think of it as some long-deserved self-care by working side by side with an organizer and not doing this alone. The task won't feel insurmountable when you have a smiling face there to motivate you along the way. And when it's time to move, we'll pack your boxes with care and unpack and set up your new home too. Learn more about why to hire a pro organizer for unpacking after a move here.  At Hello Simplified, we know that major life changes can be stressful and overwhelming. We get it and we've been there too. That's why we've made it our mission to help clients experiencing these life transitions. We want to bring you peace and help your change be as smooth and organized as possible.
Please reach out if you're feeling like the change you're going through is too much. We're here to help. Download our organizing guide to see what it's like to work with us: https://www.hello-simplified.com/organizing-guide.html Warmly, Sandi  Moving is not your cup of tea. You've been dreading it for months. You've done your best to declutter and pack before the move, but realize in a panic that you have zero plans for when you arrive at your new home. How are you going to do this on your own (and with that never-ending back pain)? Today we'll share how our team of organizers will unpack and set up your new home in a functional and maintainable way. Let's go! Reason #1: Our Unpacking Service Removes the OverwhelmYou've finally arrived in your new home. You want to feel relieved but you're about ready to lose it. Boxes are towering over you and you can't find a single thing you need. Why did you label everything "miscellaneous"?! Then you remember your friend mentioned that professional organizers can do the unpacking for you ... hey, that's us! It's hard to unpack a kitchen when you've just moved and have no energy left. Fear no more! Take the kids to play (or yourself to a coffee shop!) while we work our magic and unpack your home in just a few short days. We'll even create a product list for you, then do all shopping, and make any returns. No buying tons of bins that don't fit your pantry when you get home.  Reason #2: Our Unpacking Service Makes Sense of Your StuffWhen your home is filled with moving boxes and the moving truck pulls away, you may feel lost and don't know where to start. As professional organizers, we make sense of your stuff. We start with a conversation to learn more about how you labeled boxes. If you labeled boxes generally and they're not in the correct rooms, we'll sort through boxes and make sure they all get to where they belong. If you used pro organizers to pack your boxes (highly recommended for the most streamlined process), everything will have been clearly labeled with the room the boxes are going to in the new house, not where they were in the old house. We give packing clients the option of an inventory of your boxes with box numbers and basic contents. This helps us confirm before unpacking that all necessary boxes are in the room (25 kitchen boxes listed and we only have 22 in the room, let's go find those 3 rogue boxes!). In the unfortunate event that your moving company misplaced boxes, our inventory helps us identify which ones are missing and what was in them. The inventory can also be helpful if you're looking for a specific item to unpack (where are the bed linens so we can sleep?!). Read our five packing and unpacking tips here.  Reason #3: Our Unpacking Service Prioritizes Essential SpacesWhen unpacking, certain rooms are more important to unpack first than others. Who cares if your garage is fully unpacked and organized if your kitchen and bedrooms are unusable? When unpacking, our first priority room is usually the kitchen (the heart of the home), then bedrooms/closets, then bathrooms. Everyone needs to eat, sleep, and get ready in the morning. Creature comforts in place will help you enjoy your new home faster. If you'd like different rooms unpacked first, let us know and we'll start there.  Reason #4: Our Unpacking Service Gets You Settled QuicklyWe recommend contacting us a couple of months before your move so you can get on our schedule and enjoy your new home ASAP once moved in. But it's never too late! Some clients contact us months after they've moved in to their new home if they still have moving boxes cluttering their living spaces that need unpacking. When unpacking, we like to send in a team of 2-4+ organizers so we're out of your hair as quickly as possible. We can have your main rooms of the home (kitchen, pantry, bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms) unpacked within a few days. We will work with you to prioritize what spaces you want done first. Then the rest of the home goes quickly too. If we come daily, you'll have your new home completely unpacked and organized within a few days to a week or so.  Reason #5: Our Unpacking Service Finishes What it StartsOur organizers don't just unpack your boxes and leave everything for you to deal with. We strategically decide where your items should go and organize it all into maintainable systems. Bins will be labeled, clothes will be hung by type and color, and you'll easily be able to find what you're looking for. We'll do a walkthrough and show you where everything is and make any tweaks you would like. We can create a list of our expert product recommendations for your spaces, do all shopping, and make any returns. We also take any donations away for you, and we have trusted service providers we can recommend for any additional tasks/needs for your home.  Are you getting excited yet? Your new and organized home is calling!
If you're ready for a move that feels easy and effortless and want to learn more about working with a professional organizer, download our organizing guide. Warmly, Sandi  This family needed our help! They were a large family living in a large home - about 10,000 square feet. The mom contacted us and asked for every single aspect of her home to be looked at and organized. Not only organized, but Pinterest-level pretty! Their home interior was painted a couple of years ago and since then everything had been out of place. When COVID hit, they started spending most of their time at their vacation home and started homeschooling. Their primary home was visited only occasionally and felt unmanageable to get organized. The mom thought she could get it organized herself but soon realized the task was too large to tackle alone. As they prepared to move back to their primary home full-time, she knew she needed to call in some assistance! Organizing Team & Decluttering ProcessWith the size of the home, we brought in all hands on deck and sent a team of 3-4 organizers most days. This project spanned over many months, and we worked on most areas of the home. The client rented a dumpster because there were many large items to dispose of. We took any items that could be donated and gave the client receipts from the donations. In addition, the client had many nice clothing items for adults and children that were consigned. Our organizers did the heavy lifting with pulling out, sorting, and organizing the items. We involved the client to make decluttering decisions when necessary. She was so helpful and quick with decision making on what to keep and what to let go of. She was determined and ready to live with less. This made the transformation and impact even greater for her. She did a fantastic job with so many decisions! After each area was decluttered, we organized what remained with products such as baskets, turntables, and clear bins to create that Pinterest-worthy look. We make it easy for our clients by making the product lists, and then doing all shopping, purchasing, and returning of items. We then invoice the client only for the products we end up using in their home. There were a lot of products for this project! We created an ongoing organizing product zone in the dining room for all the items needed throughout the home.  Organizing product zone in client's dining room Home Organizing RevealedWe simply loved how this home turned out! We were able to transform so many spaces, encourage the family to live with less, and make their daily routines like getting dressed so much easier. The primary closet became the male primary closet (see his closet featured in a separate blog post here). For her closet, we helped design and transform a craft room into her primary closet with the Elfa Decor closet line from The Container Store. The closet turned out so well and looked like a fancy boutique!  At the client's request, we used matching thin black velvet hangers throughout the home to make putting away laundry easier.  We added labeled baskets and fabric storage bins to the childrens' closets. There were many bags of clothing donations. We also labeled and set aside "too small" clothes as hand-me-downs for the younger children in the family.  Even the garage got some love, with labeled storage totes, new shelving to utilize vertical space, and grey bins that made it feel more modern.  Probably the most head-turning space was the pantry. This one took the most organizing products, but it was well worth it! We decanted baking supplies and pastas. She asked that we use clear, labeled bins and containers so she could easily see everything and her kids could go in and independently get snacks.  What's Next for this Newly Organized Family?The mom was so happy with the results and continued on as a maintenance client, with monthly visits to reset the organized spaces and work on any other projects that came up. Children are always changing and evolving, so someone is usually growing out of their current clothing size or has new toys or craft supplies to add in to the mix. The kids can be more independent and know how to find and put items back because everything is clearly labeled. Every item has a home in every room (even the linen closet and laundry room!) and the excess, unused items were said goodbye to.  Thanks so much for joining us on their organizing adventure recap! We loved helping this family feel less overwhelmed by their house.
Are you feeling like everything is out of place and would like one or all areas of your home to be organized too? Download our organizing guide to see what it's like to work with us! Warmly, Sandi  Your dream has come true: You have an organized and tidy home! Baskets are clearly labeled, like items are with like items, you've said goodbye to items that no longer serve your family, and you feel a sense of peace around you. Pure bliss. But wait... How are you going to keep it this nice?! Lucky for you, we're sharing 3 simple routines for maintaining your home organization. Routine #1: Tidy in 10 MinutesMaintaining your home is easy when you know where everything goes and every item has a home. Tidying daily is best, but try for at least every few days. Make it a routine to walk around the main living areas of your home and pick up all items that don't belong there and return them to their designated location. Then tidy up what stays within each room, such as dishes into the sink to wash, clothes into the hamper, and books back on the bookshelf. Get the family involved too! Toys, books, and games can get especially messy in the blink of an eye. It's OK to help out, but it's vital for kids to learn how to help clean up their possessions too. If mom always does it, it will be left out for mom to do it! (Read more about organizing playrooms and getting kids involved here). Another strategy is to collect these items throughout the day if you're already walking by. This is my favorite way to do it! I'll grab something that needs to go upstairs and place it at the bottom of the stairs. Then the next time I'm running upstairs, I grab the item waiting there on my way. It's efficient and a fantastic habit to get into. One more tip we share with clients is to take photos of how we organized your completed spaces and save them to an album on your phone. That way, if you forget how something was arranged, you can open the album in your photos app and see exactly how it was professionally organized.  Routine #2: Fast Decluttering for 15 MinutesI get it, nobody, not even professional organizers, keeps their homes perfectly pristine and organized like it was just organized that day. If there's a small area of your home that needs some decluttering love, you can use the same steps that we do as pro organizers, but on a mini-scale. Set a timer for 15 minutes and do some quick decluttering magic. Empty that drawer, basket of toys, or one small section of your clothes (like all PJs), and sort into broad categories. Be ruthless and donate anything you're not using or that's expired. Throw out anything unusable, and create a donation bag for items in good shape. Put items back into the space, grouped together by like categories. If you had us organize the space already, you will likely have labeled baskets, drawer organizers, or a closet layout to easily put items back into. Bonus tip: We always suggest that clients have a designated donation area/bag in their home. This makes it easy to put aside items that you want to donate. When there are enough items, put the bags in your front seat so you'll actually remember to donate them! When we organize or come by for maintenance, we will gladly take any donations away for you that you've set aside.  Routine #3: Hosting Bliss in a Half HourBefore your home was professionally organized, you probably felt panic like no other when guests were expected. Now, tidying is a smooth and quick process. All you need is 30 minutes or less. Start with Routine #1 to put items back in their place and do a quick tidy sesh. Think of where guests will come in: Can you put some coats on your hooks back into the coat closet so guests have a space to hang their items? While you're there, put shoes strewn on the floor back onto your shoe rack. Move the mail pile aside (or open it if it's small enough). A tidy entrance will make the best first impression. Fold your blankets, fluff your pillows, and clear any excess clutter where you'll be sitting. If guests are staying over, set out clean hand towels, place fresh towels and washcloths on the bathroom counter, put toiletries in the shower, and make sure there are clean sheets on the guest bed. Turn lights on throughout the downstairs to welcome your guests and think about offering some tea or coffee! Time to get cozy and relax with your guests.  As much as we try and as good as our intentions are, life happens. It can often be difficult to follow these routines and keep our homes tidy. We totally understand! That's why we offer our maintenance services.
We can refresh the systems we already created, do another round of decluttering, tackle your accumulated mail and paper piles, or even put away the 12 loads of laundry you finished (ha!). It feels like it never ends, and we get it! Feeling overwhelmed with tidying, despite your attempts to get organized? Download our organizing guide to see what it's like working with a professional organizer. |
About UsAt Hello Simplified, we specialize in organizing, decluttering, packing and unpacking services. Read through for tips on how we help our clients feel less overwhelmed and more in control of their busy lives and homes during major life changes. Archives
August 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed