Today's Before and After Organizing Job

As a professional organizer I always enjoy seeing before and after pictures of projects. I find them inspiring and motivating. I have done many make overs through the years and only recently have I been taking before/after pictures. Not sure why I'm late to that game (maybe it's because I didn't have a blog). So if you're like me, this post might interest you (maybe even inspire you).



I've probably organized every type of space throughout my career. Offices, bedrooms, bathrooms, attics, playrooms, you name it. Even recently a gym. But my favorite remains ... the garage! I even got to do two in the last two weeks (lucky me). I'm not quite sure why I get such pleasure and satisfaction out of garages, but I do. One of my clients who I have been working with for years finally gave me the "green light" to do her garage. She knows I've been itching to get my hands on it! What makes this make over interesting to me is I threw virtually nothing out. Usually for a dramatic "after" there needs to be a fairly large "out the door" pile. But not in this case. For a couple reasons ... first my client was not home at the time of the make over and I would never risk getting rid of something she didn't "okay" first. And second, most of the contents are items her family actually needs.

For this particular home, there really is no storage. No attic, no basement, and no empty closets to use. Which means the garage is a catch all. It has to serve multiple purposes including storage for keepsakes, gardening, auto, recreation, home improvement, household overstock, and furniture overflow (among other areas).  So needless to say it was a challenge. That I gladly took on.

Now I'm not condoning a make over where you throw nothing out. That is simply against my religion. I LOVE to get rid of things and it's a very important step when making over any space. But, like I said, this project was unique. But it goes to show that even if you have a room full of "must haves" you can still make a big impact simply by rearranging your "necessities of life".

So here is a shot of the back of the garage before:.

Pretty typical and as you can see space is in shortage and stuff is in excess. After some muscles (thank you Insanity) and sweat (thank you 80 degree day), here is the after:

After sorting and getting creative with storage solutions I think it looks pretty darn good! There are clear "stations" for pets, household overstock, keepsakes, luggage, etc. It's crucial that everything is view-able because out of site out of mind. Plus I do not want my homeowner searching frantically to find anything. My job is to set them up for success and be able to maintain organization on their own. 

The right side of the garage:

Extra furniture, gardening supplies, and random items are struggling to thrive with this current arrangement making it frustrating for the homeowner. But after digging in ...

... I hope my clients are inspired to garden (or maybe pack a picnic). Most of the extra furniture and housewares will shortly be donated or handed down to another family member. And this will make me even happier when that space opens up. 

And lastly, the left side of the garage:

An assortment of typical household goodies. No significant system or grouping. This is a home very close to the beach. I wanted my clients to enjoy all the perks of their awesome location by giving them a "beach" section. A "grab your chair and lets hit the sand" kind of  area. 

So that's what they got:

Sand chairs, boogie boards, umbrellas, sand toys ... all in one "grab and go" location. Who wants to be frustrated right before hitting the beach? Well now hopefully they won't be. Surfs up! 

And one final shot of the whole garage:

A one car garage loaded with all the various must haves of home-ownership in a house with zero alternate storage. I'd say we did pretty good. And might I add ... this project required zero out of pocket expense to my client (other than my time). 

So the moral of the story is ... it doesn't have to cost a ton of money, you don't have to throw out (or donate) most of what you own, and you can make a space that is short on storage but big on "stuff" work. Here's the proof . It was my honor and privilege making it happen. I truly appreciated my client giving me the freedom and trust to make over this space (and permission to blog about it).  I hope they enjoy this newly organized room because I believe our homes should rise up to meet us. 

Thanks again for stopping by and here's to another day closer to a life in balance ...

xo

Sloane