Put a Spring in Your Step with New Closet Accessories

Spring is in the air for most people who reside in the continental US.  With this new season, comes a refreshed feeling and zest for getting organized.
Organization specialists from Tailored Living know this feeling all too well; it’s part of their livelihood!
Melt away the winter blues with some spring cleaning and consider tackling your closet first.  The change in seasons often requires a new wardrobe.  The experts at Tailored Living recommend first, separating out your heavier winter clothes, outerwear, and boots.  These items can be stored away easily in pull-out bins or on overhead shelving units. Sturdy slide-out baskets are ideal for stowing bulky sweaters and other seasonal items that take up too much hanging space.  Built-in cabinetry and integrated shoe racks are the perfect solution for keeping the shoes that you will no longer need, out of sight and organized.
Next, move your lighter hanging garments to the front of your closet to ensure that they’re easy to access.  Custom closets from Tailored Living incorporate areas for long and short hanging items so that everything in your wardrobe has a place.  Consider moving your shorts, t-shirts, and other casual items to the drawers in your main wardrobe unit or fold them neatly and place on lower shelves.
Lastly, you’ll want to display your brightest spring accessories! Overhead shelves enclosed by glass front doors are ideal for storing purses and hats to ensure they’re close at hand for the next special occasion or spring outing. Integrated valet rods work great for securely hanging scarves and ties and keep your custom closet organized.
By incorporating these storage tips into your closet space, you will feel more organized, spend less time searching through a cluttered closet, and get out the door faster to enjoy the weather now that spring has sprung!

 

How to Plan for a Custom Closet Organization System

Tired of sifting through the never-ending amount of garments you have hanging in your closet just to put together the single outfit that you had in mind? Can’t find the pants to match the shirt you finally decided to wear? Closet organization shouldn't have to be a frustrating and tedious task; it should be simple and leave you feeling great about your new and easily accessible layout. With that in mind, how would you feel about a customized closet that is organized based on what makes sense to you?

Tailored Living can help you design the perfect system with closet organizers based on your specific needs. Setting up a plan of how you want your completed closet layout to look is the first thing that needs to happen before you can start enjoying your personalized clothing storage system. Here are some factors to take into consideration when designing your personalized closet:   

How much space do you have to work with?
This is the main design aspect to factor into your closet planning. Knowing how much space you have to work with will help a Tailored Living professional incorporate the ideal organizational system. Don’t forget to consider height when you take inventory of the space in your closet. Making use of every inch can be important if you aren't working with a large space.   

What types of clothing are you storing?
Some people only want to hang shirts or blouses in their closet and leave other items such as pants and underwear stored in an outside bedroom dresser when they tackle closet organization. Think about what types of clothing and accessories you need to store in your closet and it will help you put together a picture of what you need in terms of organization.      

What do you want to put on display?
Tailored Living offers different options for specialty items that you want to show off or display. For instance, you can put your favorite watches or jewelry behind beautiful glass doors that will really catch the eye of anyone that takes a look at your immaculate closet.  

Safety precautions?
Your clothing and accessories are an investment that you have likely put years into collecting. If you have valuable clothing or jewelry in your closet, look into locking cabinet doors for added security. You can also install cedar-lined backings to repel pests.  

Which accessories and organizers would you like to use?
Accessories like tilt-out hampers, drawer organizers, and pull out mirrors are among the many options you can choose from to enhance your customized closet.        

Closet Organization for Him and Her

Let’s face it, men and women have very different needs when it comes to organizing the closet to neatly fit their clothing. Is it possible to accommodate both their needs in one space? Let the battle of the sexes begin! Ding-ding!

Round One — Shoes
Women typically own 30-50 pairs of shoes, whereas men generally own 5-10 pairs. Adding a rotating shoe rack is a great way to organize your closet and accommodate a large number of shoes. These rotating shoe racks come in a variety of sizes, increasing their versatility. Another solution for organizing shoes in your closet is to add layered shelving. Doing so neatly displays your shoe collection and provides easy access to them.

Round Two — Clothes
No contest. She wins this round easily as she requires two-thirds of the closet space for her articles versus one-third for his. Tailored Living’s professional organizing specialist, Scott Barnes, recommends installing a divider unit such as shelving or drawers to more clearly define the space and prevent overlapping.   

“The closet should be designed with a clear break between his and her clothing with a shelving or drawer unit,” said Barnes. “This helps keep the peace, as one will usually ‘steal’ storage space from the other if there is no break.”

 

Round Three — Accessories
There’s plenty of room to go around when it comes to closet accessories. You can save space and get organized with a pull-out rack installed right into your wall space. Pull-out racks are useful for ties, belts and scarfs.  Another solution for keeping accessories organized is to add custom dividers to your drawers. Velvet lined jewelry drawers are also available.

Final Round — Decorative Options
Depending on your style, this topic could prove to be a serious battleground. The good news is, Tailored Living offers a wide variety of decorative options that can satisfy any taste. You can easily avoid a drawn out conflict by accommodating both tastes. For example, everyone wins with a decorative finish. Tailored Living has a wide assortment of decorative finishes that are both neutral and attractive to each counterpart. These include chocolate, white, cherry and maple finishes.

And the Winner Is
Both! Once you find the closet organization system that best accommodates both sexes, you’ll be well on your way to an organized life. Everything you need will be easily accessible with a custom closet organization system tailored specifically to his and her needs. Schedule a free in-home consultation with your local Tailored Living representative to get started!
 

How to Get an Entryway Design Tailored for You

Seven Questions with Tailored Living’s Home Organization Specialist, Scott Barnes

Scott Barnes, Tailored Living business support representative and franchisee, took the time to speak with us about his approach to creating the best entryway for your home. Read on to get great tips from an industry professional with years of home organization experience!

TL: What are the common problems you see with entryways?
SB: The biggest problem is the clutter, especially on the east coast where families are constantly kicking off shoes every time they come in the house, or hanging big bulky coats on a lone coat rack. It becomes a big ugly mess. That’s generally not what you want your guests to walk into. Sometimes moisture is a problem. In mudrooms for example, boots are often taken off that still have quite a bit of snow on them.

TL: What are some different types of entryway solutions?
SB: Redoing the coat closet is one solution. If the house has an existing coat closet, Tailored Living can go in and make it more functional. Usually a coat closet has one long hanging rod and one shelf. That leaves a lot of unused room underneath and on top of the clothes. One solution is to make the hanging section proportionately sized for what’s being placed there. This leaves extra storage space various articles. Another idea is to build some type of bench or tall cabinetry in the entryway itself.

TL: What is your favorite entryway solution?
SB: The cabinetry option because it looks the best. You could really dress it up with some nice finishing stains that complement your existing home décor. It becomes a focal point, even if it’s by the backdoor. Entryway cabinetry can be a great addition to your home and can even increase its resale value.

TL: How does adding a nice entryway design add resale value to the home?
SB: I think organization in general adds a lot to a home’s resale value. We’ve learned from experience that having home organization systems installed is a big selling point since it adds functionality to the home and sets it apart from other options. The fact that our
franchisees constantly helping new homeowners get organized speaks to the fact that home organization is valued and in demand.

TL: What is your approach when helping someone with their entryway?
SB: I take an inventory of what they need. I look at what system is currently in place and relevant questions. Do you take your shoes off before going upstairs? How many kids do you have? Do you need a spot for them to sit down and put on their shoes? Do you use coats regularly? What sets us apart from a lot of other cabinetry companies is that we go through an interview process with the client. We ask questions and take notes in order to come up with a tailored solution.

TL: What is the key to a good entryway design?
SB: A key to a good entryway design is creating a solution that reduces stress and saves you time. If you know where something is, then you don’t have to go searching for it which gives you more time to spend on the important things in life. Great design also reduces clutter which in turn, reduces stress and makes you feel more relaxed at home.

TL: How does the Tailored Living process work?
SB: It all begins with a free in-home consultation. We sit down with you, discuss your needs and then use our 3D rendering software to redesign your space. You can see the result first-hand on our computer screen making it easier for you to choose the best organization options. During this consultation, we’ll also show you our complete sample book to help you better decide on the best materials, colors and styles to match your tastes. We have a wide range of product offerings and almost everything we do is completely customized. Once you’ve made your selection, we place the order and professionally install it.
Tailored Living’s home organization solutions go beyond the entryway and mudroom. We offer storage and organization solutions for the laundry room, pantry, closet, garage and home office. To learn more about how you can get a customized home organization system installed, contact a Tailored Living to schedule a free in-home consultation.

 
Tailored Living Entryway 

Simple Steps to Organizing Your Closet

by Susan Johns

If you were to ask a person what the toughest job in home organization is, the answer would definitely be “closet organization”. Yes, it is one of the toughest and most hated jobs by most people thanks to the limited space available in most of closets. Space has been the biggest enemy when it comes to organizing the closet. So how can one organize all their belongings within this limited space?

•De-clutter: All home organization work should start with de-cluttering. Once all the unwanted and unused things are removed, space automatically pops up thus providing a clear idea as to how to proceed with the organizing work. All the old shoes, dresses, etc. that have gone out of fashion or those you can hardly fit into should be disposed off. Few people have the habit of storing things for “future use”. This again should be avoided as half of the things stored this way will not be put to use in future.

•Cleaning: Once the closet is de-cluttered, it’s time to clean it. A damp cloth is an ideal tool to clean the space correctly. Once cleaning is done, throw in scented soaps or scented sachets to provide a refreshing feel to the closet.

•Organize: Once the de-cluttering and cleaning process is done and you are left with useable items, the organizing work can begin. It is a wise idea to group similar things like skirts, shoes, etc. Color coordinating will make the closet look well organized and also make it easy to find clothes. The most used items should be stored on top and less used items in the middle. Shoes should definitely be stored on the bottom rack as it is easily accessible and manageable. A pull out rack will make it easy to access needed items. Items that are to be kept without folding like suits should be hung using a hanger. Hooks can be used to create extra storage space. Out of season clothes should be stored high up. Suitcases that are not put to frequent use can be utilized for seasonal storage.

•Accessorizing: Using accessories wisely provides a neat and clean look to the closet. Use hangers of same colors. An umbrella stand can be used not only for holding umbrella but also to hold your yoga mat and other accessories. Using boxes for holding shoes can provide a coordinated look. Try to provide light between the closet door and storage area. A stackable laundry basket not only looks clean and neat, but also makes it easy to carry the laundry to the washing machine.

•Maintain: Maintenance is more difficult than cleaning and organizing. Make sure that only neat and clean items are put inside the closet. Once in a while the scented sachets can be replaced by new ones to retain the freshness.

The above process should be repeated at frequent intervals to assure a neat and clean space. Considering the closet as a small room in your house is the best way to keep it well organized.

About the Author:
Susan Johns is a freelance content writer specializing in home/interior décor writing. With over 5 years experience in the field of furniture and home decor, she has written numerous articles and blogs in this area. Please visit her blog http://decoreview.com.