Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Taming the Luxury of Space
Last week I was creating “zones” in an attic in New Jersey and a question popped into my head: If “efficiency apartments” are actually efficient, are big houses necessarily inefficient?
Of course, if you are organized, size doesn’t matter. However, I’ve noticed that my clients with tighter spaces tend to have better systems in place because they have to, while clients with bigger homes don’t put as much thought into it because there’s plenty of room to stash stuff.
There are many ways that a big home can be efficient. There’s no need to rent outside storage for you bike or your winter clothes, no need to schlep to the corner to do the laundry… these things can definitely make life run more smoothly. Nevertheless, big houses and apartments need more upfront planning, more systems and more vigilance. When you have an attic and a basement, it’s easy to just park things out of sight and concentrate on keeping the center of the house neat. That’s all well and good until you need to find something. You know you have snorkeling gear, but you can’t remember if it’s in the attic with the ski stuff or in one of those unlabeled bins in the basement. Without good systems, finding a tax return becomes a Herculean effort, rather than a quick trip to the file box in the attic.
The simplest way to insure that storage spaces stay organized is to create zones: Summer gear together, sports equipment together, painting supplies in one spot, auto supplies in another. Boxes and bins are a good start, but shelving makes it easier because if you want the box on the bottom (and you always do), you won’t have to lift and shift five other boxes to get to it. No need for anything fancy: basic Ikea or industrial Metro shelving works great, and remember labeling is key. Forget the P-touch and go with a Sharpie on a big white label so you can go big and see it easily, and don’t forget lighting. Battery powered closet lights can make a dark attic corner more functional. Peg boards can be great for storing tools if you have the luxury of a workspace.
Still, the most important way to keep a big house running smoothly is the same thing that goes for a tiny studio apartment: weed constantly. Just because you have space to store something doesn’t mean you should. So let go, and remember, the one thing that house-dwellers definitely have over apartment-dwellers: You can’t have a garage sale unless you have a garage.