Find Your Hobby a Home

If you think you don’t have any space for a hobby room, think again! While having an entire room would be ideal, you can create a beautiful and functional hobby room in just about any space. Set aside a corner of a guest room. Share some space in your laundry room. Even an old closet can be remodeled to make a great hobby space.

Set Up Your Workstations

Once you have chosen the spot for your hobby, it’s time to figure out your major workspace needs. Collectors, scrapbookers and crafters might prefer a long table with lots of surface area to spread out. Artists and builders might need a table where they can stand and work on projects. If you have a variety of hobbies, consider making a mini-station for each one.

Whatever your furniture needs, try to think about them in terms of function rather than specific pieces that you need. Doing so will free your mind to be creative and to see furniture in a new light. Short bookshelves make for great storage spots and can double as table space. Adding a curtain in front also helps to hide any unruly clutter. Karen at Sew Many Ways has a great tutorial about how to easily raise a table to standing height on a budget. If you’re really adventurous, try making a DIY desk using old doors.

Closet’s by Design even has a custom hobby line that we’d be happy to tailor to suit any creative needs, from quilting to model-ship building. Take your time and dream big! This is a space for being creative, after all.

Organize Your Supplies

Once the major pieces are in place, it’s time to fill it up with your supplies. If you’re looking for creative ways to show off your hobby, give these ideas a try:

•  Small towel rails are great for storing supplies you frequently need. Ribbons can slide straight onto the rail, or you could buy hooks and hang mini-pails from it for a fun storage solution.
•  Mount clear wall bins to easily see what you have.
• Customize pegboards to store almost anything. Check out this Framed Pegboard tutorial from Honey Bear Lane.
• Plastic to-go cups are perfect for storing those tiny supplies that constantly get lost. This tutorial shows you how to make them magnetic!
•  Use an old filing cabinet to file your fabric.
• Once all the little bits and pieces are put away, your brand-new hobby room is ready to go. Happy creating!

To discuss creating custom spaces for any place in your home, please contact us.

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Plan for Growth

Anticipate what your needs will be down the road, and build toward a home office environment that allows you to grow into your plan. Predict what future hardware you may need, and even if you don’t purchase it now, plan for where you’ll put it. Do the same with administration systems, product organization and other needs unique to your business.

By building for the future, you can avoid costly replacements and lost time when you outgrow your current situation. Closets By Design has a variety of home office solutions for your unique needs, and we’re here to help you determine the best options and layouts.

Organize Your Systems

Having efficient procedures and systems in place is vital to your success, especially if admin isn’t your favorite task. The key is to focus on what’s easy, streamline everything and weed out any extra work. Often for home businesses, systems arise organically as needs arise. This works well in the short term, but be sure to step back and reassess, as there may be better solutions.

When you think through your business systems, keep these main areas in mind:

• Filing and general administration — Can you access or track documents online? If so, don’t keep the paper. Visit Mary Organizes for a great tutorial on home business filing systems.
• Accounting — Can you digitize any systems to save time and space?
• Client and project management — How are you tracking your clients’ information and the deadlines for your projects?
• Product creation and storage — What do you need and want for your ideal workstation? Remember to plan for the future, even if you can’t do it all now.
• Supplies storage — Do you have a clear and organized storage system so valuable assets don’t get misplaced?

Odds and Ends

Once the major aspects of office planning are complete, it’s time to get creative with all of the bits and pieces you need for the perfect home office. Stay on schedule with massive wall calendars. Capture ideas with whiteboard walls. Tame that tangle of cords. Shred old papers. Buy that comfortable chair you’ve always wanted. Whatever it is that makes your office inviting and functional, take care of it now so you can start 2015 with a fresh and efficient office space.

To read more about organizing your home, read De-clutter Your Home for the Holidays and Organize Your Pantry to Avoid a Holiday Disaster.

If you’d like to discuss storage solutions for any area of your home, please contact us.

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Surprisingly, the holidays are a great time to de-clutter! With the promise of new clothing and toys, it’s easier for the whole family to get rid of old stuff. The holidays also bring toy, food and clothing drives, so you can pass along your extras to a family who really needs them. So let’s get started.

Step 1: Adopt a Clutter-Free Mindset

Your holiday de-clutter goal is to create an open, comfortable space for you and your family. This is going to make your daily life feel less stressful, and you’ll certainly save time on house cleaning after this.

For de-cluttering to be a success, it needs to be a family affair. If whining is a problem, remind kids that they need to make space for the new toys that are coming or make a game to see who can give away the most. Keep your focus on giving away items instead of trashing them. This is an opportunity to teach kids about the joy of generosity, as they choose to give away their possessions to someone else.

Step 2: Pick a Space

Starting small will keep you and your family from getting overwhelmed and giving up. Try beginning with a bathroom or the downstairs closet. As you build up your de-cluttering stamina, you will find yourself itching to get to those larger rooms, like the kitchen or your kids’ bedrooms.

Step 3: Jettison Junk

Systematically go through your space and get rid everything that you don’t need. Watch out for common excuses to keep things, like “I might need that someday” or “I really loved that four years ago.” If you haven’t used it in the last year, odds are you won’t in this next year either. Get rid of it. Remember, you are making space to enjoy the holidays!

As you go, divide the things you are getting rid of into a “Donate” bin and a “Trash” bin. Donate anything that is in good condition. Throw away the rest. This can be painful, but you’ll love the result of a clutter-free home.

Step 4: Organize The Rest

Now that you have pared down to what you actually need, the fun can begin. Look for creative and exciting ways to organize your newly cleared space. Pinterest has some excellent organizational ideas for DIY projects. If you want to dream a bit bigger, take a look at Closets By Design’s custom closets, pantries, garages and laundry rooms!

With a home free from clutter, you and your family can relax and enjoy the holidays. And when your parents stop over for an unexpected visit, your mad-dash house cleaning spree will be a piece of cake.

Looking for a more serious de-clutter challenge? Give the 30-day-minimalist game a try. Be warned though: It’s not for the faint of heart!

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