Eliminating clutter increases clarity, decreases stress and sets the stage to live a more enhanced life! My home organization journey (yes...I’m still working on it) started about 20 years ago. That’s when I met Barbara Reich, one of the best professional organizers in the business. Barbara and I worked closely together while I lived in NYC and she transformed the space in my family apartment. We spent a lot of time together sorting through piles of stuff and really got to know each other well. We even carpooled with our kids and collaborated on some business projects together! I then referred to Barbara as “my Ivy League organizer” as she had a degree from U of P and was always at the top of her game. She was passionate about showing her clients how to set up organizational systems in their homes, empowering them to be successful at leading a clutter-free life. She certainly changed mine!
“Barbara's tips are invaluable and life-changing"
Read on for the full story about how Barbara helped my daughter Rachel with her move across the county, including some of her best tips for getting and STAYING organized! Shop my organizational Amazon store HERE and the carousel below to help keep your space organized and tidy!
“Everyone should Barbarafy,”– The New York Times
When my family and I moved to the west coast, Barbara and I stayed in touch, and it all came full circle when my daughter Rachel got a job in NYC and moved back to her beloved city. Moving from her large apartment in LA to a cozy apartment in Tribeca would be a challenging project for us to tackle. First, there was the purging--a huge job in itself.
Rachel’s bedroom and closet is small (typical NYC living). After assessing the space, Barbara’s first suggestion was that she have the closet professionally outfitted. While this seemed a bit frivolous in a rental apartment, adding additional shelving and hanging wherever available was a fraction of the monthly rent and necessary for her clothing to fit in the bedroom. Barbara also replaced all of Rachel’s mismatched hangers with uniform ones to eliminate the visual noise in her closet. Barbara was SUPER creative in using every inch of space to properly accommodate Rachel’s extensive collection of clothing, shoes, bags and accessories. Her motto, “purge, organize, design, maintain.”
See below for Barbara’s top tips for organizing a small space, including photos of Rachel’s bedroom and closet space before, during and after.
TIPS FOR ORGANIZING A SMALL SPACE
Think vertically. We had floor-to-ceiling shelves built in what would otherwise be a wasted corner of the bedroom.
Think outside the box. Although blocking Rachel’s windows with a high headboard wasn’t our first choice, it was the only way to avoid walking into the bed when entering the room. It also enabled us to take advantage of a cut out in the wall where we placed her dresser.
Keep solutions simple. Realistically, Rachel wasn’t going to get on a step stool to get her shoes or put them away each day, but stashing the 5 pairs worn most frequently neatly under the bed was a workable solution.
Properly folded clothing takes up less space than piles of clothing.
Store what’s used most frequently in the most accessible places. When we reworked Rachel’s closet, we traded long hanging for a combination of short hanging and eye-level shelving for her jeans and sweaters.
Out of season should be out of sight. We stored Rachel’s summer shoes and bags on a top shelf of her closet.
Organize by color. By organizin the clothing by color, Rachel can easily find what she needs to get dressed each morning.
Click HERE for more information on Barbara Reich Life Organized and to book a session!
Before you go…
If you like this article, you may also want to read, “Tips to Lead a More Balanced Life in 2022.”