From closet cleanses to tackling the tornado of toys, getting organized can seem like a daunting task. We talk with WGN News Now about four key areas of the house to declutter!
DIY: Declutter & Design Your the Closet
Yes you can do it yourself! From demo, to building and install, we turned our closet from cluttered to custom and clean. It was a whole family effort (of course we let our 6-year-old use a drill) and it only took one weekend.
Our family moved a couple months ago and we’ve been getting settled into our new home and taking on a handful of DIY projects mixed with the professionals to make our house reflect our style. From accent walls and wood encasings, hardware and paint, we’ve had a lot of fun putting our personal touches.
So when it came time to tackle the Master Bedroom closet we found the perfect combination of custom, quality and DIY in Modular Closets. We loved that their modular closet system allowed for us to customize our closet (and it doesn’t matter the size or budget, they can scale… your closet doesn’t even need to be a walk-in, they do amazing things with standard closet space) and save up to 50% over other closet companies. We didn’t have to compromise on quality either.
Modular Closets units are made from top-grade and high-density wood, and last a lifetime. And, with closet units being modular, each unit can stand by itself, which makes it the strongest and most sturdy closet system available.
Let me walk you through the process. First we virtually met with an awesome designer who helped us maximize our closet space based on our wants and needs. From double hanging, to drawers, shelves, laundry pull out, shoe racks and valets… we had so much fun making the space more functional and stylish. We picked out color, style and hardware too. With our order placed, waiting for the shipment, meant time to demo and get our closet ready for transformation.
Kelli’s Closet from Start to Finish
When you think of demo, I know a sledge hammer to the wall comes to mind. And yes, that sort of happened. We just tried to make t more controlled to lift off shelves and rods leaving as minimal damage as possible because we knew filling, sanding and painting were in our future. This took about a day and before we knew it, we have a clean, fresh space ready for install.
Delivery day was exciting! The pallet of boxes seemed a little intimidating at first, but then when you understand that each closet module is shipped separately in a neatly packed box, so you won’t get confused when unboxing each item, it makes it completely manageable. We set up an assembly area in the hallway and followed the instruction book for building and then just repeated for each box, drawer and shelf. Getting the whole family involved.
Next came installation. We got out the level and our drill, the ladder, combined the tools with a little husband-wife teamwork and a couple days later… we had completed some great work, in a beautiful closet. We hung up our renderings on each wall so we could match the units and hang, and it was so exciting to see the drawings come to life right before our eyes.
Now we have this stunning closet! Every time I walk by, I get taken back by it’s grandness and sometimes I just stand in it and stare. There is so much space, and everything has a “home.” It’s like I have a whole new wardrobe because I’m seeing dresses and blouses I haven’t worn in years, not to mention handbags I forgot I had! We love the way our Modular Closet turned out so much!
Streamline Home Study Space
Whether you are working from home or your kids are virtual learning, the study space is so important to overall success. As a working mom who is hybrid homeschooling our children, being organized is essential to maximizing our time and saving my sanity. From stackable containers to organization sets, Macy’s has a great selection of items that will help you get your space organized. I love clear organization bins they can be used in the playroom for toys with small parts, in the learning area for different learning manipulatives or in the fridge to keep food organized. Drawer organizers are great at bringing organization to markers, pencils and other school supplies and can also be used in the bathroom for beauty and health products.
We’ve also found that it helps everyone keep the space organized when there are designated areas for things to be put back at the end of the day and time is often saved when you don’t have to spend hours searching for something.
Something that we have found helpful is tackling one space at a time when it comes to organizing. Prioritize each room/area based on how often you use it and start with your most used space. For us it was our home office/learning area. We are doing zoom calls so we have to keep everything tidy but the kids are also doing their lessons, so they need to be able to grab their bins and work on their lessons independently so they don’t interrupt meetings. We love how you can get all your supplies to get organized for every room at Macy’s.
Maximize Your Kitchen For Family Meals
From too many pans and skillets, to not enough counter space and having to eat in shifts because the timing is never right for the whole family to enjoy a meal together, we love the solution from Steelmade.
The Steelmade brand grew out of a family’s kitchen! A mom, making breakfast, became really frustrated with making one pancake at a time and wished out loud for a giant pan (we’ve all been there!) and her husband actually came home with a large, flat piece of steel for her to put on her cooktop and try. It changed the way they made meals and shifted focus back onto family meals and conversation.
They thought other families might have a need for this too and finalized the Flat Top design. Now this Kansas family has a flourishing business and designs and makes their products in Kansas. So I completely bonded with the story… but once we set up our custom flat top and cutting board in the kitchen, I was smitten.
The flat top is so easy to use, the food tastes amazing, and clean up was surprisingly more simple than if we’d used multiple pans. We started with bacon, as suggested to help season the steel, but we can’t wait to try everything from meats to vegetables. it can help with food prep and keeping to any New Year Resolutions you may have set, or nutrition goals hoping to be met.
And the maple cutting board is simply gorgeous. It is a beautiful focal point to our kitchen island and is versatile. We were kicking ourselves for not having it for the holidays (I mean this is the most amazing meat carving board because one side has the juice groove and the other side is flat), and I’m envisioning the most incredible charcuterie board for upcoming parties at the home. I need to get planning!
Whether you have gas or electric, standard or need custom, you can’t go wrong with Steelmade. Make sure you check out their seasoning and care instructions and kits, plus don’t forget to pick up a storage bag too. They have thought of everything so you can focus on family meals!
Put a label on it!
Whether it’s your pantry or your children’s clothing, labeling makes everything easier. It’s simple and there are some unique ways to label and have fun with it too. When it comes to labeling, Mabel’s Labels is the place to go. From labels to bag tags and even labels for the home, they have so many unique options that you can customize. You can pick size, design, font and more. We have found labels to be helpful in making sure our kids’ items come back from daycare, school, and sports when they get lost. The kids enjoy picking out the design and this helps them to recognize their stuff especially if it gets left behind at school.
We also love that Mabel’s Labels has a home label section. We created labels for the organization bins that we got. We have found that it helps everyone to put everything back at the end of the day and makes it easier to find things when they are labeled. This is especially helpful when it comes to arts and craft supplies! We also love that they have a book stamp and home address stamp. These are such great housewarming gifts or couple the bookstamp with your favorite book for a thoughtful gift.
