Bathroom with places to put away the necessities without being cluttered.
The opportunity to declutter is a great additional benefit of renovating your home. Shopping for tile, faucets or flooring and selecting grout colors can be a lot of fun but, as demolition day gets closer, homeowners have an opportunity for something even better than fun… purging!
Completely clearing out your living areas can seem overwhelming but the chance to go through your belongings and get rid of things you don’t need can have an empowering effect. You just decided to re-imagine your home, so why not re-imagine your life into the clean and efficient condition you’ve always wished it could be?
Organized and appealing pantry
Here are some things to think about and the steps to take in clearing out your home before a remodel.
First, seriously consider if there is somewhere else you can live while your home is being renovated. There are many reasons for this suggestion. Generally, the reason people want to stay in their home during a remodel is to save money but it is worth a financial sacrifice to have a place to go that is not a construction zone. This suggestion is for your mental, emotional and physical well-being.
Second, decide how and where your belongings will be stored during construction. Banker’s boxes or plastic bins with lids are good options for packing the things that you are keeping and they neatly stack for storage during the project. There may be some room in your home (away from the renovation) where you can store the boxes or you might consider renting modular storage spaces that can be delivered to your property. Some people rent a storage unit for this purpose or have their belongings packed and stored off-site.
Third, clearing out every shelf and drawer takes time so, please, plan for it. Adjust your schedule as necessary so you don’t end up in sitting in a pile of chaos at 3AM the day work on your house is scheduled to begin.
Fourth, assemble what you need before you start. Besides the boxes or bins, you will need garbage bags, labels, markers and three large bins (or a laundry-sorting cart with three sections).
Fifth, pick a room to start in (you might want to bring a water bottle because you’re going to be in there for a while). Staying in the room (not running in an out and getting distracted) will help immensely. Bring the three large bins, a few of your banker’s boxes and some garbage bags with you into the room and follow these steps:
1) Select a bin for “PUT AWAY” a bin for “GIVE AWAY” and a bin for “THROW AWAY.” You may want to line the “throw away” and “give away” bins with garbage bags.
2) Start in one corner of the room and quickly sort items into one of the three bins. Go with your gut and don’t spend a lot of time on individual things. (Try not to hug items, sing about them or cry because that just takes longer and makes sorting them agonizing and emotional.) You can judge if things are going well by whether the “throw away” and “give away” bins fill up quickly. When needed, reline those bins with a new bag and keep going.
Dejunked and custom designed closet.
3) Try to stay right there in the room to finish as much sorting as possible before you need to empty the “put away” bin.
4) When you need to empty your bins, start with the “put away” bin and anything that belongs in the room where you are cleaning can go into the banker’s boxes. Label each box with the room’s name to make unpacking easy. Anything that is left in the “put away” bin should be quickly taken to the room where it belongs. Toss the “throw away” bags into the trash and put the “give away” bags in your car (so you can take them to Goodwill).
5) When your bins are empty, come back into the room you were working on and start the process over. Keep going until the entire room is sorted.
6) The last thing to do in the room is to put the labeled banker’s boxes into your storage area. Taking each of them from that room at the same time means that they’ll all be together when you unpack (making it easier and more efficient).
Now, you’re ready to start on another room. It feels great to empty them out one-by-one.
Going through everything you own can be stressful but it can also make you feel great. Here are some tips to keep you thinking positively and to help you not get overwhelmed during the process:
Picture your future home.
1) Picture the future. Daydream about how beautiful your home will be after you clear out the mess and construction is complete. Imagine yourself enjoying the clean, organized rooms you are creating.
2) Think of all the good you are doing by donating unused items to people in need. You are making a difference and (if you request a receipt when you drop off your items) getting a tax deduction too.
3) Remember everything you own is a responsibility. Think of your possession’s as rocks that are a weight you carry around with you. This will motivate you to get rid of the dead weight so you can really enjoy the things that you actually use and need.
Science has shown that clutter doesn’t just affect us physically; it affects our emotions, intellect, ability to rest and more. Chances are, you’ll sleep better, be more creative, feel happier and have more motivation if you find the courage to let things go.
Custom closet with organization.
The opportunity to declutter and enjoy the benefits of orderly living is a great reason to consider updating your home. If you’re ready to re-invent your environment call Perry Newman Design today at 801.971.0868. He’ll take your cluttered mess from conception, through construction to completion so you can have the custom designed “a-place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place” place that you have always dreamed of.
Since the 70’s, the microwave oven has been an American household staple and for many people it is the primary way that they cook, defrost and reheat food. However, microwaves are not especially attractive so careful planning and placement of this go-to, time saver are key when creating the kitchen of your dreams.
To enhance the beauty of the kitchen, many re-modelers are choosing to put the microwave into the island by designing the cabinetry to hold a traditional microwave underneath the countertop or installing a microwave drawer. Although this might be a new concept (and test your sense of tradition) there isn’t a lot of bending involved in using a microwave in the island. Controls for a microwave drawer are easily accessible and, for safety, it makes sense to lift food up a few inches onto your countertop instead of reaching up into a microwave to bring hot foods down toward you before carrying them to a safe landing zone.
Convection/microwave combo ovens are a mix of microwave technology and heat energy, so they can brown, roast and grill. They also have a heating element in addition to a fan that aides in the circulation of hot air. This means that you get the quick, internal heating of microwave technology combined with heat that keeps the outside crispy (or whatever consistency the food should have). A microwave-only unit sometimes makes food soggy or rubbery so you can tell it has been heated that way.
Another option is to select a steam oven. These can be used to steam, reheat, bake, defrost or to cook so they are extremely versatile. You can even cook rice in them. They take a little longer than a microwave but the condition of the food when it is finished is incredible. If you are reheating leftovers it will be hard to tell that they are leftovers after being heated in a steam oven. Also, because of the many features this appliance offers, you can set the oven and walk away from foods that would traditionally take more effort to create. A steam oven is a wonderful tool and a viable choice for replacing or adding as a companion to a traditional microwave oven. If you are remodeling your kitchen it is worth taking the time to look into the benefits of this type of oven.
Getting ready to remodel or maybe just feeling like updating and freshening the look of your home? Enjoy these ten, professional interior design tips that will help you get it right.
Speaking of light, sunlight is a wonderful tool. Add windows (or at least clean the ones you have so they shine). Remember that glass sparkles and sunlight gives the illusion of a bigger space. Natural light is warm and inviting, it relaxes people. Choose accent pieces that accentuate the light. For example, yellow pillows or window treatments are bright and cheerful. In fact, the color yellow actually stimulates conversation in your gathering spaces.
When it comes to art bigger is not necessarily better. Selecting appropriate art to use in design can be intimidating and the whole process is subjective. People like what they like and what one person considers incredible may not be interesting to someone else. Since art can be expensive, it is common for homeowners to get overwhelmed or frustrated while making these selections. If you find yourself in this situation consider using a collection of small prints and having them framed in matching frames. Then, carefully arrange these on the feature wall to make an engaging point of interest.
When considering paint choose a base color and then purchase a 50% lighter mix as well as a 150% darker mix of the same color. Use these in your room to simulate texture (as would happen if you striped a wall) or to add interest with accent pieces. Another tip with color is that if your room feels dark (because of color or cabinetry) you can paint the ceiling a lighter version of the wall color and it will instantly brighten the room.
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