.

 Harmony Matters

.


Creative sustainable solutions to help you

 Be clutter free TM 


Providing organizing services to Bellingham & Whatcom County since 2006
.
.

.
Kitchen

Naomi (co-owner of Harmony Matters) and Alan wanted their small kitchen to be less cluttered.  Some specific problems they wanted to solve were too many things on the counter tops, and traffic flow of the kitchen.  They also wanted to change the paint color and create a completely new feel for the kitchen.  To deal with the traffic flow problem, we decided to block one entrance with a new cabinet.   This allowed the kitchen to function as a room to prepare and enjoy food rather than as a walk way through the house.

The Process
Before After

Naomi and Alan inherited a brightly painted kitchen when they purchased this house.  Alan’s love of cooking and cooking supplies, and Naomi’s collection of dishes, mugs, and knick-knacks made this space a little overcrowded.

A new wine country color scheme transformed the kitchen, and the rearrangement created more storage space and also improved the “energy” of the kitchen.

This cupboard blocks what used to be a door way, creating another two and a half feet of cabinet space.  All cups, glasses, and mugs are now stored close to the microwave, and coffee and teas are stored in the lower part of the cupboard.

The previous owners had removed all the cabinet doors and put up curtains in bright coordinating colors.

We repainted and replaced the lower cabinet doors and added a matching window valance.  This end of the kitchen is now the coffee and tea zone, with coffee maker, coffee grinder, tea, and mugs all close by.

This overcrowded counter housed too many appliances and dishes, and quickly became filled up with food and other things in immediate use.  The overflowing cupboards above added to the visual clutter.

We removed everything and sorted through it all.  The things on the counter are now only those things used daily.  A new set of canisters coordinates with the new color scheme.

The microwave took up all the usable space on this counter, leaving no place to put dirty dishes or to prepare food.

Now this counter is clear and has one purpose: to house the toaster, cookie jar, and the aloe plant.  Open counter space around the sink helps with food preparation and cleanup.
All this stuff (and more) was in the kitchen! 
Can you believe it?

These overcrowded cupboards were storing a lot of infrequently used items.

 

We took everything out, disposed of any outdated items, evaluated what actually needed to be in these cupboards, and only put that type of item back.  Now there’s space for everything, and the entire top shelf is free to hold Alan’s cookbook collection.

The lower cabinets were overflowing with many Tupperware dishes and baking dishes, barely hidden behind curtains.

We sorted through all the containers, matched them with their lids, and decided which ones were used.  Now there’s room for everything to fit perfectly!

This shelf, which used to be on the end wall of the kitchen, now sits above the wine fridge in the dining room.  It holds wine glasses, a fruit basket, and even leaves room for houseplants.

Alan and Naomi’s new kitchen is now a clutter free space that they both enjoy being in.

Here is one of the things this client said when we were finished:

"Even though I'm an organizer, I struggle with clutter too.  Organizing your own space can be much more challenging than organizing someone else's space and possessions - that's why people often hire an organizer to help them!  Jesse's professional objectivity helped me see my kitchen in a new way and envision new possibilities.  She also reminded me that I only have the space that I have, and I was able to let go of things that simply would not fit in my small kitchen.  Working with an organizing coach makes this whole process so much easier!  The results are worth all the effort."
.

Previous: Garage | Go back to the Photo Gallery | Next: Downsize/Move
.
Find us on Facebook, read our Blog, or follow us on Twitter!
Serving Bellingham, Birch Bay, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden,
all of Whatcom County & some areas of Skagit County, WA
We are members of the following organizations:
Sustainable Connections The National Association of
Professional Organizers		 Women's Professional Network

Naomi Pollack and Jesse Larsen
Professional Organizers and Consultants
.
360.510.6291 - naomi@harmonymatters.com
.
 Copyright 2006-2010, Harmony Matters, all rights reserved
Home Photo Gallery FAQ Resources About Us Contact Us