Best Results Organizing

Organizing your home can be frustrating. You have to remember: “Don’t put things down. Put them away!” That means assigning ideal spots so related items are where you’ll need to access them when you want them. Ease of access and appealing aesthetics are just part of creating a physical system where things belong; you still have to follow a behavioral system of putting them back so they’ll be there the next time.

Today, we’re going to look at a prototype for a new system for keeping your bare essentials accessible and tidy, updates to a favorite furniture line for maintaining order in the home, and a special tool for moving your stuff — to a new home or a new town — and making it practically painless. In each case, form doesn’t merely follow function, but enhances it.

GRAB N’ GO

Pennsylvania-based Finder Enterprises CEO Ray Westphal isn’t the typical tycoon or inventor. But he had a problem and wanted a solution. In his own words:

My frustration with misplacing and searching for everyday personal stuff has led me to come out of retirement and start-up my company, Finder Enterprises, LLC. We have developed our first of two products which are directly aimed at solving these problems. Finder Enterprises, LLC’s GRAB N’ GO™ system is compact and labeled, it lets you know that an item is missing by just one quick glance.

The Grab N’ Go is still a prototype, but that didn’t stop Ray from coming to the 2014 NAPO Conference and Expo to get feedback and share his idea with professional organizers.

This certainly isn’t the first (nor will it be the last) hold-it-all kind of entryway or desktop/dressertop organizer, but there’s something charming in its simplicity. It’s got:

• Six separate sections to keep items from getting tangled or jostled
• Two layers, with the top slightly recessed to keep lower level items visible
• The top left and right sections have cut-outs for charger cables/cords
• An attachable side section for writing implements and sticky notes

What do YOU need to grab quickly to get out the door? Chances are, it’s glasses, keys, phone and money. Wristwatch use may be dwindling (though smart watches may reverse that trend), but wearable tech like my Fitbit is increasingly addictive. (If you wander over hill and dale, only to realize your activity never got measured, were you really ever active?) Having a place for these essentials as you come in or go out is a basic organizing strategy part of the landing strip/launch pad notion.

The Grab ‘N Go prototype comes in two colors right now: white (above) and a smoke/black (below).

Because it’s a new product, and still in development, there’s no pricing, but you can definitely imagine how this simple, sleek product could catch on for everyone from dorm-dwellers to McMansionites.

CLOSETMAID® CUBEICALS AND PREMIUM CUBES

While Ray’s was a new face at the NAPO expo this year, we also had a veteran home design vendor in the house — our friends from ClosetMaid! We always delight in seeing ClosetMaid’s new products, which this year included some stunning upgrades to their Impressions™ and Selectives™ do-it-yourself laminate systems and the reach-in closet system, ShelfTrack® Elite. The ShelfTrack line is especially appealing for use with kids and teens, as its adjustable mounting system helps create a flexible combination of hanging and shelving/drawer space to grow as kids grow.

But let’s face it, ClosetMaid is particularly beloved by organizers and the disorganized alike because of one stellar product: Cubeicals®! It’s a rare person who hasn’t seen (or, I’d hazard, bought) a set of cubed shelves with those collapsible, colorful fabric drawers. I’m sure you’re used to the standard Cubeicals collection available at Target, Staples and Lowe’s, which comes in laminate 6- and 9-cube organizers and 3-cube bench styles.

For example, this three-foot high, nine-cube, white laminate organizer is perfect for a variety of bedroom/family room/entryway storage purposes and suitable for holding toys, clothing, books, handbags, or just about anything. They’re easy to put together and can be customized with doors and colorful fabric bin drawers in a variety of colors:

Variety is the name of the game with these bin drawers. The Classic color line includes Green, Fiesta (orange), Red, Cabernet (brownish-red), Oasis (dark green), and two shades of blue, a light and dark denim. I’m not sure whether the Trendy line changes with the seasons, but Kiwi Green, Ocean Blue, Spring Green, Fuchsia, True Blue and Purple are their current selections. The Neutral line, probably more suitable for a man cave or formal living area, sports Natural (tan), Grey, Mocha, Charcoal Grey, Canteen and Black. The Playful line is perfect for a nursery, with cheery Yellow, Pale Blue, Pink, Hunter Green, Light Purple and Royal Blue options. These non-woven polypropylene cubes (which feel like soft canvas) measure 10 1/2″ wide and deep, and 11″ high, and have one cloth, looped handle. They’re generally priced around $7.75.

For those who like a two-handed option, ClosetMaid has some Target-exclusive bin drawers in some classy colors (solids in French Vanilla, Cascade Blue, Graystone, Taupe, Evergreen, Red and Coffee Bean, as well as patterned in French Vanilla/White and Graystone/White), with the traditional handle and a smaller looped pull-tab (for those who wish to turn the smaller tab side facing outward). They’re priced at $10. A separate Premium Fabric Bin line (unrelated to the Premium furniture line below) includes two brown faux leather handles on opposing outer walls of the Robin’s Egg, Rustic Bronze, Clay Brick and Warm Cocoa 10 1/2″ cube options. They’re priced at $11.50.

The big news at the Expo was ClosetMaid’s new Premium Cube Organizers, available only at Home Depot. They were even the winner of the NAPO 2014 Organizers’ Choice Awards for Best Solution for Organizing Storage Space.

Available in 6-cube and 9-cube styles, the Premium cubes, designed for a more formal living space, feature a rich mahogany finish, a full back-panel, hidden hardware and decorative molding. The coordinating Premium bin drawers come in two styles: 13″ cube two-handle bins (available only from ClosetMaid.com) and 10 1/2″ wide by 10 1/2″ deep by 11″ high one-handle bins, exclusively at Home Depot. As you can see above, contrasted with the standard ClosetMaid bins, these are sturdier, non-collapsible bins with reinforced cut-out handles and linen, polyester and faux leather finishes. Home Depot is pricing the 39″ high x 26″ wide 6-cube unit at about $70, and the 39″ high x 37″ wide 9-cube unit at $80.

ClosetMaid has still another new line of 6-cube and 9-cube vertically-adjustable units, available only at Target.

These also have full back-panels and hidden hardware, and come in premium wood grain laminate with textured embossing. The Premium 6-cube version, above, comes in Weathered Teak and Black Walnut finishes and measures 38.31″ high x 25.81″ wide x 11.81″ deep; the Premium 9-cube unit is available in Weathered Oak, Dark Chestnut and Black Walnut finishes and measures 38.31″ high x 37.6″ wide x 11.81″ deep. The vertically-adjustable shelving allows you to accommodate big binders, oversized books and tall knickknacks, but still gives you the option of using the traditional cubes. The 6-cube and 9-cube versions retail at Target for about $45 and $60, respectively.

So, Finder Enterprises covers organizing your small things, and ClosetMaid has a handle (and sometimes two!) on organizing the big stuff…where, hopefully, it will stay put!

MOVE-N-ORDER

When your life is in flux due to a move, overwhelm about where your stuff is at any given moment is at an all-time high. Whether you’re working with experienced, high-quality moving professionals or trying to get from your dorm back to your parents’ house with a U-Haul and a prayer, moving is stressful. Finding what you need when you arrive (or even en route) shouldn’t add to that stress.

Virginia-based Professional Organizer Maria White of Enuff With the Stuff has developed Move-N-Order, a kit for a color-coded moving system so that you can ensure that each piece of furniture and every box gets to the right location in your new space.

Move-N-Order comes in two versions, one for four-bedroom home moves and one more suitable for moving from a two-bedroom condo or apartment. The kits include:

• Graphed floor plans with an inventory tracker for boxes and furniture to make sure that everything is accounted for — the four-bedroom home kit includes 11 floor plans; the two-bedroom condo has 7 floor plans
• Brightly colored, numbered, removable furniture stickers (154 for the four-bedroom, 98 for the smaller move)
• Extra-large, brightly-colored box stickers, designed to fold over box edges and be visible from the top and side (292 stickers for the four-bedroom, 124 for the smaller move)
• “Open First” stickers so that when you arrive late, hungry, sweaty and tired, a few dishes and glasses, a shower curtain and your toiletries will be close at hand
• “Fragile” stickers, because there’s always a chance someone might treat a box marked “fragile” with extra sensitivity
• A series of expert Quick Packing tips and Day-of-Move tips from Professional Organizer Maria White
• A downloadable, professional 40-minute staging tips video
• A downloadable book, entitled Improve Your Move, How to Prepare Your Home for a Move.

The Improve Your Move book covers topics including starting to prepare for a move, how to design a room plan for your new home, how to prepare your own home for sale (including routines to follow to keep your home show-ready), packing steps for self-movers, special tips for moving with children, and guidance for what to keep with you in your car during the moving process.

The four-bedroom home kit sells for $85, while the two-bedroom condo kit is $75. Both can be purchased directly from Move-N-Order.

If you’re planning your next move, or you’re a professional organizer who works with client relocations, you should know that Maria is offering Paper Doll readers a discount on purchases of either version of Move-N-Order. Just use the discount code:

paperdoll

when you check out and you will receive a 10% discount on your Move-N-Order purchase.

Whether you’re staying put, heading out the door, or moving across town or across the world, may you have an organized day!