In November, Brambleton welcomed organizing expert Rachel Rosenthal into the Miller & Smith Downtown Brambleton models to share her tips and best practices on getting our homes ready for the holidays. Now that the de-cluttering season is upon us, take a page from Rachel’s book to get a system in place to tackle the chaos and get organized in the new year!
Whether you’re downsizing from a large family home to a smaller home in an active adult community or upsizing from a condo to a single-family home with children, organizing our things is an on-going task we all grapple with. Furniture, clothing, toys, mementos — even the food in our pantries can get unruly and out of control making our lives feel out of control. In comes organizing expert, Rachel Rosenthal. Featured on countless national TV shows, news segments and various publications, Rachel has helped over 3,000 clients achieve a more process-oriented life, versus just “tidying things up.” While neatness can be a result of organization, Rachel preaches the gospel of systems and says that neatness is often a pleasing result of getting organized but ultimately new habits and systems must be developed in order to create lasting effect or the clutter will continue to come in and stay. She puts new, logical systems in place in your home or office to achieve a more simplistic and organized result – and she told us all about it, last month in Miller & Smith’s Garden District Model.
At this intimate session, Rachel was able to address, separately, several of our guests’ individual concerns. Specifically, downsizing from a large family home to a smaller home can be a challenge for many. One of the guests mentioned she has boxes and boxes of very old, sentimental items for which she is struggling to part. In one example, Rachel suggests using an online service called Artkive. This service takes all of your sentimental items and digitizes them into a beautifully bound book. You actually send them the items to photograph and they send you back the book in return. You’re still able to enjoy the items and relive the memories those items spark without the stress of physical clutter. Rachel offers her clients $15 off their first Artkive purchase, which holds 200 pieces of art when you use the code RACHELORGANIZES20 at checkout, and she has generously extended that offer to Brambleton as well.
Before going into a place like The Container Store or HomeGoods to stock up on organizing bins, shelves, etc., Rachel recommends a couple of things first. Putting the organizational systems in place is essential and knowing how you want to use the space. The bins and fancy hangers do no help unless there is a method behind the madness. Once the method is established, measure your space. That way you can rest easy knowing your storage bins will fit into the desired locations perfectly.
Whether you are downsizing, upsizing or just trying to get a handle on the chaos of life, organizing is not for the faint of heart and professionals like Rachel have the tips and tricks to help us navigate the process, hopefully in your home in Brambleton.
