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2007: Year of the Organized Home

By ELIZABETH BETTENDORF
Published December 31, 2006

The new year is a good time to make resolutions for the house and garden, particularly for chores that seem to languish from one season to the next. They should be basic, practical and easy to achieve.

Here are a few ideas to motivate and inspire in 2007.

Execute one big project by dividing it into steps

Been pining for that courtyard room for years, but never set aside the time or money to do it? Big projects that will improve our homes and lives tend to get lost in the to-do pile because they are just that: big projects.

Create a plan and then divide it into manageable steps that can be accomplished after work or on weekends.

"Do a walk-through and decide where you spend the most time in your home," said Tampa Bay area interior decorator Priscilla Castellano, owner of Andrea Lauren Interiors (www.andrea laureninteriors.com).

After taking inventory of your space, she said, think about your budget and color palette.

"If every room needs to be done, begin with where you really live," she said. "If you've put a TV in the master bedroom and you're spending less time in the den, then redo the master bedroom first."

When renovating an entire room, Castellano advised, splurge on one custom item - window treatments perhaps - and save money elsewhere by being creative.

She frequently picks out a good-looking off-the-rack comforter set, then adds fringe and other touches to give it a custom look.

Organize out-of-sight spaces in your home

Even though no one else is peeking into your messy spice cupboard or linen closet, you know the truth every time you make a meal or grab a towel.

A messy, disorganized home is depressing and keeps us from accomplishing our real goals.

"When you spend time doing what no one else can see - a desk drawer, for example - it's such a freeing experience. You feel like you've really accomplished something. You can go on to the next level," said Roma Starkey, a Tampa Bay area interior arranger.

A clean, organized linen closet that's accessible to the whole family is a huge time-saver, said Starkey, who last year reorganized a closet that holds her holiday decorations. After sifting through it all, keeping only what she really loved, she gave what she didn't need to charity. She also invested in proper storage bins so she could clearly see and label her holiday items.

Still need a little push? At 1 p.m. on Saturdays in January, Lowe's will offer in-store how-to classes on how to clear clutter.

Honor your roots and keep unique pieces

Hang on to attractive pieces of ancestral furniture or antiques. Don't be tempted to sell Grandma's Chippendale dining table or Aunt Nettie's needlepoint sampler just because it doesn't look like what you see in the decorating magazines.

"With a little paint and creativity, you never know what niche something might fit in," Starkey said. A small dresser might become the perfect buffet piece when tucked under the stairs and topped with a pretty lamp and framed family photos. Grandfather's bench, fluffed with cute pillows, might make the perfect children's reading corner.

Freshen up with small projects in short time

Paint the cocktail table, frame and hang artwork, clean the bathroom grout. Making your house sparkle makes even a modest house more inviting and marketable. Lowe's offers home improvement ideas that can be accomplished in a weekend for less than $250.

"A fresh coat of paint and a little elbow grease can make all the difference in the world, especially after the holidays, when all the decorations are down and things are looking a little dark," said Lowe's spokeswoman Karen Cobb.

Pause before those impulse purchases

Harboring a closet full of decorating mistakes? Here's some advice: Just stop. The next time you stumble across a home decor item you think you can't live without, institute the 24-hour think-about-it rule. That way, you can look at the colors in your home and soul-search before plunking down the dough.

If it makes your heart sing, go ahead, buy it

Sure, those honeycomb blinds might be a lot cheaper, but if you really want plantation shutters for your windows, then get them. It's worth splurging on the big, important items and cutting back in other areas. In the long run, your home will have the look you desire.

Kill the clutter

Some tips from the folks at Lowe's on ridding your digs of clutter in the new year:

- Give your closet a clean start. Just because something came out when you started organizing does not mean it has to go back in.

- Consider potential use, rather than past, in deciding what to keep. If you have not worn it at least once in the past year, odds are you will never wear it again.

- There are many ways to store shoes. Over-the-door shoe hangers, floor units, cubbyholes and shelves are all possibilities. Get creative! Some people have built shelves all the way around an entire room for shoes. It's functional and interesting decor at the same time.

- If your closet has only a single door, consider enlarging the opening and replacing the door with a pair of wider bifold or sliding doors. They allow easier access to the entire closet.

[Last modified December 30, 2006, 21:56:56]