Katie Couric Comes Clean, Again!

Jeffrey Phillip & Katie Couric Speak about De-clutter      Photo courtesy of Disney-ABC

This past February I had the special honor of being enlisted by the Katie Show to help the host herself face the clutter demons plaguing her home office. The project was a quick fire challenge—allowing only 7 hours to complete a full transformation-, but this is the kind of challenge I happily accept.  It was a super tight turnaround, but with a lot of preparation and a fabulous, hardworking team I was able to pull it off and completely de-clutter Katie’s home office.  A lot of great solutions came out of our work together, many of which can be seen on the Katie Show website, as well as some additional tips that I posted here.

The entire experience with Katie and her team was absolutely wonderful, so there was not a doubt in my mind when the show called me in August to ask if I wanted to help with another segment.  The focus this time? Katie’s master bathroom.  While I knew it was going to be another tight turn around, I was relieved to know that we were focusing on a smaller room.  However, as you can see from the show, the size of that small room had no bearing on what was packed in there.  We pulled out bag after bag of products, samples and bathroom accoutrement, spent a lot of time sorting, editing and figuring out how to make it all work for her again, only this time, better!

It has been nearly two months since we started on the journey to de-clutter Katie’s master bathroom, and today I am super excited for everyone to see the newly neatened space.  I hope that America loves these tips as much as they did last time and can even put some of them into immediate action in their own homes.  Since not everything could make it into the show, below are some additional tips and ideas that I thought I’d share from the transformation.  Also, be sure to check out my Springpad notebook to see all of the items we used in her master bathroom as well as in her home office!

  • Pull-out drawers – Low-level, deep cabinets can often result in wasted money as you forget what was purchased, and either never use the item or go out and buy it again. Stop losing money and things to the depths of your under-sink cabinets and maximize the space by adding a pull-out drawer so everything stays visible and easily accessible.

 Elfa Pullout Drawers and Bins     Clear Drawers

  • Vertical Space – This is not just a tip for the bedroom or office, don’t overlook the vertical space in your shower. With products such as the Command™ Shower Caddy you can add more storage space while freeing up some square footage in the corners, shelves or seat of your shower. The entire line of Command bath products has water-resistant adhesive strips that are super strong, and damage-free. Unlike suction cups, these products hold strongly and remove cleanly so you can reposition them at any time.
Command Soap DishCommand Shower Caddy - LargeCoomand Razor Hook
  • Back of cabinet doors – This is an often overlooked but PRIME area of real estate in many rooms, and the bathroom is certainly no exception.  Using the back of cabinet doors is a great way to store some of your most highly used items while opening up some square footage in cabinets and on shelves.  We used this trick several times in Katie’s bathroom by using StickOnPods® on the medicine cabinet doors for her makeup, as well as Command clear caddies on the vanity cabinet doors for hair brushes, makeup remover, etc..  This is also a great place for storing your hair dryer or curling iron by using a Command hook

 StickOnPods Box       StickOnPods     Command Clear Medium Caddy

  • Adding a POC – As I mentioned last time, there is something about a little pop of color or special design detail that can sometimes bring a smile to a person’s face.  It is a special touch that I love to incorporate when I can, which is why I lined the back of katie’s medicine cabinet with a decorative paper.  I wanted to give her a bit of subtle flair that would help her want to keep the space neat and tidy.  Since regular paper can be hard to work with in the bathroom, I suggest using wallpaper, or some other type of coated paper that will hold up well to the humidity and dampness. Chicshelfpaper.com is a great place to find lots options with various finishes to withstand the bathroom environment.
Deco Marine ChicShelfPaper.com          ChicShelfPaperSample          ChicShelfPaper.com Sample
  • Below, in one of my Springpad notebooks,  are a bunch of the other items that we used for Katie’s Bathroom.  Follow the link below to Springpad to click on any item to find out more info or to purchase!

jp. Springpad Notebook

The Go-To Shelving, Closet & Drawer System

As  a professional organizer, there are certain products and services that I consider my go-to resources – my tried-and-true favorites.  Resources make my list for reasons such as quality, efficiency, ease-of-use, value and company customer service.  For the past several years, one of my favorite products on this list is the Container Store’s Elfa shelving and drawer system.

From creating a versatile closet system to a functional home office work station, there are endless possibilities for this system.  The various Elfa components allow you to create customizable solutions to fit your closet, kitchen, garage, pantry, office and playroom.  Whether you are looking for drawers to house snacks in the pantry, or racks for shoes in your closet, Elfa has the answer to help you get your belongings more organized.  In addition, the versatility of the system will allow you to continue to edit your storage solution as your needs change.  Maybe right now you need a system to organize all your children’s toys, but in the future you will need it to organize their clothing… not a problem.  You can reconfigure the components you already have (including bringing pieces back to the Container Store to have them cut to fit) and you can buy new components to add-on to your current system.  This makes Elfa a great value solution, as you will be able to continue to benefit from your investment for years to come.   You can even take the system with you if you move into a new home and reconfigure it for the new space.  So while it is built to look like a permanent system, its semi-permanent nature will allow you to easily take it with you so you can continue to keep yourself super organized.

From the beginning phases of designing your solution at the store to the installation in your home, the experience is seamless.  I strongly recommend that you check out Elfa to help you get organized in 2011.  Plus, if you shop before February 15, you can save 30% on your system and installation.  A deal that only happens once a year!

Example of a walk-in closet solution with double-hanging for clothes, drawers for shirts, sweaters and undergarments, and top-shelf storage for purses and seasonal items
The jewelry tray component allows you to keep earings, pins, rings and clips separated and visible
The pull-out tie rack component allows you to keep your ties organized and easily accessible
Two different shoe components allow you to maximize storage for both high heel shoes and flats
Several shelves create a simple storage solution for a home office closet

The Container Store’s Elfa Shelving & Drawer Storage System

 

Bye-Bye Messy Kitchen Gadget Drawers

I came across the Axis Expandable Drawer Dividers while I was recently helping a client get settled in her brand new kitchen.  I was dealing with organizing some of the more awkward kitchen tools and gadgets in very wide, shallow drawers.  I considered the usual small bins to break up the drawers for easy compartmentalization, but wanted something that was more versatile and could adapt as the client’s needs changed and as she purchased more gadgets.  This drawer divider proved to be the perfect solution and allows you to create anywhere from two to six compartments of varying sizes so that you can keep things in their place and organized, no matter how many times you open and close the drawer.

Axis Expandable Drawer Dividers


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