From Top To Bottom

A few weeks ago I began the first of four sessions with a client at her Gramercy Park townhouse. This client is extremely organized so when she called and asked me to help her with her closet because it's more fun doing it with someone else, I jumped at the chance. Not many people find de-cluttering fun, as I do, so I couldn't wait to transform her walk-in closet. Day one began with a house tour from top-to-bottom with my client pointing out the areas that bothered her the most. We decided to work our way down by starting with her main clothing closet in the master bedroom. For me the first order of business was to clear a path on the floor.






Once that was done we tackled the infinite number of shoes all marked clearly in their boxes. Then it was onto the clothes. Eight hours later (including a lunch break and two trips to the thrift store) we were done. Exhausted but exhilarated!

During our second session, we started at the bottom in the basement laundry room. It has very low ceilings so having items crowded into one space made it feel very encroaching for my very tall clients and not a welcoming place to do laundry. Again, we started with clearing the floor and the laundry folding table so they did not become dumping grounds for orphan items. While we were unable to go through all the boxes on the shelves (that's a task that has to wait for my client's husband to tackle), we did eliminate a box or two and created some space to get items previously on the floor, off.

Hard-to-reach corner shelves were cleared out and items were grouped together for easier access. I love that the folding table is clear except for a basket of hangers. I left a reminder on the surface to keep it for folding only!


We made three thrift shop runs (we are in thrift shop central which makes donating so easy) and put out at least four trash bags for pick-up. While this area is still a work in progress, I am thrilled my client would sneak downstairs periodically just to admire her newly-clear surfaces and floor. I am counting the days until next week to continue our organizing journey. I am already salivating at the thought of tackling the pantry and utility closet! The goal of this project as always, is to create a foundation so everything in a space has a home and areas no longer become dumping grounds because they have no place to go.

If you are struggling with a problem area in your home or office or have overcome your clutter issues, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to comment on the blog, become a fan on Facebook or follow me on twitter.