before and after - The House Half Full Professional Organizing

October 12, 2023July 28, 2026

Hall Closets

Oftentimes closets are crammed with so much stuff, the items go unused because it is easier to buy more than use up what is already there-somewhere. Case in point: the hand soaps in this closet! There were about 20 of them floating around, hidden behind other things. I also gathered all the extra consumables from a nearby bathroom so the client would always have an idea of what items she had on hand, preventing over-stocking and over-spending on future shopping trips. I rearranged these two closets so that frequently used items are at eye level, spares and backup items are easily retrievable (even by the kids), and like items are grouped together. As always, a lot of unused, duplicate, outgrown, and worn items were either donated or tossed. The result is user-friendly and functional.

May 1, 2023July 28, 2026

Girl’s Closet/Dresser

This mini-client had so much crammed into her walk-in closet she couldn’t even walk into it! Her dresser was similarly overflowing. I started this fun project by removing all the non-clothing items from the floor in the closet. There were toys, blankets, bedding, and more. The Client worked independently to sort through all the stuff and then I came back in to organize it. I am so happy with the result-as is the Client. The closet has plenty of room to move around in so that getting dressed and returning clothing isn’t a challenge. I folded the clothing in the dresser so that each shirt, pair of pants, or shorts, can be identified without having to dig through and pull things out. I personally don’t like having to put a bunch of clothes away each time I get dressed. This will save both time and hassle and it also creates natural limits. If more clothing is acquired, other items will have to be passed on in order to fit them, creating a self-regulating process.

April 20, 2023July 28, 2026

Laundry

One of my favorite things is organizing laundry rooms. Maybe it is because my laundry is in the garage and it seems so luxurious to have an actual laundry room? Maybe it is because laundry is an inevitable chore that can be made much more bearable by having a super functional, clutter free space? Whatever the reason, organizing this laundry room was a blast! I pulled all the overflow cleaning supplies (A LOT!) out of the cabinets and placed them together on one open shelf so the Client could easily see what extras she had to keep her from unnecessarily buying more. One of my biggest tips for Clients is to avoid stockpiling supplies. Especially if you are short on storage space! How many backups do you truly need? Will you run out of a certain item before your next trip to the store from which you buy it? Do you know where your backup items are stored or do you find yourself buying more because you forgot where you stashed the extras you bought before? Think about how much space in your house is dedicated to storing extra items that you might not even need for months (or years!). Let the store be your storage! Similarly, try to keep overflow items near where they are used. In this laundry room I consolidated like items and grouped them together to make the space more cohesive. Items are now easily visible in the cabinets, cleaning supplies are easily retrievable, backups are obvious and close at hand.

April 20, 2023July 28, 2026

Entryway

This Arroyo Grande Client has an awesome house with an amazing view. Unfortunately, the first thing the family saw each time they walked into their house was a cluttered entryway. I did a quick declutter and mostly left everything as it was. With two busy kids, it works for them to have the sporting and dance gear all kept near the front door for a grab-and-go exit on their way to the next activity. I like to make spaces that work for each Client’s needs. I listen to the individual schedule and lifestyle and habits of each Client and work with them to organize in a way that makes sense to them.

April 20, 2023July 28, 2026

Office Closet

This Arroyo Grande Client was typical of many: I came to help get one room in order and ended up doing almost the whole house. It is so much fun reinventing Clients’ spaces using what they already have. In this case the Client uses an extra room as both a guest room and office as well as using the closet to house a managerie of things from arts and crafts to gift wrapping and presents to keepsakes to party supplies to Girl Scouting supplies. Oh my! A very multifunctional closet that needed to be more FUNCTIONAL. I started by sorting items by category. Next, the Client decided what to keep and what to pass on. I moved all the arts and crafts out to the kids’ area (see previous blog post!) and dedicated the closet to “Mom’s stuff”. The result: dedicated spaces for keepsakes, Girl Scouting supplies, party stuff, gift wrapping, and gifts. The bonus: organizing other areas of the house discovering more party stuff that I was able to quickly put where it belongs.

April 19, 2023July 28, 2026

Kids Area

This repeat Arroyo Grande Client has been so fun for me to work with. We have been transforming her house over the last few months. So many bags have been donated to the thrift store (Shamrock Thrift on Grand Avenue in Grover Beach is my go-to for donations. I often peruse the store while I’m there and frequently find great treasures. My zero-waste goals are always met at the thrift store when I buy thank you/blank cards, arts and craft supplies for my kids, storage bins, vintage items, and more!) and so much furniture has been rearranged. I absolutely love recreating spaces using items a Client already has. Rearranging furniture is my jam! This space was being used as a homeschool space. The Client wanted it to remain an area for the kids but didn’t need it to be school-only anymore. I moved the bookshelves into the living room where there was a large, empty wall. This created a nice library feeling near the couch to encourage reading. Next, I consolidated three different arts and crafts areas in the house and turned this space into the dedicated arts and crafts area. This family LOVES arts and crafts! Having all the supplies in one space makes finding, using, and returning items so much easier. The space is still a bit full but it suits the Clients’ needs and wants. It makes sense and is, above all, FUNCTIONAL!

March 14, 2023July 28, 2026

Entryway

This Grover Beach client had me in to help organize her kids’ playroom and game/laundry room. Those projects resulted in a furniture shuffle (as they sometimes do!). We moved several items around and I ended up doing a mini-makeover in the entry with a piece of furniture that wasn’t being used in the two other rooms. I absolutely love moving furniture around in a home to give the space a fresh look without spending any money on buying new pieces. The client was very pleased with the new, streamlined look of the entryway. Shoes are contained and easy for the kids to find and put away. There is also enough space on the seat to sit, even if there is a purse or diaper bag sitting on it.

March 14, 2023July 28, 2026

Kids’ Play Closet

This Grover Beach Client was my first Kid-Client. I loved working with the almost-5-year-old big sister. She wanted to transform her long, narrow play closet into a space for play for both herself and her little brother (baby sister isn’t quite playing yet!). It was already a pretty fun spot but being a slightly odd shape, it was too cluttered to allow a lot of creativity. The Kid-Client’s willingness to let things go to create space for the things she loves most was impressive! We left the larger play stations in the closet, separating the space into three sections as if it was a house. All the smaller items were rehoused to just outside the two closet doors. Using a cubed shelving unit from another room, we designated a different spot for each type of toy. This system is child-friendly. Things are easily found, used, and returned. Because the toys are in obvious groups (dolls, doll clothes, trucks, etc) kids can keep it tidy even though they can’t read yet. I am actually not a huge fan of labelling things. I find it becomes a hindrance when you want to repurpose containers-often the label doesn’t get changed or even removed which just adds to more overwhelm when you are looking for an item. Also, having to take a quick peak into a container is a good way to keep in mind what items you have stored away. This helps you locate them when you need them and helps prevent buying something you already have down the road.

February 7, 2023July 28, 2026

Laundry|Office|Arts&Crafts|Utility Room

This Arroyo Grande Client was very motivated to finally tackle her laundry/office/utility room. It had been the neglected dumping ground since they had moved in to the house 5 years prior. When I came in she had already decluttered most of the space herself. In her words: She was totally capable of doing the whole thing herself, it just made it happen so much quicker to have my extra set of hands and organizing expertise! In just a few hours we were able to organize the space!

A huge improvement was actually achieved by ADDING stuff to the room. The Client wanted to relocate her 3 kids’ arts and crafts from the dining room where it had become a nuisance! I love making kids’ work zones easy. Let them spend time creating rather than setting up and cleaning up. If kids can get what they need in one move and then similarly put it away in one move, they are more likely to clean up after themselves. What do I mean by “one move”? In this space, I put all the crayons loose in one drawer of the plastic storage unit. The kids can open the drawer to use the crayons and easily toss them back in when it’s time to put them away. On the contrary, I often see “over organized” kid spaces. Crayons are in the original box, in a larger art box, in a drawer, in a closet. Who wants to deal with that?! No wonder kids groan when they have to clean up!

My goal is always to make a space functional and easily maintainable. Homes are for living, after all!

December 19, 2022July 28, 2026

Utility Closet

This Grover Beach Client has a pantry and utility closet in the same hallway off the kitchen.

The utility closet was being under-utilized and the pantry was home to several non-food items. This meant that most trips to either closet meant a peak into both closets because it was such a jumble!

The Strategy

Firstly, I wanted to make the utility closest more functional so that we could fit more items into it but keep it organized, at the same time. I installed two shelving units that the client already had but wasn’t using to create more storage space.

Secondly, I wanted the pantry to be only for food. All non-food items were moved to the utility closet or relocated to other areas in the house that made more sense. For example the humidifier, which is used primarily in bedrooms, was moved to the upstairs bathroom to be more readily available when needed. The travel accessories were stashed in suitcases. This not only freed up more shelving space in the small pantry, but it created a system where not often used items are stored in a place that makes sense so time won’t be wasted searching for the items when they are needed.

Finally, we rearranged the food items in the pantry by category, keeping in mind which items we wanted the little kids be able to reach on their own…or not.

The Result

The final result is a functional utility closet whose small space is maximized. I love that the client was able to use shelves she already had and nothing new was purchased for this transformation. The contents of the closet now make sense for the family’s lifestyle and needs. Not to mention they’ll have to make fewer trips up and down the stairs when someone needs the humidifier in the middle of the night!

If you want to see another inspiring closet project, click here!