Office Space Reclaimed

Laurel is busy running a non-profit (in her spare time) called Grave Concerns. 

She is a badass, with no time or energy to tackle her home office, turned heated storage space. She also has another talent. Every piece of paper she touches, multiplies. LOL 

When one of your superpowers is turning paper into more paper, you may need to 

call me LOL because a home office paper tornado explosion 

                         can be a bit overwhelming to tackle on your own!!

Even my assistant admitted after we finished, "When Laurel opened that door, I wanted to run!! 

I felt completely overwhelmed and would have never known where 

to even start organizing it." 

SHOOT... I say, 

"The bigger the disaster, the more you will love 

and appreciate the final results!!" 

Most important thing to remember: don't panic and don't feel bad about your mess. It's all good and you are not alone. I'm serious and I'm not just telling you that to make you feel better.  Lots and lots of people have your paper-multiplying power!!!

My mom even has it. LOL 

Think of some of the organizing benefits: 

you will probably find all the crap you thought you lost, 

like these cool glasses 

and the 300 chords and electrical thingy-majigs 

you have been saving.  LOL  

OMG and guess what else? YOU HAVE 18 rolls of scotch tape!

This is AWESOME because just think of all the money you will save now that 

you don't have to keep buying them!!! 

Do you really want to keep all 5,000 of these pencils?

Ummmmm.... No, of course not. 

Think of it as having your very own smart-aleck motivator 

sta

AHHHHHH.....You can breathe better just looking at this after picture, 

can't you?

No re•arranging this time; just some re•claiming for Laurel.  

Re•claiming her much needed home office space. 

Now she can get back to being a badass! 

Tips and advice for my fellow paper multiplier superheroes: 

1. CALL ME.

2.  No seriously, call me. We can do it in one day. THAT'S IT. ONE DAY.

Actually, one day of your life, 250 bucks, diet coke, a yummy lunch, and a master re•arrangers proven plan of attack, will give you your office back!!

•  •  •

and here's an idea: What if you put all the extra stuff I will inspire you to donate, 

onto Offer Up, to pay for my cost? YASSSSS!! 

This just may be the best tip EVER. besides... CALL ME. LOL

5 Simple Ideas to Transform this Studio Apartment

Laura has a nice, big studio in Seattle and SUPER cute stuff.  She just needed a little help 

finding a better arrangement; one that felt more open and spacious. 

I was excited to rearrange it because I KNEW by looking at this before picture (below), 

it was going to be a piece of cake!!  

Right off the bat I could see easy 5 changes we would make: 

1. T.V. needed to be moved so we could open up those AWESOME corner windows 

2. Couch should face a different way  

3. Pictures on the main wall were too spread out and high up 

4. Dresser needed to be un-squished; the plastic drawers and "stuff" needed a new location

5. Coat rack in left corner of picture was crowding the entry way

These 5 simple things would transform her space.  

Check out the after pictures!! AMAZING!!

Here's what we did:

The T.V. needed to be moved so we could open up those AWESOME corner windows!

Arranged this way it blocked some light and demanded the couch take up WAY 

too much room by facing the wrong way. 

When you have a large wall, hanging pictures can be a challenge! Try grouping them 

(see after picture), instead of stretching them across the entire space. 

Also, remember pictures look best when hung at eye level. 

Moving the couch to face this way, the room really opens up! 

 PLUS, now you can see that gorgeous rug!! Doesn't it feel better? 

This beautiful dresser needed to be moved, un-squished, and un-cluttered.  

We changed it to another wall, found a new place for the plastic drawers 

(near her closet), decluttered, added a lamp, and displayed some photos.  By doing this it gave her studio a "living room" feel, instead of a bedroom feel.

LOVE IT!

Last, the coat rack was crowding her entry way. 

By moving her desk, we opened up space to slide the coat rack 

around the corner a bit and move her plastic drawers next to the closet 

and out of the "living room area". 

Project Tips: 

1. Have me come help!! Only $250 and we will get it done in one day! 

Trust me, it's way more fun than doing it yourself AND I promise you, 

when it's all done you will 100% believe it was worth it! 

2.  Clear the space to make room the first piece of furniture you want to move.  

We moved the big dresser first. Once all the furniture is placed moved how you want it, you can then start placing and organizing all the small stuff :) 

3.  Sort ALL THE things.  Make tons of piles! 

Remember,  It has to get messier before it can get better!!

 Below you see one pile of things that get hung up and one pile of nick knacks.  

On the couch you would find a pile of paperwork, one of clothes, and another of videos & CDs.  

From the piles it's much easier & quicker to 

find homes for everything. 

4. Relax in your newly reclaimed and reorganized space! 

WHOO HOOO! 

• • • • •

More pictures from the project

A few more of the before pictures: 

    

Some of the process: 

A couple more after pictures: 

 

  

Bedroom Transformation

Bedroom Transformation 

from storage/laundry/bedroom to beautiful retreat

This is me with Nicole and her beautiful daughter, Gracie. I adore this woman. 

She is U.P. community. She is PTSA. She is creative and inspiring. She is together and hip. 

She sends me this text before I head over to help her rearrange: 

This is so ridiculous. It's embarrassing. I think I need a drink 

before I let anyone in my room (laughs).

OMG great idea!! (mental note for next rearrange project; remember tequila) 

Gracie brings the Diet Coke and we are ready to roll.

Only one suggestion (plea) from husband, Eric. 

"Please leave the TV where it is." LOL 

Which means the bed too, since he lays in bed while he watches. 

OK, both couches, hutch, and piano are fair game. WHOO HOOO!! 

Oh wait, we also have to consider his baseball hat and shoe collection. OMG. 

Truth is tho, we gotta keep the spouse happy. Boys can be such pussies. ;) 

"I want the room to feel cozy and retreat-like." Says Nicole. 

Perfect. Easy request because she has tons of room, two big couches, 

and great decor. However, if we are going for a spa look, the Seahawks blanket may 

have to be stored in a nice wicker basket or something. LOL 

A couple things I noticed right off... 

Is that present for me? LOL 

and that picture is too high (most are BTW, so check yours, please).  

Next, the couch against the wall is a little squished; 

Bad feng shui to have doorways crowded. 

OH and the other couch is taking up some serious space 

we need for our spa.  

Switching the piano to the couch wall 

will feel better; it won't stick out as far as the couch. 

Small things like finding a new home for the vacuum (maybe in the laundry room) 

and the fan (if summer is over)

and lowering that damn picture LOL will make a difference.

This hutch is AMAZING!!!!!! Just not right here. 

Here it blocks the slider and crowds the doorway. 

Plus it just needs more attention; it should TOTALLY be a focal point! 

It's way too beautiful to display Eric's hat collection and hang his clothes on. Sorry, Eric. LOL

Look at all this space we get to work with! WHOO HOOOO!!! 

Going to switch the chair and the hutch and tackle the closet

BUT, FIRST lunch. :) 

Nicole and Gracie serve homemade teriyaki chicken 

and Eric keeps my diet coke full and on lots of ice! I love this family!!

Last, the closet needs a dresser and some basic organizing; NO PROB. 

6 hrs. later = the Johnson Retreat and Spa! 

HOLY TRANSFORMATION!! 

SEE!! THAT HUTCH!! :) OMG I LOVE IT!! 

• Moved the piano and replaced with the hutch

• Placed the couch under the window 

• Brought the rug and coffee table from another room to create a nice sitting area

• Moved the hat collection :)

• Added throw pillows

• Changed the bed spread 

• Moved and lowered the picture

After I took the first picture we found these candle holders 

and added them to the wall (they were in the closet being used as scarf hangers). 

Great final touch and the perfect spot!

This blanket was hanging on the wall, originally! Love it on the bed! 

The piano and chair moved here opened up the doorway and sliding glass door!! 

It looks so much bigger and brighter!!

We added this dresser (that was in the garage), moved the shoes to the shelf, 

took advantage of the wall space to hang the purses, and filled a piece of luggage with undies. SO PERFECT!! 

Here are the photos side by side so you can 

really see the difference:

 

Much cozier and open all at the same time! 

 

The bed actually looks taller; almost like it's on a frame now. WEIRD! 

   

Whenever you interrupt the traffic flow with a couch sticking out, it feels awkward. 

Arranged this way, the flow is much better! 

    

When you first look you think OMG, NO WAY WILL ALL THESE CLOTHES

 (plus the ones on the couch) FIT IN HERE!! But we did it!!! 

And with no tequila!! LOL