The problem

Alice*, a young professional in her 20’s, was living a very busy life with a demanding career.  She lived alone in a modern 2-bedroom apartment in one of Canberra’s inner suburbs. She kept her home tidy, yet clutter was building and causing intense overwhelm, particularly in the mornings as she was preparing for her day and in the evening when trying to relax. Alice often felt lazy as often there were certain things she always left out on her dining table, but with further insight, I determined the lack of zoning in her home often prevented her from putting these items away as he hadn’t created a dedicated storage space for these items in her home.  She longed for her home to be her sanctuary, a place of calm where she could escape after a long busy day.

The solution

We worked together to create a vision for her home and a defined purpose for each room and storage space within the room. The wardrobe was the area that would make the most significant and immediate effect on her daily life, so we developed a new organisation system for her clothing, including the purchase of large baskets to store the clothing she had previously stacked on the open shelves. Metal bookplate labels which matched the style of the baskets and furnishing within the apartment were used to enable Alice to view all the items she had with ease. We also decluttered the wardrobe and Alice reviewed each item individually for fit and suitability. Those items that no longer fitted Alice, didn’t suit her current style of dressing or were damaged from wear and tear were removed. I organised the remaining clothes in her wardrobe by colour and style ensuring the coat hangers were uniform.  The quality corporate clothing that she no longer wished to keep was donated to the Communites@Work clothing service which provides men and women in need with free clothing, shoes and accessories for job interviews, work experience or other special events. Her more casual clothing was donated to the Salvation Army and those items no longer fit for wear or resale was donated to the Koomarri Cut Cloth team who create rags from the worn clothing and sell them to local businesses including mechanics, painters, restaurants and cafes.

The results

Alice was very happy that she got support to organise her entire home, even if it meant taking time away from work.  It has made her life a lot less stressful and her apartment more beautiful and liveable. A poorly functioning and overstocked wardrobe was transformed into a beautiful organised space. She is saving a lot of time in the morning preparing for her work day and is truly able to relax in a calm space when she arrives home each evening.  She now tells others to treat the home organisation process it like a renovation for your interiors – it’s completely worth it.

* Permission has been granted by the client to share their story.  Names have been changed to respect their privacy.  The Organising Bee will never share photos or client information without permission from the client.