http://unclutterer.com/discuss/forum/working-with-a-professional-organizer The community for people interested in home and office organizing. en-US Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:46:41 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://unclutterer.com/discuss/search.php http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat/page/2#post-21282 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:41:37 +0000 chacha1 21282@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>^agreed - color can be a BIG problem! b/c many people don't realize the visual weight that color can have. Some colors - not necessarily dark colors - are just heavy, and putting them at the top of the room (for example) makes the room look small and dark.</p> <p>Contrasting colors imbue a room with energy; low-contrast schemes (which can be very color saturated, just with colors adjacent each other on the wheel) are more calm. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21279 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:22:47 +0000 JuliaJayne 21279@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I don't know how the professionals do it, lottielot. </p> <p>I used to pour over decorating magazines trying to figure it out. I do know from some mistakes that I've made that it's usually scale and proportion that causes the most problems. Color can be a problem too for some people. </p> <p>Do you feel brave enough to post photos of your room? </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21271 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:40:28 +0000 lottielot 21271@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>lol, now I know who was outside with a pair of binoculars the other day :) I took some photos today but they don't give any sense of the room at all, even when taken from the corners, just a set of random corners. How do the professionals do it?! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21083 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:53:33 +0000 JuliaJayne 21083@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I hope it helps, lottielot.</p> <p>I edited my post. I said you have balance issues (as if I was peeking in your window;). What I meant to say is you COULD have balance issues. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21080 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:30:39 +0000 lottielot 21080@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>ooh, good idea JuliaJayne! I will do that, the black and white idea is inspired! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21078 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 09:14:31 +0000 JuliaJayne 21078@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>lottielot, have you ever tried taking photos of your bedroom? Photos can give a different perspective. Take a few photos of the areas in your room. Put the photos on your computer and change them to black and white. You could have balance issues in your room. Some typical balance issues are the scale of side tables and lamps are too small compared to the bed. Dressers overwhelm the space, or again, to small compared to the bed. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21074 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:49:24 +0000 lottielot 21074@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I'm having the same problem with my bedroom, the number of times I have got my graph paper out and redesigned this bloody room and still it feels wrong! It worked really well for my bathroom though, it's true about flow and allowing enough visual space. I love looking at inspirational photos, my issue with them is that they're usually way bigger than the rooms in our cramped house (quite high ceilings, but small room dimensions and awkward corners galore) and often very bright and airy. Like bathrooms: look at bathroom photos and you notice a complete ABSENCE of towels! Or at most a couple of artfully rolled tiny ones as decoration, rather than something you could actually dry your hands on! Having said that, sometimes just one little detail in one photo is enough to get you thinking about how to do something differently. Often it's the little things which can have a big impact on a room: longer curtains, or getting rid of curtains, or hanging the towels behind a door (my eventual solution to the Towel Problem), or changing a big radiator which takes up an entire wall (a big issue in our house) for a tall skinny one (I'm thinking about it). I'll check out your links trillie, you are such a great resource-finder :) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21073 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:38:18 +0000 trillie 21073@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Oh, and @bandicoot - I think for a workshop, all you have to think about is efficiency and usability. There's bonus points if it's pretty ;o) You've already listed your three main functions, and I think it makes sense to have zones in your workshop for these functions, and maybe a table each. I don't know the size of the room and the exact work processes and dimensions, but off the top of my head, it could be worth thinking about putting an open shelf as a room divider into the room. On one side (two thirds of the room?), you make and cut the soap, then you put it into the shelves, and on the other side, you can reach the cut soap and pack it.<br /> When you think about getting new shelves made, think about what you need to store in them. If you frequently use all items that will go into the shelves, or if you are a visual processor and need to see what is there - just think about how tall you are and where your eyes are - that could be the height of the top shelf, and that's it. And if you plan to use shelves as room dividers somewhere, make them less high than you and your husband's (you two make the soap, right?) faces when standing - this way you can always easily communicate over the top of the shelf. :o)</p> <p>Let us know how it goes :o) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21071 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:09:10 +0000 trillie 21071@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Julia, I know that feeling! What I once did is to invite a friend over (whose apartment I love!) and I asked her: "If this was your apartment, what would you change?" I also told her to be ruthless in her answers. Sometimes all we need is a fresh outside perspective, and even small things can make a big change (but I guess I don't need to tell you that when you move your furniture around as often as I do, lol). </p> <p>Another idea for you could be to ask the folks at <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/">Apartment Therapy</a> for help. They have a "Good Questions" section and readers answer design dilemmas in the comments, like these posts here for example:<br /> *<a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/good-questions/how-to-arrange-our-new-living-room-good-questions-107185">How to Arrange Our New Living Room? </a><br /> * <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/good-questions/help-us-with-your-awkward-living-room-good-questions-110071">Help Us With Our Awkward Living Room! </a><br /> * <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/ideas-to-help-streamline-our-breakfast-nook-good-questions-134295">Ideas to Help Streamline Our Breakfast Nook? </a><br /> ... and there's more, you can find more posts tagged with "Good Questions" when you enter "Good Questions" into the search bar on the Apartment Therapy home page. You can get a pretty good idea of the readers' advice just reading the above posts though; some are snobbish and tell you that everything is hideous and must go, and some are amazingly creative and come up with great ideas. You should definitely include pictures to get better answers, but I don't know how long it will take until they will publish your question.</p> <p>I also always find that pictures from other homes inspire me a lot, too - when you like a room in a picture, you can always ask yourself why you like it so much, and then you can try apply that aspect to your own home, like colors/furniture heights and horizontal lines/lighting/atmosphere. You can find great house tours and designy interior pictures at<br /> * <a href="http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/sneak-peeks">Design*Sponge sneak peeks</a><br /> * <a href="http://www.freundevonfreunden.com/interviews">Freunde von Freunden - Interviews</a> (yes, that's German, but you can ignore the interviews and just look at the pictures - or use Google Translate for a rough idea)<br /> * <a href="http://style-files.com/">the style files</a><br /> * <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/main/home-tours">Apartment Therapy - House Tours</a><br /> * <a href="http://vtinteriors.blogspot.com/">VT Interiors - library of inspirational images</a></p> <p>That being said, after all this style/design/looks stuff, don't forget the usability - a room can be pretty, but it's best if it suits your life, too. Like things that were already mentioned by chacha and SunshineR: enough room to open and close doors and drawers, or putting frequently used stuff anywhere within arm's reach, and stuff you only use twice a year can go on the top shelves. Or putting your desk away from the window to avoid glare on your screen, and instead putting a chair there to enjoy the afternoon light. Also, put stuff where you use it; and group like and like together. For example, since I started to store my sewing machine next to my desk and the box with the yarns right near to it (before, it was on the other side of the room), I'm so much more likely to mend something or sew on a button, it's ridiculous.<br /> I think now that you have lived in your apartment for five years, you know where the light hits at each time of day, where you like to sit, where it's drafty, if the street is noisy in the mornings, which route you are likely to take when walking from the door to a window to open it - that's a great advantage to someone just moving into a new place... Use it! :o)</p> <p> Good luck (and whoops that's a long post, can you tell I love this subject just like chacha? LOL)! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-21046 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:06:26 +0000 bandicoot 21046@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>chacha, thank you so much for your lovely offer!<br /> i would take you up on it in a heartbeat, but i reckon i need someone to be physically standing in my workshop, watching us work.<br /> it is a big workshop, with a lot of equipment, and we use the same space for three very different main functions, just by moving product and equipment. ( 1. making soap 2. cutting soap 3.packing soap).<br /> our shelving is cobbled together from IKEA and second hand and i think it is part of the problem.</p> <p>i got home last night and woke up this morning already thinking about it!<br /> our excellent assistant is flying in for two weeks this morning, and i hope to at least get a plan together before he goes again.<br /> i think it is time to spend on cohesive and tailored shelving, for a start. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20993 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:39:27 +0000 kllycat 20993@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I have a friend who hired a Feng Shui person to come to her house- I don't know how much I believe in the principals of Feng Shui, but her house looks nicer now! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20965 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:09:18 +0000 SunshineR 20965@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>bandicoot: you could also take time to think over your workshop. Note any areas that you feel should go together, to make your life efficient as you work. Are there problem areas, such as having to walk/reach too far to get frequently used items? Do you feel there is too much "eye clutter"?. Do you like the storage methods? Do you have enough space to work?</p> <p>I know that if I shared my DBF's workspace (self-employed) I would be constantly upset, because he does not put supplies back in my manner/timeframe, and has little sense of filing paperwork. Maybe it's more of a guy thing, lol. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20947 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:11:35 +0000 Julia 20947@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>chacha1, I very much appreciate your offer...the problem is I really don't have much of a sense of "optimal flow and utility." I know how I want a room to feel. I know when there is no peaceful place for my eyes to rest (part of my problem now). I know when it feels out of balance. And I know which elements I love.</p> <p>But I seem to have lost any knack I ever had at pulling things together. And the room itself, while nice and large, is a bit off-balance to begin with, which doesn't help.</p> <p>I know there are web tools to help with this stuff. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20944 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:21:26 +0000 chacha1 20944@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Incidentally, I ADORE doing this kind of thing and would happily look over room layouts etc for the two of you free, gratis, and for nothing. You can reach me via my blog, <a href="http://www.ombailamos.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.ombailamos.com</a>.<br /> :-) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20943 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:15:42 +0000 chacha1 20943@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Designers, professional organizers, or space planners can all help with stuff like this. Not all designers/organizers are actually good space planners. A design/build architecture firm or contractor may have a space planner on staff who is available to consult. The Web is definitely a great resource! </p> <p>Julia/bandicoot, I am a big fan of using the hand-drawn space plan to decide where things should go for optimal flow and utility (which generally also produces harmonious visual balance). I watched my Dad do this my whole life - he and Mom are serial mover/remodelers.</p> <p>Get some graph paper, a sharp pencil, an art eraser, and a hardware-store tape measure (15 feet should be enough for most rooms). I use graph paper that is four or five squares to the inch (being in the U.S.) and make two or three squares of the drawing = a foot of real space, but it really doesn't matter what the scale is - you can choose how many squares represent a unit of measure.</p> <p>Outline the dimensions of the rooms(s) - each room on a separate sheet. Then draw in any built-in elements. Make sure to allow for movement of doors, drawers, mobile furniture like chairs or supply carts, etc. in establishing your floor plan.</p> <p>On another separate sheet, make a list of the items that MUST go in that room in order to use it in the way you want, measure the items (by footprint - just width and depth needed here), draw little representations of the items in the same scale as your room plan, label them and cut them out, then start moving them around your sketch of the room.</p> <p>It may be difficult to visualize a finished layout when you are working only with footprints (bird's-eye view). However, if you also use a set of digital photos of the space itself, any built-ins, and the items you know you must use in the room, you can get a better sense of how the finished space would look.</p> <p>Only after establishing good flow (comfort, accessibility, and efficiency) with permanent features should you start looking at where/how to use things that are not necessarily essential to the space. Generally speaking, you will want to leave no less than two and a half feet (what's that in metric??) for traffic paths.</p> <p>bandicoot, I am just guessing, but due to the nature of your business I would imagine that you have a LOT of necessary storage, plus prep areas, finishing areas, and packing areas to contend with. In your case, a professional organizer or a time-and-motion consultant might well be the way to go. You could draw the room plan and send it with some photos for a remote consult.</p> <p>Would love to hear about the progress of these projects! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20936 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:58:30 +0000 bandicoot 20936@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>nina, i think i'll go looking for net help when i get home.<br /> that is a great idea, thank you! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20934 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:50:08 +0000 ninakk 20934@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I believe there are designers and others who offer their services over net connection too, especially with you, bandicoot, in mind. Prices might stay lower that way since the collaboration is very focused. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20932 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:37:56 +0000 bandicoot 20932@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>julia, i know how you feel.<br /> i felt it until i got rid of a certain amount of stuff from our home.<br /> now i just feel it in our workshop.<br /> i have been thinking about hiring someone to help organise the workshop, but i simply do not know what i am looking for.<br /> plus if this person actually exists in our remote area, it will be a miracle!<br /> i hope you can find the right person to help you.<br /> sometimes all we need is a little bit of perspective from someone looking in from the outside.... a fresh point of view. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20931 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:31:07 +0000 Julia 20931@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Oh, you're good! Did a search for interior design and found a business that will give me "two designers, two hours, two hundred bucks" - </p> <p>"We work with furniture, artwork and accessories you already own to give your room a fresh look."</p> <p>It seems like a lot of money but if I've worked with this place for five years and never managed to pull it together, well...maybe it's time. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/hiring-a-professionalwhat#post-20928 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:56:27 +0000 susanintexas 20928@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I think you are looking for a designer -- they can be hired by the hour and work with the things that you have. You just need to be clear upfront.</p> <p>One thing we have here -- the adult education program at a couple of the school districts have design consultations -- you bring in photos of the area you are concerned about and the designer sits with you for about 15 minutes and makes some suggestions about small, inexpensive improvements you can make. I went to one for garden design to get some ideas for my new planting beds in the front yard and got some really good ideas. </p>