The Best View in the House Is From a Window Seat

white window seat built-ins in a home office

Sitting in front of a window, and just gazing out, is one of the simple pleasures of life.

From the warmth of your own home, you can curl up, no matter the weather, and watch a blizzard blow its fury across a bare field, or stare up at the night sky and wait for that first star to appear so that you can make the ultimate wish.

Edith Wharton quote

Open the window and listen – just listen – to the morning songbird, to the patter of rain on the roof below, or to the soft rustling of the leaves from a gentle breeze. Not only are your senses stirred, but it might just be the perfect form of meditation.

Add a book to this cozy scenario and you have the picture-perfect setting for fanciful musings and distracting reflections. British author J. K. Rowling said, “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”

The coveted window seat

At your favorite restaurant, you request a table by the window. If traveling on a train, plane, or bus and seeking solitude, the window seat allows passengers to escape into daydreams and creative imaginings.

If your pets could talk, they’d tell you that they’d prefer a comfortable perch in front of a window so that they could look out and wait for you to come home.

Health benefits

As home designs evolve, we want more glass so that our homes are bathed in natural light. We absorb vitamin D, which is important for normal growth and improved resistance to some diseases. If we don’t get enough, supplements might be required. Researchers have also found that a vitamin D deficiency was more common in those who were experiencing anxiety and depression.

Vitamins aside, sunshine is a natural mood enhancer. We can all relate to this. When the sun is shining, we naturally feel better. Sunlight helps to boost a chemical in our brain called serotonin, which can ignite our energy level, and help to keep us calm, positive, and focused. During the winter, when days are shorter, many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and doctors will often treat low levels of serotonin with natural or artificial light.

As mentioned, sitting in front of a window is a wonderful form of meditation. A popular mindfulness exercise engages all of your senses. While looking out, focus on five things that you can see. Then listen for four things that you can hear, followed by three things that you can smell, two things that you can taste, and one thing that you can feel.

Step through the wardrobe

Window seats conjure up a romanticized ambiance. Every child, if given a choice, would want a window seat in their room. Like a fort, it’s their own private space where they can retreat to their make-believe nirvana.

If listing your house to sell, window seats capture everyone’s imagination. They are always considered a sought-after feature, not only for the seating but for the extra storage space and books shelves that are so often part of the overall design.

At Organized Interiors, we have a real soft spot for designing window seats. The possibilities are endless.

Taking in custom considerations, we can transform what would often be labeled as dead space, and turn it into an enchanted sanctuary and feature wall.

angled photo of white window seat built-in storage

11 window seat benefits

Here are some great reasons for installing a window seat in your home.

Extra seating

If space is at a premium, a window seat can add a delightful chair alternative.

More storage

The space below any window seat can be multifunctional and provide precious storage. In order to avoid lifting the seat/lid, especially if you added upholstered items, consider drawers.

Transform a space

From functional to fashionable, a window seat makes use of unused space.

Not just for windows

A built-in seat can be added in a variety of locations, especially if space is at a premium. Consider installing one at the top of the stairs, on a landing, or in a passageway. These nooks and crannies are delightful alternatives.

Take it to the next level

From traditional to contemporary, window seats can be added to bathrooms, great rooms, and home offices. Because they are built-in, they are incorporated into the room and don’t overwhelm a space like a large piece of furniture might.

A getaway for guests

If the space is conducive, the window seat could be designed like a day bed. Adorned with lots of throws and pillows, it’s a reading retreat during the day, and a guest bed at night.

Rest and relaxation

Ultimately, a window seat is a go-to escape for respite and contemplation. Make it your own with all your favourite things close at hand.

A framed snapshot

A slice of life is captured outside your window. A window seat compels you to pause and absorb what’s right in front of you.

On the flip side

The right window, the right lighting, and the right position can bring the outside, in.

Window highlights

Furniture positioning can block a window. With a well-thought-out arrangement, a window seat can open up the interior space and offer additional seating.

A room without a view

If you’re positioning a built-in seat in an area without a window, consider the addition of lighting, wall finishes, and a contrast of textures for your personally inspired oasis.

Have a seat and talk to us

There really aren’t any downsides to installing a window seat or added storage. With the right design, it becomes an integrated part of any space.

If you are considering a window seat, talk to us. Schedule a free design consultation today. Organized Interiors can transform any living space to adapt to your specific requirements.

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This Custom Built-in Wall Unit Multi-Tasks and Looks Beautiful

built-in wall unit with tv, fireplace, wardrobes

Why are you better off buying a custom built-in wall unit instead of freestanding cabinetry that you assemble yourself?

Well for starters, you won’t need to contend with the aggravating “assemble it yourself” part.

There’s also no comparison between the two in terms of how they look and can be tailored for both your living space and functional needs.

One project we worked on involved designing a multi-purpose built-in wall unit that includes several wardrobe closets, a laundry hamper, a built-in fireplace, and an entertainment centre.

Storage, a laundry helper, a mood setter, and home entertainment all brought together in one beautiful solution – what’s not to love? 

This built-in wall unit is perfect for this bedroom space

Let’s face it, not all of the features in this wall unit are things you would exactly associate with one another. The TV and fireplace together make a lot of sense. For many people, however, perhaps including either the laundry hamper or closet spaces wouldn’t work for their needs.

That’s the beauty of custom cabinetry. It allows you to break free from the limitations of what stock, one-size-fits-all furniture that is designed to appeal to the most number of consumers offers.

For this client’s specific needs, the all-in-one wall unit is perfect. They don’t have to buy several furniture pieces that may be difficult to stylistically match with each other, nor do they need to worry about how well everything will fit within their living space.

Improve the shape and function of your rooms

One of the many benefits of a built-in wall unit is that it takes up a smaller footprint in a room than freestanding furniture.

This custom cabinetry piece integrates seamlessly with the rest of the room. With its complementary décor and wise use of the space, it truly looks like a part of the room’s original design.

Details like that matter. As an architect wrote in a Houzz article titled The Hidden Benefits of Built-In Storage, “thoughtfully designed storage can improve the shape and function of our interior spaces”.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the design features that went into this one-of-a-kind built-in wall unit.

Built-in wardrobes

built-in wall unit wardrobe

Ample shelving and drawer wardrobe storage space can be used as a bedroom’s primary closet space or supplement a traditional closet.

Four separate full-height closets on each end of the built-in wall unit provide plenty of wardrobe storage space in this master bedroom.

These closets are designed with adjustable shelves and lower drawers, but you’re not limited to this type of setup. We can design built-in wardrobes to include hanging rods and various closet accessories, too. This wall unit could also have been designed with one larger wardrobe on each side instead of two.

Because the drawer boxes are concealed behind the doors in this wall unit, they have simplified fronts. We’ve employed “scoop” handles, which allows us to make the drawers full-depth without compromising the depth with protruding handles or knobs.

A built-in entertainment centre

Since the wall unit was being installed in the master bedroom, a built-in entertainment centre with room for a television and additional media accessories was required.

As you can see, the built-in TV above the fireplace is mounted relatively high. That location makes it ideal for watching the TV while in bed. The wall unit’s design allows wires and cables to be discreetly kept hidden.

Above the television are a couple of open spaces where a soundbar, streaming device, cable receiver, or PVR can go. Taller open shelving display spaces could also be used for placing books or personal effects like photos or knick-knacks.

The layout can be configured for your needs. The open sections up top could instead be included at the bottom of the unit in place of the two banks of drawers (one of which is actually a well-disguised laundry hamper, as we’ll explain shortly). This would make adding something like a Blu-ray player more practical.

Electric fireplace

custom wall unit

An electric fireplace and TV boosts the room’s comfort level.

Along with the TV, an embedded electric fireplace forms the centrepiece of this highly functional wall unit.

Electric fireplaces are great for several reasons:

  • they can be used year-round to boost a room’s ambiance and comfort level
  • some electric fireplace models can provide ambiance and function as a supplemental heating source
  • they’re energy-efficient
  • compared to using a traditional wood fireplace, they’re much safer and involve virtually no maintenance or extra work like cutting or hauling firewood
  • they’re super-easy to use and have options that allow you to change the display colour to match your mood or complement your décor

A laundry hamper and matching drawers

pullout laundry hamper below electric fireplace

A cleverly disguised tilt-out laundry hamper sits beside a bank of real drawers.

When is a bank of drawers not a bank of drawers? When it’s the front face for a tilt-out laundry hamper!

To keep the overall structure symmetrical, we matched the adjacent three drawers with a false front composed of three faces pieced together. Locating the hamper right below the fireplace simply made the most sense, as you wouldn’t want it positioned too high.

Since the wall unit functions as the bedroom’s master wardrobe, having an integrated space to put dirty clothes makes a great deal of sense.

The hamper’s cloth bag is designed to be easily removed when it’s time to do the laundry and can be cleaned when required.

Additional design features of this built-in wall unit

This custom wall unit is constructed using one of our most popular finishes, a colour called Antique White. It’s a fairly universal colour, in that it is readily available in the various types of laminates that we use in our custom cabinetry construction.

Flat components, in this case comprising the structural parts like the cabinet’s sides and shelves, are achieved using melamine on board.

Pieces that have some shape to them (the baseboard, crown moulding, and door and drawer fronts) are shaped in MDF with thermoplastic (sometimes called thermofoil) laminate. Thermoplastic is more flexible than melamine and wraps in and out of the curves and around the edges.

Finishing touches include adding decorative pulls and over cabinet lighting for additional visual appeal.

Customize your built-in wall unit

This creative blend of home storage and décor solutions is just one example of what’s possible when you customize your cabinetry instead of buying a mass-produced wall unit.

Yes, a custom built-in wall unit does cost more. However, you can rest assured that it will fit your space perfectly, have a high-end look that complements your room’s style, and be tailored specifically for your storage needs.

Schedule a free consultation with Organized Interiors to start planning your built-in wall unit’s design.

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2 Clever Kids Bedroom Built-Ins That Maximize Storage Space

kids bedroom built-ins

Finding the right storage solutions for kids is usually a challenge. Children can be notoriously picky and as they grow, their needs will change.

Choosing a custom storage solution that endures and appeals is essential and a project one of our designers worked on does just that.

That storage solution involved creating kids bedroom built-ins for one Toronto couple’s son and daughter.

Kids bedroom built-ins were perfect for this project

Our client had two adjacent bedrooms for their children. In typical Toronto housing style, each bedroom’s closet was nestled against each other.

This limited the storage space available in each bedroom, as the other bedroom’s closet essentially backed into the room. The client had their contractor remove the defined closet spaces by taking out their walls, which freed up more space for functional storage in each room.

Bedroom built-ins were ideal for this project. By installing built-ins for each child, we were able to not only make more efficient use of the space, but the staggered depths of the built-in cabinets helps prevent the space from being taken over by the custom cabinetry.

This project illustrates the benefits of working with a design professional who can address the unique needs of a remodelling project. It also showcases how incorporating custom built-ins into a room’s design can create a seamless appearance that makes it look like a part of the room’s existing architecture.

Let’s take a closer look at these kids bedroom built-ins and how we customized the designs for each room.

Built-ins for a girl’s bedroom

For the bases in the daughter’s room, the wardrobe toe kicks and the side of the drawer pedestal under the desk are recessed. This helps keep people from stubbing toes and also adds visual interest.

As with many older houses in Toronto, the walls and ceilings jut out a little bit. While our custom cabinets are square and have right angles, maybe your room doesn’t have the same layout.

The cap shelf applied above the wardrobe cabinet helps minimize the fact that the ceiling slopes upwards towards the wall on the right in the photo below.

The exposed wall area behind the desk was painted out by the client to complement the walls adjacent to the custom cabinetry, creating additional visual interest. A glass desktop allows for their daughter to display some of her favourite things on her desk while she does her homework.

For the son’s and daughter’s wardrobes, we installed slightly different interior configurations that were tailored to the kids’ needs.

girls bedroom built-ins

Recessing the toe kicks prevents stubbed toes and adds visual appeal. Using a cap shelf across the tops also adds visual interest.

Built-ins for a boy’s bedroom

In the other bedroom, we mostly replicated the design with a mirror image of the layout that includes a custom built-in wardrobe, desk, upper cabinets, and a shelf above the desk. For the boy’s bedroom, a different colour scheme was selected, naturally.

As with the girls’s room, the exposed wall area behind the desk was painted with a complementary colour. The built-ins for both kids feature factory-painted exteriors, which is a great choice for any built-in.

Pick a colour and our manufacturing facility will add the finish to your custom cabinetry. Not only do you get a gorgeous finish, factory-painted cabinets also offer more flexibility to perfectly match a room’s decorative details like trims and mouldings.

The son’s cabinets were painted Chelsea Gray as a bolder contrast to his wall colour, while the daughter’s cabinets were painted Chantilly Lace as a softer contrast to the bright hues in the room.

Pullout drawers and shelves in each bedroom’s wardrobes provide easy-to-access storage space.

built-ins in boy’s bedroom

Creative colour selection for the exposed wall above the desk adds depth and visual appeal.

Choosing paints and finishes for these kids bedroom built-ins

Aside from the exterior colour, the other main difference between these two kids bedroom built-ins is what happens inside the custom cabinets.

As with any factory-painted built-in, it’s commonly just the parts of the cabinetry that are most visible that get painted. This includes the doors, sides, trims, drawer fronts, and any exposed shelves or surfaces.

For the interiors, we usually use a standard melamine finish (white in this case), as that keeps costs down. As the interior surfaces get more contact from use over time, melamine will wear better as well.

If you look closely at the photo below, you’ll notice that we did paint the leading edges of the shelves and side panels, as small aspects of them are visible around the doors and would otherwise stand out.

open wardrobe closet in bedroom

Kids bedroom built-in solutions for sleeping

If you’re looking for additional kids bedroom built-in ideas, the room’s sleeping space is a great area to upgrade.

Built-in bedroom storage that is designed around the bed maximizes the room’s storage space by making the bed multi-task.

Custom-made underbed drawer storage is a nicer, more efficient storage solution than using those flat plastic storage containers with wheels that are covered in dust when you roll them out from beneath a bed.

Incorporating cabinetry around and above the bed improves the room’s functionality and adds a stylish décor upgrade, as you can see below.

bed with built-in storage

Learn more about our built-in storage solutions

Kids bedroom built-ins will make it easier for your children to keep their rooms organized, while also making the décor in these parts of your home look more appealing.

Our built-in cabinetry offerings aren’t limited to just kids bedrooms – we also design and manufacture built-ins for mom and dad’s bedroom and closet, home offices, laundry rooms, the living room, and additional areas of your home.

Schedule a free design consultation with us and let’s start discussing how Organized Interiors’ built-in storage solutions can enhance your home’s functionality.

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Murphy Bed Ideas: A Classic That Never Goes out of Style

Some things just never go out of style and the Murphy bed is more essential today than ever before.

Today’s Murphy beds are comfortable, reliable, and can be found in upscale condos and houses and beautifully add a stylish, modern touch to your home’s décor.

Murphy bed in down position with pillows on bed, custom built-ins, ladder, telescope and rug.

Murphy bed and custom built-ins finished in Chocolate Pear.

7 things you need to know about Murphy beds

William Murphy’s wall bed design has been around for well over a century. Modern enhancements and improvements have made this traditional concept a must-have for any home.

Let’s look at seven Murphy bed attributes that show why this classic piece of furniture remains so appealing.

1. Murphy beds are a classic brand for a reason

There’s a reason most wall beds are commonly referred to as “Murphy beds”, even if they’re not the Murphy brand. The Murphy name is associated as much with wall beds as Kleenex is with tissues, Band-Aid is for bandages, and Google is for online searches.

All of these brand names are used as shorthand to describe even their competitor’s products because in some cases they invented the product, they perfected the product, and they became market leaders.

All wall beds are not created equal, however. A DIY wall bed kit might save some cost, but DIY wall beds fall well short of a customized authentic Murphy bed in five important areas:

  • ease of use: the spring-based mechanism makes the bed easy to open and close
  • one-finger operation: the patented rotational leg and crossbar is smooth and no-fuss
  • reliability: the lightweight Supreme Steel hardware system carries a 25-year warranty
  • safety: the counterbalanced system means it stays closed
  • peace of mind: custom Murphy beds installed by Organized Interiors’ trained installation team mean a high quality, long-lasting custom bed that you or your guests can confidently use every day

When Organized Interiors talks about Murphy beds, we are describing the genuine article, as we use hardware by Murphy Wall Beds of Canada for every wall bed we make.

2. Murphy beds are ideal for small living spaces

Between consumers being more mindful of reducing their carbon footprint, embracing a more minimalist lifestyle, and responding to high real estate prices, small space living is more popular than ever.

Whether you’re a middle-aged professional who’s downsized to a smaller home, a millennial living in a studio apartment, or a family who hosts guests, a Murphy bed was made just for you.

Their pulldown design means Murphy beds take up very little room and can be put away during the day when not in use.  When space is really at a premium in a small home, a wall bed is virtually a must-have piece of furniture to own.

Small bedroom with Murphy bed in down position, computer, desk, and chair, custom built-ins.

Double side tilt Murphy bed in Sand Beige and Sunset Cruise with ample overhead storage.

Small bedroom with Murphy bed hidden away in the built-in cabinetry. Computer, desk, and chair, custom built-ins.

Double side tilt Murphy bed in Sand Beige and Sunset Cruise with stained wood desktop.

3. Murphy beds are big space savers

Even if your living space isn’t small, Murphy beds are great at saving space in a room.

Freeing up floor space allows for more space to move within the room and even makes vacuuming the room easier. Any other use for a room, such as a craft room, fitness area, kids playroom or home office, can incorporate a Murphy bed design that lets you also use it as a guest room. It’s all about maximizing the functionality of your home!

Murphy beds are ideal when you only need to periodically host guests, but wish to have a room available for more common uses. When it’s needed, simply pull the bed down and you and your guests are ready for a good night’s sleep.

4. Murphy beds are more than just a pulldown bed

Organized Interiors’ customized wall beds are functional, but also stylish and visually appealing. In fact, we’re confident you’ll find that they nicely enhance any room’s appearance with custom finishes and design features that beautifully complement your décor.

Even though a Murphy bed takes up less floor space, it can actually add useful storage space to a room. This integrated piece of furniture can have storage above, behind, and to the sides of the bed unit. Turn a home library into a book lover’s oasis.

Choosing a Murphy bed that you can have customized gives you many more options for sizes, finishes, decorative hardware, and other features.

5. A Murphy bed is the easiest-to-open wall bed

The ease of use with a Murphy bed can depend on what type of wall bed you buy.

Murphy beds are hands-down the easiest wall bed to open and close. From the lightweight steel frame to the spring-balanced mechanism, the high-quality hardware used on proper Murphy beds makes opening and closing them simple and quick.

Interior designer Jane Lockhart demonstrates in the video below how easy-peasy it is to open and close an Organized Interiors Murphy bed:

6. Murphy beds can be your everyday bed

In small spaces such as open-concept condos, the ability to put your bed away every morning is essential. Murphy’s hardware and Organized Interiors’ cabinet construction can withstand everyday use, so you can get the most out of a small space.

Effective design allows you to create a furniture piece that means when your bed is closed, it doesn’t have to feel like you’re in your bedroom. And when the bed is lowered, it doesn’t have to feel like you’re sleeping in your living room or office.

A Murphy bed doesn’t require a boxspring, but the bed door comfortably supports a proper mattress for everyday comfort.

Which brings us to…

7. Murphy beds are super comfortable to sleep on

Murphy beds use real, high-quality coil mattresses that are every bit as comfortable to sleep on as a conventional bed. You may have your own mattress you would like to use already, or Organized Interiors can supply one with your custom Murphy bed purchase.

Foam mattresses are not recommended, including some of the trendy bargain mattresses that are all the rage online. Their construction is not suited to a wall bed application, as they often don’t have the structural integrity for being stored on their sides when the bed is closed.

We use mattresses that are approved for use in a Murphy bed, providing years of comfort for you and your guests. The only drawback is maybe your guests won’t want to leave!

Visit our showroom for inspirational wall bed ideas

If you’re intrigued by the Murphy wall bed attributes listed here, visit our showroom to experience the stylish looks and practicality of our custom wall beds for yourself.

Organized Interiors’ Murphy beds are built to last and come with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty on the bed’s hardware.

You can also schedule a complimentary in-home design consultation with us to plan your Murphy bed project or guest room makeover.

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3 Creative Bedroom Storage Furniture Ideas to Lighten Your Closet’s Load

bedroom storage furniture ideas bed surround

The key component in keeping an organized bedroom is to have a closet space that’s well-designed and highly functional.

A well-managed closet can keep clutter from spilling out into the rest of the bedroom, but a closet won’t always be able to handle all of your wardrobe storage needs.

That’s when it’s time to consider some bedroom storage furniture ideas to help lighten the load in your closet a little.

Bedroom storage furniture ideas you may not have considered

Perhaps you’re looking for some supplemental storage systems for the bedroom for the following reasons:

  • your bedroom closet is too small
  • you own too many clothes and can’t find the time to properly thin out your wardrobe
  • you want to make better use of the storage space in your bedroom

A dresser and nightstand/bedside table are some obvious examples of bedroom storage furniture most of us use.

If you’re looking for some additional outside-the-closet bedroom storage furniture ideas to keep things tidy, here are a few outside-the-box suggestions.

1. Bed surround

When it comes to adding extra non-closet storage space to a bedroom, it’s hard to beat a bed surround.

This versatile piece of furniture gets somewhat overlooked when homeowners are considering the best bedroom storage furniture ideas.

Here’s why a bed surround is worthy of your consideration when you’re looking for smart ways to furnish your bedroom:

  • maximizes your bedroom storage space
  • provides a comfortable sleeping space
  • adds a stylish decorative touch to a bedroom

Let’s start with the valuable underbed storage a bed surround provides. The integrated storage drawers are perfect for things like out-of-season clothing, pillows, and blankets. And unlike a traditionally open underbed storage space, all your belongings will stay clean and dust bunny-free.

Bed surrounds can also include everything from nightstands, a headboard with cabinets and shelving storage, and even a custom wardrobe (or two).

And with a bespoke bed surround design, everything from the drawer sizes, shelf widths and depths, lighting placement, finishes, and any other available features can be customized for you.

bedroom storage furniture ideas bed surround 2

2. Wardrobe

A wardrobe (also known as an “armoire”) is another smart solution to turn to when you need more bedroom storage. The beauty of a wardrobe is that it can fit anywhere there’s free space in a bedroom.

Some people are under the impression that a wardrobe is little more than a furniture enclosure with an extra hanging rod or two, along with a shelf.

While it does function as an extension of your closet for clothes hanging space, a wardrobe can do so much more. Many of the useful accessories and features that make a closet organization system so effective can be added, too. Examples include:

  • full-length mirror
  • drawers with dividers
  • pullout shoe rack
  • a valet rod, tie/scarf rack, and decorative hooks

Wardrobes are a great storage option if you’re finding a shared closet space too frustrating to maintain with your partner. Create a separate storage space for one of you by adding a wardrobe to your bedroom.

Bedrooms aren’t the only room in a home where a wardrobe can be added, either. They’re ideal for a playroom, storage room, guest room, or any room without adequate (or any) closet space.

And just like a bed surround, going the custom route for the wardrobe you’re buying allows you to personalize the design to suit your needs, both functionally and aesthetically. With decorative touches like metal grill or glass doors, crown moulding, and stylish door and drawer pulls, a bespoke wardrobe becomes a beautiful furniture display piece.

3. Wall bed

You might not think of a wall bed when you’re considering bedroom storage furniture ideas, but it might actually be perfect for your needs.

A wall bed’s clever design is all about space-saving and nothing occupies more floor space in a bedroom than a bed. Wouldn’t it be nice to reclaim the floor space a bed takes up when you don’t need it?

Wall beds (also known as “Murphy beds”) conveniently fold up into a stylish cabinet when they’re not being used. That makes them ideal for guest rooms, micro-condos, or any room where space is limited.

You could also optimize your available space by creating a multi-purpose room that functions occasionally as a guest room and as a home office the rest of the time.

And we’re not including wall beds on this list of creative bedroom storage furniture ideas just because the bed itself can be stored away.

A custom wall bed can also incorporate surrounding drawer and cabinet storage, to really expand your bedroom storage options.

bedroom storage furniture ideas wall bed

Great bedroom storage furniture ideas to keep you organized

Organized Interiors has the highest quality bedroom storage furniture ideas and custom closet solutions for your home.

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with us to discover how our 40+ years of organization expertise can help you to improve the storage flexibility in your home.

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