Organized Interiors Blog

Kitchen Stations For Holiday Entertaining

Custom kitchen cabinetry for storing coffee and tea supplies.

The holiday season is approaching and if you’re hosting dinner for family and friends in the near future, you’ve probably spent some time considering the best way to set up your living room.

But what about the kitchen? While hosts almost always intend for guests to socialize on couches and chairs in the living area, the kitchen is where the food and drinks are prepared.

This all means that your friends and family will be spending some quality time in the kitchen as well.

In that case, how do you prevent your kitchen from becoming overcrowded? How do you keep guests entertained and still be able to prepare the food?

By setting up various kitchen stations.

Custom kitchen stations from Organized Interiors allow you to serve guests coffee, wine or appetizers in the kitchen and still keep the busier, cooking area clear.

With ample counter space, drawers and upper cabinetry, guests can easily find mugs, sweeteners, glasses and plates to serve themselves without getting in the way.

Not only do kitchen stations keep your guests satisfied, but they also allow you to spend more time with family.

With guests in and out of the kitchen, you, the host can still take part in conversations and take part in the fun.

This year, enjoy stress-free holiday entertaining with custom kitchen stations. With dedicated areas set up in your kitchen, you can spend the day preparing for a delicious dinner and still have space for family and friends.

7 Tips To Keeping A Home Office Organized

Working from a home office has many advantages, such as a more flexible schedule, no commute and a relaxed dress code.

Even though you don’t have to wear a suit to work from home, though, you do still have to deal with office clutter.

Keep your home office organized, tidy and clutter-free with these 7 tips.

1. Keep your desk’s surface space clear

A cluttered desk can be distracting. To avoid a mess, keep only the supplies and equipment you use everyday on your desk.

2. Customize your drawers

Stuffing papers into your drawer might make your room look clean, but unorganized drawers can make important documents difficult to find. Use a filing system to keep both your room and cabinets tidy.

3. Label, label, label

A good labeling system will keep you from wasting time searching for your stuff. Label the outsides of cabinets and drawers, as well as the folders inside.

4. Get rid of old junk

It’s easy to let clutter pile up and take up space. Go through all of your papers, books and supplies to get rid of the items you no longer need.

5. Control your cables

Excess cables are not only annoying, they’re also an eyesore. You can eliminate some of the cords by going wireless (printer, keyboard mouse, etc.).

Are USB cables, laptop power cables, or audio cables taking over your desk? Try using something like Quirky Cordies Desktop Cable Management to tidy things up.

6. De-clutter your computer

Your room is not the only area that needs de-cluttering. Organize your computer files and emails to make your work days more efficient, too.

7. Set aside 10 minutes at the end of each day to clean

The best way to prevent your home office from becoming too messy and unorganized again is to pick up after yourself each day.

Before you call it quits, take some time to put away files and clear your desk so you can start off the next day right.

Organization Tips for Front Door Closets

Front door closets can be tricky to organize – especially when you have large coats, shoes, sports equipment and more household items that need to be stored.

If you’re having a hard time keeping your closet tidy (and resorting to stuffing everything into one chaotic pile), try out some of these handy organization tips.

Combine your hanging rod with shelving to accommodate for more than just coats.
Instead of throwing all of your shoes on the closet floor, keep them tidy with a shoe organizer. There are various kinds of shoe organizers you can choose from, including hanging organizers and shoe racks. This will make it easier for everyone in the family to find their shoes in the morning.
Storage boxes are an easy way to prevent your closet from looking cluttered and allow you to sort and categorize items to keep everything organized.
In the winter, why hang your spring and fall coats in the entryway closet? If you have space somewhere else (such as the basement or attic), store items and seasonal clothes you don’t need elsewhere to keep your closet tidy and functional. Ask about garment racks available at Organized Interiors.
Invest in a custom mudroom closet to keep your entryway always organized. The experts at Organized Interiors are skilled in transforming closet spaces to match your needs and space. With a custom solution, you can have your closet doors removed, add a built-in bench and turn an ordinary closet into a stylish storage area.

If a custom solution sounds like the right plan for your entryway, request a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors.

The Best Way To Keep Your Dry Cleaned Clothes Wrinkle Free

Here’s a scenario you’ve probably experienced before: You bring your clothes to the dry cleaner and they come out looking crisp and clean.

After a few days in your closet, however, your dry cleaned clothes are already back to looking wrinkled and in need of a good ironing. Frustrating, right?

The good news is that this scenario can be avoided. With a few simple tips and techniques up your sleeve, you can keep your dry cleaned clothes wrinkle-free.

Put dry cleaned clothes away immediately

Many times, wrinkles are formed during the time after cleaning and before putting the clothes away.

Rather than throwing your clothes on the bed and leaving them to put away later, hang or fold them right after they’ve been cleaned to reduce wrinkles.

Don’t overcrowd your closet

Stuffing as many clothes into your closet or drawer space is likely to cause wrinkles. When hanging clothes, leave a little bit of space between each shirt and never fill your drawer space so much that you can’t easily close or open it.

If you need more space in your closets to store clothes, consider a custom closet solution that will maximize your space.

Know when it’s best to fold or hang clothes

Some clothes, like dress shirts or linen fabrics, need to be hung in order to prevent wrinkles. Other items, such as knit sweaters, are best folded.

Sort through your clothes and determine which articles of clothing should be hung in the closet, folded, or placed on a shelf or in a drawer.

Learn how to properly fold your clothes

While some clothes should be folded, the way in which you fold those clothes can cause wrinkles. The video below can help you with your shirt folding technique.

Keep a wrinkle-free spray handy

Sometimes wrinkles happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them. With a wrinkle-free spray, you can quickly get rid of creases and wrinkles before heading out the door – without even turning on your iron.

A Quick Guide To Cabinet Finish Options

When buying custom-made cabinetry, you’re given a choice among various cabinet finishes. But which finish is best?

That depends on various factors, such as your budget or the style of the room. Read on to get a quick overview of the cabinet finish options available to you.

Vinyl wrap

If you’re seeking high quality and an aesthetically pleasing finish, a vinyl wrap could be a great option. Vinyl wrap finishes offer many benefits including durability, beauty and value.

They are rich-looking, have a 10-year guarantee for long-lasting quality and are very stable with medium-density fibreboard (MDF).

You can choose from both high-gloss and matte options to suit your personal preference.

Melamine

Melamine is a low-pressure laminate and therefore less expensive than high-pressure alternatives, as well as wood and paint.

It’s offered in dozens of finishes and can be used to create the same appearance as real wood, lacquer, metallic and other various materials.

Melamine is also very durable. It’s resistant to scratching, splitting, cracking and warping; even summer humidity won’t cause a melamine finish to expand.

Overall, this finish is great for high-traffic areas and for those who have kids or on a budget. Melamine offers a 10-year guarantee.

Wood

Enhance the look of your cabinetry with beautiful wooden finishes. Our selection includes a wide range of options, from premium oak, cherry and walnut to mid-range finishes like maple and birch.

You can even choose exotic wood finishes, if you prefer. A wood finish has a one-year guarantee, but can it easily be refreshed with spot repair or refinishing.

Paint

If a colourful room is what you want, then a paint finish is worth considering. With paint, you have unlimited colour options and can easily mix and match them.

Keep in mind that while paint gives off a high-quality appearance, it can be easily chipped or scratched. Therefore, it is best used in low-wear areas. Paint has a one-year guarantee.

High-end finishes

To learn more about your cabinet finish options, just visit our showroom or schedule a free in-home design consultation with one of our design consultants.