Celebrate Spring

Toss unnecessary clutter, get organized, and redesign

Written By: Lina Quintero, owner and lead designer of Elements of Design

Along with spring come thoughts of love, fresh air, budding flowers, singing birds and a sense of renewal. You might even be inspired to paint your bedroom a vibrant new hue, rearrange furniture, or tackle a few fun interior design projects.

To bring the outdoor season indoors, a trade secret among many interior designers is to rotate the décor. Replace the rich, dark fall colors in your pillows, bedding, window treatments and area rugs with light, bright spring colors for a simple way to freshen up your home and celebrate the changing weather.

Before you start redecorating, it’s important to get organized and do a bit of spring cleaning to help bring that wonderful, fresh feeling into your home and office. First, you will need to purge the clutter you have accumulated before reaching for a sponge and cleaning products.

If you have a room that has evolved into a catch-all storage area, now might be the time to take a closer look at its potential. By reducing clutter, you can simplify the cleaning process and, according to Feng Shui principles, reap positive, life-changing benefits. Clutter impedes your path, both literally and figuratively, and prevents new and better opportunities (and furnishings) from entering your life. It can also be just plain exhausting to look at.

Sort Things Out
Clearing clutter is difficult. Sometimes we get bursts of energy and can whip through it quickly, but most often it helps to have moral support and an extra pair of hands. If you feel you can’t do it alone, invite a friend or hire a professional organizer to help you clear one closet or room at a time.

To keep the project manageable, break the project in small chunks and chip away until you are finished. If you really want to dive right in, you might completely clear everything out of a room, then move furniture and large items back in and arrange them to your satisfaction before sorting through everything else that was in the room. If you plan to paint the room, this method works very well.

One method for sifting through clutter is to get four large boxes and label them “Keep,” “Throw Away,” “Sell” and “Donate.” As you rummage through your closets and drawers, you can toss items in the appropriate box. If you’re motivated enough to have a garage sale, turn trash into cash for redecorating. Donate items such as gently used clothes, books and magazines to a local charity, hospital or nursing home. If numerous items are “keepers,” invest in affordable storage solutions, such as stackable bins with lids.

Storage Solutions
Storage space is at a premium for nearly everyone. Since 87% of Americans live in small or medium-size homes, finding additional storage has become a hot topic. On the bright side, every home – no matter its size – has potential storage space that goes unnoticed. Add another shelf in the coat closet above the existing one, use racks on the backs of doors for shoes or handbag storage, add hanging racks from the roof of the garage for holiday decorations, or slide an attractive basket full of board games under the coffee table.

Maximizing storage space begins with buying double-duty furniture that serves more than one purpose, such as a coffee table with built-in drawers, a side table that also functions as a display case for collectibles, or chests and tables with enclosed cabinets. Buy benches and ottomans with hinged tops for easily accessible storage. Find an armoire or entertainment center designed to fit smaller rooms or corners and create enough extra space to store everything from old photo albums to linens or electronic equipment.

Here are more tips for maximizing storage space throughout the house:

Bedroom Organizers
Under-the-bed storage boxes fit in tight, narrow spots and are great for storing out-of-season clothes, gift wrap, kids games or just about anything else.

Increase the space in a child's room by using a bed platform with built-in drawers.

Store toys and books on low shelves and secure bins that won't fall over. Old chests and trunks also make creative tables with toy-storage capability.

Use a wall hanging with storage pockets, such as a fabric shoe organizer, as a space saver for keeping coloring books, pencils, rulers, small plush or bean bag animals, and other small items together in one place.

Canvas and wooden clothes hampers make excellent, easy-access containers for toys.

Kitchen Patrol
Remove magnets and papers from the refrigerator door for an instantly cleaner kitchen.

Install pullout shelves or baskets that use up all of the space in a deep cabinet.

Place stacking platforms in taller shelf spaces to gain shelf space.

Buy drawer partitions, turntables, and other organizers specially designed for kitchens at a large discount store. These inexpensive and ready-made organizers fit into your existing cabinets.

Mount under-cabinet racks to display your prettiest stemware or teacups. You can also mount paper plate holders, electric can-openers and automatic coffeepots under kitchen cabinets to leave extra room on your countertops.

Bathroom Brigade
Rolled-up towels fit beautifully in an inexpensive wine rack. Each curved bottle holder stores a towel and saves under-counter storage space. Attach two wine racks to the bathroom wall to hold even more towels.

A toilet tank magazine rack that fits on the side of standard tanks without hooks keeps books, magazines and catalogs handy and off the floor.

Fit an unused corner with a high cabinet that features adjustable shelves to accommodate towels and other bath accessories.

Consider buying or building a small, wall-mounted cabinet for use above the vanity, toilet or tub.

Home Office Solutions
Tuck an armoire into a corner for a one-stop office that becomes a pretty piece of furniture with its doors closed. Look for one with a pullout or folding tray for even more usable space.

Use a corner desk to convert an area of the bedroom or guest room into a home office.

Buy office equipment that can be rolled out of the way when not in use. Also, place inexpensive casters on file cabinets to create moveable storage space.

Remove doors from a closet to transform it into a home office complete with a desk, computer, file cabinet and shelves.

Closet Control
Plan storage that reaches all the way to the ceiling. Stow suitcases, out-of-season clothes, and rarely used items on harder-to-reach upper shelves.

Use shelf organizers and dividers to keep things neat and easy to find.

Increase storage space with cardboard or plastic drawer units.

Install tiered double-hanging rods to accommodate shirts and pants.

Eye-Catching Collections
Are your collectibles displayed properly? If you’ve visited too many arts-and-crafts fairs and have lots of decorative items, you cannot display them all without creating a cluttered look. Separate them into categories, such as candlesticks, wreaths and pottery, and display them according to the seasons. Rotate your collectibles, along with seasonal furniture, in and out of storage to keep your home looking fresh and interesting. Relegate your cherished family photos to only one room and select color-coordinated mats and frames for a more pulled together look.

Interior design authority Lina Quintero is the owner of Elements of Design. The Scottsdale studio, which caters to affluent homeowners nationwide, features one of the largest showrooms in Arizona with an impressive inventory ranging from upholstered goods to accessories. For more information, visit www.eodinteriordesigners.com or call 480.443.9646.

Top 10 Essential Spring Cleaning Tips
from THE MAIDS Home Services

Spring cleaning is essential to keeping a clean and healthy home. Deep cleaning each spring expels dust and dirt that has accumulated throughout the winter months. The idea is to remove more embedded dirt, dust and contaminants than you do during your regular maintenance cleaning. THE MAIDS offers the following 10 essential spring cleaning tasks:

Organize closets. Remove items that you have “slightly” outgrown or have not worn in the past two years. Check all expiration dates on medications and remove old lotions, shampoos or cosmetics.

Clean vents and registers. Dust and dirt quickly collect in registers and air vents, which can circulate into the air. For regular cleaning, use the brush attachment and your vacuum. For a thorough cleaning, remove metal vents from the wall, wash in warm soapy water, dry and reattach.

Clean carpets. Regular carpet cleaning helps maintain the life of your carpet and can improve indoor air quality, which in turn decreases the likelihood of allergy and asthma symptoms. If you do not own a carpet cleaner, look at renting a machine or hiring a professional.

Wash windows. Wash windows inside and out. Use a drop of liquid dish soap per two gallons of water and a good squeegee. You will get the best results if you wash windows on a cloudy day; sunlight dries glass quickly, causing it to streak.

Wash linens. Wash bedding, curtains and shower liners according to fabric instructions. Remove extra blankets from the bed only needed during the cold winter months.

Vacuum mattresses. Dust, dander and dust mites build up in your mattress. Vacuum your mattress using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner. This draws air through the mattress and unsettles dust and dirt.

Clean ceiling fans and light fixtures. Turn off your light then remove the light bulbs and light casing. Vacuum the tops of ceiling fan blades and inside ceiling lamp globes. Put a washcloth in the bottom of a sink filled with warm soapy water to line the sink and prevent damage to your light casings, then wash and dry your light casings.

Clean wastebaskets. Empty all trash containers. Clean and disinfect inside and out with warm soapy water and a neutral disinfectant.

Clean cupboards and drawers. Vacuum crumbs, dust and hair, then wipe clean. Wash the bottom and inside of each drawer and cupboard using a solution of two tablespoons vinegar per one quart of water, then wipe dry.

Clean range hood. To release trapped grease and odors, wash range hood and fan with warm water and vinegar, then rinse well. Remove the metal filter, soak in warm water, vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish detergent, and then rinse and dry well before replacing.

For more information, visit THE MAIDS Home Services at www.maids.com or call 800.THE.MAIDS.