Even after you've given away everything you really don't want to friends, family and charity, and perhaps held a garage sale to turn your useless junk into someone else's treasures, you will probably still find yourself with more belongings than you really need. Look no further than the current condo boom for solutions to your big or small clutter problem. One has to be well organized when the expanse of home measures just a few hundred square feet; manufacturers are responding to these needs with innovative product ideas.
Nice-looking media cabinets that hide DVDs and CDs behind their doors are pretty standard these days, but what about an ottoman that doubles as a stool and triples as a hiding spot for magazines and fuzzy throws? Leather- and fabric-covered footstools, benches and other furniture accessories with hinged lids are brilliant solutions for tucking away little-used items that you need to keep but you don't have to use every day.
I employ my beautiful leather storage bench as a coffee table, and in a pinch it also becomes extra seating. Inside are extra blankets, a couple of throws and a few vinyl albums I wish to keep away from the judgmental eyes of my audiophile friends. No one needs to know I still cherish The Gatlin Brothers Greatest Hits, and I can't bear to give it up until I finally, eventually, commit it to CD.
The upper reaches of clothes closets are often wasted space. Many closets have one shelf above the rod, but there's only so much you can pile up before it threatens to topple back down on you. It's my habit to install another shelf about a foot higher and make use of that space closer to the ceiling. Out-of-season purses, hats, gloves and other items can sit on the higher shelf, while those things that are used more often can be kept within reach. You might be surprised by how much extra storage room you'll acquire.
The same concept works under the sink in a kitchen or a bathroom vanity. An inexpensive rubber-over-wire shelf will give you a whole new level of storage in a small space.
Some time ago I bought a wonderful computer desk that opens when I need to work and closes into an attractive piece of furniture when it's not in use. It's something I decided I needed before I even knew it existed. And sometimes that's how it works; the clutter determines the necessity, and no matter how specific it is, someone has probably already been in the situation you're facing. Somewhere there likely exists a solution to the problem.
Cardboard photo boxes from craft stores are inexpensive and can be used for much more than photos. They come in an assortment of colours and coverings and they're pretty enough to stack openly on shelves once they're full of whatever it is you need to tuck away. I keep tea light candles and extra batteries in mine.
Storage solution experts abound now. And whether it's little mesh drawer organizers or a giant shelving unit to cover an entire wall, the clutter-control conundrum can be conquered with a little effort. A more orderly home is possible when that old cliche is followed: A place for everything and everything in its place.
Lisa Brandt is the morning co-anchor on 680 News and a home-decorating enthusiast. Visit her website at www.lisabrandt.ca.