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Organizing & Beautifying {My 2014 Plans!}

by | Jan 20, 2014 | Decorating Inspiration, my house, Organization

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Organizing & Beautifying {My 2014 Plans!}

Pottery Barn

Greetings. I am FINALLY on the mend after the plague known around our house as the flu. I don’t think I’ve ever been sick so many days in a row. Awful. I thought maybe I would never blog again. I lost all my energy and motivation to do anything. But, somehow I pulled through to blog another day and as of today, I’m officially BAAACCCKKKK!!! YAHOO!

Can I admit something? Come a little closer, cause this is embarrassing. I still have most of my Christmas decor up. I KNOW! What blogger still has CHRISTMAS decor up mid-January? Sheesh. ME. I do.  Until today I didn’t even have the desire to take it down.  You KNOW I’m sick when I don’t want to do anything but take naps. I’m NOT a nap girl. But, those days are behind me now and I’m taking Christmas down as we speak! This is happening.

Organizing & Beautifying {My 2014 Plans!}

Pottery Barn Dresser

I even had enough energy yesterday to think more in depth about my home goals for this year! I talked a little bit the other day about working on a craft closet in our guest room. And that got me thinking about organizing and decluttering the rest of my house. With the exception of our pantry, I’m not super pleased with any of our closets or dressers right now. Some areas are good (like my new pegboard tool area!), but others are ready for an overhaul.

Organizing & Beautifying {My 2014 Plans!}

Pottery Barn Organization

I want to create more efficient and attractive storage in every room of our house. My goal is to make the most of the space we have. While my house is a fine size overall, each room is on the small side and I don’t have tons of closets and no built-ins. We have only one small closet on the main floor. Each bedroom has a closet but none of them are being used to their fullest potential. Besides, they could all use a bit of a style update to make them cuter :-). I’d like to be able to take photos of my closets. That’s my dream.

I’m very much affected by how my rooms and closets look and function. When I’ve worked on a room from top to bottom, I’m inspired to keep it clean and organized going forward. If a room looks pretty and there is a place for everything, I feel more relaxed and motivated to keep it that way. An organized home is a beautiful home.

So, that’s my goal for this year. I’m going to go room by room, area by area in my house and assess how the rooms are functioning and what I could to improve storage in each space. I’m planning to find new storage pieces in some rooms (adding in new dressers, shelving units or consoles) and creatively makeover existing storage to make each prettier and more organized. I’m picturing some new wall organizers and lots more hooks, too!

Organizing & Beautifying {My 2014 Plans!}

Organized Craft Space

I’m going to have to get creative in some rooms that currently have no storage at all., like our dining room. My dream would be to add built ins to some rooms, but that may not be in the budget. Other rooms I’ll be emptying entire closets and starting over with a better system. But my goal will be to not only beautify each room, but to end the year more organized and with less excess than I started. I may not get through the entire house and I’m sure not every corner will be perfect, but at least I know I can make some good progress by starting NOW.

I hope you’ll come along with me on my journey! Maybe you will even be inspired to do some organizing in your house! I’m a little nervous posting this because now I’m accountable to get it done. Heheh. But it is something I’ve wanted to do forever, so it’s going to be a good kind of accountable. I’m ready. I’m looking forward to it.

But first, gotta put those Christmas decorations away :-). 

32 Comments

  1. Anne

    Good to hear that you are better!! I am looking forward to more inspiration from you :-)

    Reply
  2. Sallie

    I am so glad you’re feeling better! It does take time, and more of it the older we get (darn it!), but then the joy of returned health is that much sweeter. Enjoy your projects, and don’t feel bad about the Christmas decor – we all get interrupted from our normal programming now and then!

    Reply
  3. joanne

    So glad your feeling better can’t wait to see your organizational skills maybe some will rub off on me and my unorganized self. HAVE A GREAT DAY. and take it easy :)

    Reply
  4. Marty@A Stroll Thru Life

    This sounds fabulous, I would love for mine to be redone and in a good way. Glad you are feeling better. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  5. Louise

    Now, Melissa, this is a Guilt Free issue, I say, especially after your being down with the plague for so long. I’m glad you’re better! Speaking for myself but also on behalf of us regular, non-blogging folks, I have noticed that many people don’t really get out from under Christmas until about the time I do, which is late February, even early March. When Christmas is finally all put away and organized, I emerge from my home to find that the world has fresh energy, as if the darker days are behind us and better, light-filled days are around the corner. At those times I feel in tune with my fellow man, er, woman and know I am not alone in the Herculean effort of getting “stuff” back into boxes. I must say, when you posted the day after Christmas that you were out and about, I registered a wee bit of guilt–how carefree you seemed!–but I banished it. I know I will be getting out and about whenever the holiday clean-up has been accomplished, and I’ll enjoy feeling footloose and light and ready to notice the stirrings of spring even as the snow continues to pile up at the mall. The holidays, nice as they are, take a lot of work before and after–I wish you completion of your clean-up today, and very much look forward to your focus on organizing.

    Reply
  6. Jann from Newton Custom Interiors

    Melissa, I’m glad you’re feeling better. This post speaks to me because finding new ways to organize our home has been a big part of what I’ve been thinking about the last couple of weeks.

    Reply
  7. Linda@Creekside

    So glad you’re on the mend, Melissa. And you’ll feel so much better when that last ornament is packed away, and the boxes toted off to rest in peace til late next fall! Yep, I love the way the house looks when the decorations go up. But there’s something fresh and new when rooms emerge simple and clear and spacious once again …

    Reply
  8. Faith

    Glad you are feeling better! Let the organizing begin!

    Reply
  9. Becky

    This post sounds so like me that I could have written it! Our Christmas boxes are still sitting in the library AND I have the same goals for 2014. I’m so relieved to hear I’m not the only one behind in putting Christmas stuff away!

    I look forward to following your progress; I’ll be doing my organizing right along with ya!

    Glad you’re feeling better!

    Reply
  10. Heidi

    I still have Christmas decorations up in my living room because they have been barricaded in by kitchen renovation supplies! I won’t be able to get to them until later this week and it’s driving me NUTS! Can’t wait to see how you organize things.

    http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com

    Reply
  11. Brandi @ Nest of Bliss

    I’ve been on a bit of an organizing kick myself — I think it’s in the air! I find when things have a place I feel less stressed overall. Recently we organized all of our paperwork in the house and it made a huge difference!

    Reply
  12. KATHYSUE

    Melissa, you and I are on the same wave-link! I have started purging in my garage to open up more storage space for some the things in my home that could potentially go out in the garage. I am working on purging and storing my decorative pillows and trust me I have a few, since I change them for the seasons. I needed some smart storage and I think I found a great idea that will work for me. I did the space bags, and after several exploded I knew there had to be something that would work. I just posted two post on my process and what I am going to be using on my blog. Have a great week and hope you feel better as time marches on.
    xo Kathysue

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Oh yes, we are on the same wavelength. We did the same thing in our garage! :-) it sure helped to prepare a place for things to go! :-)

      Reply
  13. Lorrie

    Glad to hear that you are feeling better, Melissa. It’s awful to drag around for such a long time. Organizing stuff is a great way to start the year – I have a few projects in mind, too. Love the Pottery Barn inspiration photos you’ve chosen.
    Have fun putting Christmas away.

    Reply
  14. sandyc

    So glad you’re feeling better but know it’s going to be a while before the energy level comes back. Statistics on how much we lose with being off our feet and bed-ridden for just 1 day are alarming. But sending you all the good energies I can muster. In the meantime, very eager for your reorganization project. Sitting in my office (formerly dining room) to the front of my very open floorplan home just off the open foyer, with a million stacks of papers piled on every available surface, desperately trying to figure out where to store anything, how to organize multiple work projects, how to create enough work surface, how to keep 3 cats happy OFF the desk, and how to feel comfortable allowing anyone to enter my house without a 24-hour notice. Keep the inspiration coming, girl. I’m depending on you.!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      So true!! I can tell I’m still not all here, thanks for the reminder that it takes awhile to regain energy!

      Reply
  15. tara

    that first picture from PB is amazing.
    wonder if I can convince my home that it needs that big zinc wall calendar?

    so glad you’re on the mend and ready to blog again….

    Reply
  16. Barb V.

    Don’t forget to take before pix of every room/closet NOW before the magic begins!

    Reply
  17. Catherine

    Ha! I put mine away yesterday. As in, took down the tree. The boxes are still all sitting in the living room. Oh well!

    Reply
  18. Gail

    Glad you’re feelng better.
    I am looking forward to your 2014 projects, large and small, especially re fully using small closets

    Reply
  19. Amelia

    My goals are very similar to yours for 2014. We already started tackling our basement reworking the finished living spaces along with our storage areas. I agree with you whole heartedly that most of our homes have so much wasted space. There is so much potential if we just take the time to evaluate how we want a space to work and what truly needs to be there.

    Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Will you be tackling your garage by chance? That is on our list too an it is so hard to find inspiration for that room.

    Reply
  20. Kimberly

    I’m really affected by how my home looks and functions as well – and I notice every.single.detail. I’m so glad there’s others that feel this way too! To some people, like my wonderful Mother, as long as her home looks lovely – what you can see of it – meaning no closet peeking – she’s highly functioning and livin’ life happily. Me? Not so much. I need to open the doors and feel that “Ahhhhhh” factor, or I feel flustered and disjointed. Beauty and functionality and organization = tranquility, in my world. I already began with painting the inside of my Master bedroom closet – thinking to add a stencil, tone on tone – shimmery effect maybe? – after adding additional shelving and organizing/purging a lot of clothing. I still need some new containers and am eyeing IKEA’s soft beige floral ones. Next up after that is probably dependant on whatever wonderfulness you motivate me with! Looking forward to it – I just recently found your blog and am enjoying it :)

    Reply
  21. Marie

    I loved this post! I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’m organizing a few things each day, and it is a wonderful feeling. It’s interesting that when one area is finished I see another area. I don’t know if I’ll make it through the entire house this year, but it just might happen! Thanks for the encouragement each day.

    Reply
  22. Kathy

    So glad you are feeling better – January can be challenging enough without the flu! LOVE that you are focusing on closets/organization…I started my bedromm closet (shudder) and was *shocked* at the things I had “tucked away” and totally forgotten about. Like…adorable snowboots! (I’ve been running around all winter in shoes!). Today, we have 8+ inches of snow already, so those snowboots are really coming in handy! LOL!

    Reply
  23. Linda

    Glad you are better. Our decorations were taken down mostly by my husband and before the winter sickness hit our house. One thing happened while I was down. I decided painting can not wait! Photos will be getting my extra attention this year.

    Reply
  24. Natalie

    Great post. I think we can all relate to this. I still have my Christmas lights up which I am a bit embarrassed about. But they got broken so need to just be thrown out.

    Today I started doing some organising of my own. I found a cute idea to store my earrings.
    http://landhousereno.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/organised-earrings.html

    Once the kids go back to school next week I plan on doing all their drawers and getting rid of all their old clothes. I LOVE decluttering!

    Reply
  25. janita

    Just letting you know there is another mom out there with Christmas—- now referred to as Winter :) decorations still lingering. I did take down everything that said “Christmas” a couple of weeks ago… But the “Christmas” tree remains. Hoping to tackle the tree soon but I got a new (thrifted) artificial tree this year that I love and I love that you can leave it up as long as you want and don’t have to worry about dead branch syndrome. I wasn’t even sick for an excuse, though I just helped exited my daughter’s dead tree to the curb last night. The days of January are long and dreary here, the extra little twinkle helps my mood. It is how we roll here.

    Looking forward to seeing the room transformations.
    Janita

    Reply
  26. Village of Rivermoor

    Can’t wait to see how you organize your craft space. Un-decorating from Christmas can be kind of sad in a way, although it can sort of energize you for organization and home projects. I usually feel both. :)

    Reply
  27. Ginger

    Glad you are feeling better. I really need to get organized too. I love you idea of going into each room and evaluating how I can better organize.

    Reply

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