The Organized Home: Simple, Stylish Storage Ideas for All Over the House
December 1, 2017
Carlson and Guralnick of home design blog Remodelista.com begin with a manifesto on the art of order that includes directives such as buy fewer (and better) things; develop habits and routines that simplify your life; and steal ideas from chefs, hoteliers, shopkeepers, and other organizational masters. The book is divided by area of the home, with organizing ideas for the entryway, kitchen, bathroom, clothes closet, workstation, and laundry and utility closet. A large resources section provides information on alternatives to plastic goods; ways to donate, recycle, sell, and swap excess goods; and the authors' favorite sources for a variety of items. The book is filled with stylish photos that clearly illustrate the tips and tricks outlined in the text. VERDICT Will be used and enjoyed by fans of the authors' site as well as anyone with a modern design sensibility who's looking to make their home more organized.--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 18, 2017
This practical guide by Carlson, the founder of design website Remodelista, along with Guralnick, the website’s architecture and interiors editor, translates the less-is-more impulse into efficient and aesthetically pleasing organizing suggestions. Room by room, and inch by inch within each room, the authors lay out a practical, two-pronged (and, in some cases, self-evident) approach to purging and reorganizing. The first prong is tossing: in the entryway, for example, the list of “what to toss” includes “orphaned gloves, junk mail, multiples of anything.” The second prong, reordering, includes suggestions such as “pick a place to put the day’s mail” and “keep a recycling bin near your mail pile.” The book provides detailed solutions for every space in the house, with advice from expert designers and everyday people alike. “Clean up like a Kindergarten teacher,” writes Howard Garrett, a kindergarten teacher from Brooklyn, who advocates keeping an uncluttered kitchen by labeling containers and storing them in easily accessible cubbies. The authors also address common blights such as unsightly electrical cords. Some solutions will feel obvious, such as using a hanging canvas shoe organizer, while others, such as the three strategies for pot-lid storage, may revolutionize. Readers prone to clutter won’t find any life-changing magic here, but the book serves as a great resource for anyone moving into a new space.