Project Profile: Creating New Systems in Somerville

This client reached out to us after driving by our studio on Mass Ave. At that time, she and her family had been living in their house for two years but were not quite sure if they were on the right track with their storage, and struggled to create and maintain systems in their space. Her priorities were organizing her basement, office, and garage but after taking a look at her space during our consultation we expanded the scope of the project significantly. This client was ready to tackle her entire house and we were able to apply a ton of different solutions to meet every need. This project profile will be published in multiple parts, since we have had the opportunity to work on every inch of this client’s home! We were able to make a significant impact on the first floor with lots of purging, some custom designs, and our favorite organizing products & tools.

Please note that we are not sponsored by The Container Store or Elfa – we just love their products! 

The Kitchen & Pantry

This family loves to cook together, so optimizing their kitchen storage jumped to the top of the priority list. One of their biggest challenges was cabinet space and we were thrilled to take the opportunity to work with a local carpenter to create a custom cabinet for their space. The new cabinet blends into the kitchen seamlessly and creates a huge amount of additional storage space. 

Did you know that we can help you design custom built-in’s? We work with a few local companies to help you create storage that fits your needs and aesthetics. 

Pantries can be very tricky. If they are too big it is easy to fill them with things that do not need to be there, and if they’re too small they get claustrophobic quickly! This family had a good sized pantry built into their kitchen but it didn’t take advantage of all of their vertical space or have a lot of flexibility if they had an influx of new products. We partially replicated their existing shelving with Elfa Decor shelves but increased the storage capacity by adding shelving all the way up to the ceiling that’s also adjustable. We also designed this system with drawers for easy-to-grab snacks and smaller items that tend to get lost on deeper shelves. We labeled everything in this space so that every item has a home, which will help keep things in their place in the long run.

For a family that spends a lot of time in the kitchen, the impact of these adjustments was immediate! 

The Utility Closet

The utility closet was not meeting the needs of the family at all. This closet holds back stock cleaning supplies, paper goods, reusable bags, and quite a few tools. It had so many different demands and wasn’t able to meet them with the existing storage, it only had one shelf and a rod, with an odd little step up from the floor. Our clients tried to add some shelving with an existing bookcase but it wasn’t the right size for their items. We sorted and purged all of the different categories in this closet but were still struggling to make it work as is.

Elfa came to the rescue, yet again! This closet design allowed us to take advantage of a lot of vertical space that was previously not utilized. Those items that you need to hold on to but don’t need to be accessible all the time are perfect for high shelves and free up space for more often needed items at eye level. We added lots of smaller drawers in this closet design to hold tools and other small items that could be grabbed in a pinch (like candles and flashlights) as well as larger drawers for bulkier items (like vacuum parts). The door rack in this closet neatly hold all of the reusable bags and offer a quick grab zone for masks. 

The Coat Closet

The entryway closet offered a good amount of space before we installed the new system but the family struggled to put things away. By creating smaller zones in the closet (short hang, long hang, shoe storage, and door racks) we are able to more specifically assign items to their homes. This is a great tool for families that struggle to stay organized– when everything has a place and that place is clearly designated it is much easier to maintain. The door racks also provide an opportunity for children to grab their own items since baskets can hang close to the floor. 

We love working with these clients and have been thrilled by the positive impact of these changes in their home. Check back in next month for Part 2 of their home transformation!