
The office in “Emily” and “Brian’s” apartment. (Names have been changed.)
I’ve always wanted to be a professional organizer. But you know how those things go. It’s always “one of those things” you know you’re good at but never fully pursue (read: business plan) because you’re not so sure how to go about doing it. But it’s always been at the back of my mind: I have a knack for clearing out clutter.
The other day when I was walking the stray dog (Sasha), I ran into another couple out walking their two dogs and they became concerned about Sasha’s situation. Emily volunteers at a shelter so we exchanged email addresses.
In the course of our electronic correspondence, Emily and Brian offered to pay for Sasha’s vet bills in exchange for my organizing services. I hadn’t advertised the fact that I organize people’s stuff, but Emily read the blog and thought I might be able help her and Brian tackle the massive organizing project that is their apartment. I was more than happy to help, especially since Emily is a fan of my favorite celebrity organizer, Peter Walsh.
This weekend was our first meeting at their home, a two-bedroom apartment in the city. Before I arrived Emily and Brian had already cleared much of the surface clutter that was dominating their apartment. (Okay, I have to let my inner organizing geek come out here.) This is what Peter Walsh refers to as “lazy clutter”: the stuff you know has to go (a promotional t-shirt from a retreat that’s been on the dining room table six months), but you just haven’t gotten around to getting rid of yet.

A lack of closet space often leads to floor clutter.
With their “lazy clutter” mostly out of the way, we were able to take a look at what Emily and Brian think they want to keep (or are having a harder time getting rid of) and need to deal with somehow.
Here’s why they’re having trouble:
- This is Emily’s first apartment in the city. She is used to more space and easier access to laundry.
- Though they moved in together three years ago, they are having some difficulty merging their belongings (each thinks the other should sacrifice their items for the sake of space).
- Brian is seeking a job in academia but until then his “office” was being stored at home.
- Emily’s mom recently sold her house in the suburbs, and Emily inherited generations of stuff, from furniture handmade by her late father to heirloom ceramics and china sets. While Emily definitely wants to keep these things, they are having difficulty figuring out where.

Even Emily and Brian’s kitchen hacks are being overrun.
Before you judge them too harshly, keep in mind that city-dwellers have space issues that non-urbanites could barely imagine. You’re lucky to have a closet in each bedroom in most city apartments, let alone a coat closet, linen closet or pantry. Kitchens are shockingly devoid of cabinet space for both cookware and food (not to mention lacking drawers for utensils, at times). And forget about in-unit laundry.
So those of us living in high density areas have to get creative with what we keep and what we toss, and how we store what we keep. I rarely see a city kitchen that hasn’t been “hacked” in some way: bookshelves used to store canned goods, wall-mounted shelving, tie racks used to hang pots and pans. (In fact, if you really want to see some awesome kitchen hacks, check out Forkable Blog. Andrea has tricked out her kitchen in a DIY style like none other. Some of her genius is visible in this Flickr photoset.)

Emily and Brian have taken to storing glassware in the bedroom now. They’re desperate to find a storage solution.
All this hacking and storing in apartments usually does the trick when it’s your stuff. But when you’re inundated with heirlooms and don’t have a spare closet, let alone basement, garage or garage attic, it’s challenge to fit it all. Which is where Emily and Brian find themselves.
After our meeting I gave them some projects to work on until we meet again. Brian’s going to:
- Pare down his book collection and re-shelve it on something smaller so Emily can use their huge red cabinet (pictured below) to store her favorite dishware.
- Reduce a closet-full of banker’s boxes filled with high school and college memories to just a few shoe boxes. (Each banker’s box = one shoe box.)
Meanwhile, Emily’s going to:
- Consolidate her serving ware to the red bookcase and two other pieces of storage furniture.
- Sort the remaining dishware and housewares (vases, etc.) into give-away and donate piles.
Together they will:
- Tame the plastic bag collection in their pantry with a wall-mounted plastic bag dispenser.
- Take CDs out of their jewel cases and file them into the CD storage files they’ve already purchased.

This huge red cabinet is currently storing Brian’s books, but could be used to store Emily’s collection of heirloom serving pieces and dishware.
We’ll see how far they get and I’ll keep you updated. See? BackGarage is just like watching TLC!