Form + Function: Making Your Home Work For You
The turbulence of last year reinforced the many ways in which our homes support our lifestyles and provide a sense of normalcy. Even when everything is changing, home is constant. But as we all continue to spend more time at home due to the ongoing pandemic and emerging remote work culture, it’s essential to ensure your home works for everyone that lives there, including yourself and the life you lead.
Here are three simple steps to help you make the most of your space:
Step 1: Evaluate your lifestyle.
Assess the way you live in your home and what you value most.
It’s typical to see your house as one space, but we recommend taking a moment to mentally split your home into zones that represent how you want to use each space. Here are a few questions to get you started:
Where do you eat?
Where do you lounge?
Where do you work/study/focus?
Where do you socialize/entertain?
Once you have a grip on the activities that happen in your space, consider your storage needs.
Are there cabinets you dread opening due to the clutter?
Are there items in any of the spaces you identified above that you don’t have use for anymore?
What rooms do you struggle to find extra storage space in?
Pro Tip: Organize your space and storage allocation in alignment with your highest lifestyle priorities. Throw out the rule book and customize your home to work for you.
Step 2: Define your needs.
Identify spaces that aren’t being used and determine how they can be used more effectively.
Take a moment to identify the spaces you and your housemates/family spend the most time in and what needs are not being met. Consider the rarely used areas and imagine how they might be used differently. This step is vital because many homeowners make the mistake of adhering to the traditional norms of space allocation even when these spaces may not reflect the way they live.
For example, it’s common to have a formal dining room off the kitchen, but what if your family prefers to sit around the kitchen island or table and rarely use the dining room at all? In these cases, what if the dining room became a home office instead and improved your work from home life? Or a study area where your kids could do projects and complete homework?
Pro Tip: Give every room a name that reflects its purpose; Office, dining room, etc. “Spare” rooms tend to quickly become dumping grounds for items that are not used and don’t provide value. Think about it; even the storage room has a name!
Step 3: Maximize your space.
Reorganize and rejuvenate your home.
Once you’ve identified the rooms that you spend the most time in, use the Three-Box Method to sort your items.
The Three-Box Method asks that you start by gathering the following boxes:
Keep: For items you find useful in your daily life.
Get Rid Of: For items you have no use for anymore.
Put in Storage: For seasonal or sentimental items that don’t get everyday use.
Sort your items one-by-one, room-by-room, and empty each “keep” box after each room so your most important items can be placed neatly in their new designated space. Evaluate your “get rid of” box after each room and decide if it’s best to throw away, sell, or donate the items.
Pro Tip: The quickest way to become overwhelmed is to try to tackle your whole home in one day. We recommend setting reasonable and attainable goals by choosing one to two rooms per weekend so you can take your time making these decisions.
Once you have refreshed your space, you may have room for a home project you’ve always wanted to do or have new ideas about how to invest in your home. When you’re ready to hit the “refresh” button on your space again, you don’t have to go it alone. Check out our full vendor list full of local experts we know and trust!
