Better Living

The more your organized space, more the stuff it willaccommodate

ByGeor gie Binks
ou've spentweeksgoing through your belongings,decluttering rooms, and holding garagesales to make sure everything will fit into your ne% smallerspace. Once you've moved, however,you realize to your horror that it's still not all going to fit. What to do? \7e've contactedorganizing professionals coast-to-coast, and they've come up with a burrch of solutionsto help you squeeze everybit of living spaceout of your new, more compacthome.

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It's important when you tackle each room to look at the big picture-which really is the new, smaller picture. Maybe you were used to having three

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kids running around in the kitchen and openerscan also be mounted neededa lot of spacebefore. Or underneathkitchen cabinets. perhaps you were addicted to a If that still doesn't give you enough cooking channel and bought every room and you have the budget, gadget you could find. Now's the time consider bigger changes.When Cheryl to take a look ar your kitchen Green of Vancouver moved from a appliancesand gadgetsand seewhat large house to a smaller condo. she works best for you. boughtsmallerappliances: "You can do a ton of fabulous "I went with a smaller cooktop cooking with nothing much more than because never cook with more than two I a coupleofgood knives and a basicset burners at a rime. It also has a smaller good, quality cookware," saysFaye oven,but I can still cook a turkey in it or 9f ' Plant of Edmonton. "I have a lot of make three trays of cookies at a tim.. A, friends with unused bread machines. well,I bought a smallerfridge thatt integratedinto the cabinetsso it creates more spacein the kitchen." Ever:ything below rhe counter should be pull our, aboveshould be cupboards. If you don't havedrawersbelow the counter,Janis Nylund of Orderly Kim Eaglesof Kaos Solutionsin Conceptsand Solutionsin Surrey,BC, Moncton, NB, suggests that you suggests buying plastic sroragedrawers hgure olrt what you Lrse regularly and to place under the counter. It,s easier to put anything you don't use in a seewhirr'sthereand to get at it. storagearea, maybe an extra closet. Having a smaller kitchen doesn,r That way valuable kitchen spaceisn't wasted. Hire a carpenterto increase shelvingin cupboards where there's more space;this can often double the amount of room you have.Usethe insideof cupboard doors for racks to hold everything from spicesto fcrod wrap. Space-saving gadgetscan erlso make a lot of room for:you. There zrre also under-the-cabinet radio/CD or TV/DVD combinationsrhar allow you to have honre entertainmentin the kitchen withour losing valuable counter space.Kitchen gadgets mean yolr can't still buy in bulk. Trv ranging from toaster ovens and coffee shopping with a neighbour and splii makers to microwavesand can your haul.

Many kitchen gadgets be can mountedunder

space.

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Beffer Living i organize toMinimizet

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Ask yourself how your new downsized life will affect your social life. Will you be hosting big dinners or just inviting friends for cocktails and heading out for dinner? "Doing this can potentially eliminate a lot of dishesand glasswarer"saysNatasha Solvasonof Home Free Organizing Solutionsin "Large servingtrays Saskatoon. and bowls as well as fine china can be passed to children or on grandchildren who have the space to entertain large groups of people." Then take a look at your furniture. Bulky hutches,tzrbles, and chairs can make a room feel more cluttered. Try to find smaller,more streanlined items. Taller, slimmer furniture can inside it. You may have to declutter evenmore or usewhat's in there differently. For instance,she says, "Use the good dishes.You don't need two sets.The samegoes for the silver and the crystal." As well, Shirrnsuggests using furniture that has storagespace."If you have the choice of a table or a chest of drawers that take up the same amount of space, usethe chestof drawers." Shealso suggests double-duty furniture. Cheryl Greensays,"I got new bar stools that will actually go down far enough that I can use them at the dining room table when we have guests."

says."You don't needtwo sets."

make a room feel bigger and give you more space. Considerbenches, which can also accc-rmmodate more people than chairs. Karen Shinn of Toronto's Downsizing Diva says,if you're getting rid of the buffet, don't forget what's
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Better LiVing , 0rsanize toMinimize!

On the other hand, maybe you're ready to chuck the dining room. If you have a nice enough eating spacein the kitchen, you can always just dressup your table with fancy placesettings and candleswhen guestsarrive. Then repurposethe dining room into an office, sitting room, or library.

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One problem a lot of peoplerun into when they downsize is fitting larger furniture from their old spaceinto a smaller area, and that's especially true of living room furniture. Eaglessays, "You want lessfurniture but a bigger piece of it. lnstead of having a couch, a love seat, and a bunch of chairs, one big sectional works really well and makes the room look bigger.You wouldn't think it, but it streamlines space." the Custom-madestorageareassuch as bookshelves wall units can also or handle much of the overflow. Anne Moon of Victoria recalls, "My best idea was to get a custom-made wall unit, which moves from apartment to apartment and contains shelves, drawers, glasscurio display shelves, even a drop-down flap for mixing drinks." Multi-use furniture is also a great way to createspace.If you're buying a couch, why not buy a sofa bed for when guestsarrive? There are also coffee tables thesedays that convert into dining room or work station tables.Chaiseloungescan be usedas a single bed.

Natasha Solvasonsaysthe best piece of furniture for double-durty living roornsis an ottoman that can doubleas a storageunit. "They're perfect for grandchildren'stoys, blankets,and games.Thesecome in various sizesand styles.Fabric-covered paddedottomans can also be usedas additional seating."Shealso suggests transformir-rg old chest into a coffee an table by adding legs,which provides great placesto store gamesand blankets. Instead an errrertainment of unit, you can savespaceby placing the televisionon the top of a dresser, sideboard, cabinetand using the or inside to store TV-related equipment, movies, photo albums, and CDs. A

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Bettef LiVing I organize toMinimizel

flat-screen hung on the wall also TV provides morespace.
downsized from a home to a smaller condo, says, "\(/e went with a Murphy bed with bookcases maximize a to small spacewhile having a guestbed." Good storagespaceis essentialin the bedroom. Closetspacecan be increased installing organizing by systemsthat give you two levels of

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When you decidehow to furnish your bedroom, everything from smaller or more versatilefurniture to built-ins and great storagewill all give you more

room. Again consider downsizing furniture in the bedroom.Eaglessays that, as in the dining room, tall, slimmer furniture for the bedroom provides more space.Building shelving on each side of the bed and acrossthe top will give you extra storagespace for books and knick-knacks. Of course,the ultimate in spacesaving furniture is a bed that folds up againstthe wall when nor in useand theseare manufactured by several different companies.They're especially popular for accommodating guests. Catherine Daw of Toronto. who

hanging closet space.H,agles says, "From my experience, drawersjust don't work. They're okay for socks and underwear, but for t-shirts and sweatersthey d<;n'twork well." Instead use baskets,roll out containers,and storagecubesto handle thoseitems. Storageunder the bed is also a great way to handle off-season clothing; containerswith wheelsmake moving it back and forth easier.And you can save spaceby putting clothesin plastic storagebagsthat can be sealedairtight by vacuuming the air out.

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Shinnsuggests that, with the new high ceilings somecondos, in space higherup in closets an unused is goldmine, providingas sometimes muchas an extra metreor so (threeto four feet). Shepointsout that you don't need a bedroomfor the to create second
guestif you live occasional in a condo or retirement home becausemany offer guestsultes.

are multiplelevels hangingspace. of Hooks can alsowork well to hold more items.Keeponly what you are usingat are the moment,Eagles says. Cubbies greatfor shoes. KarenShinnswears smallcubes by stacked on top of the otherin her one front hall cupboard.

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There never seemsto be enough spacein the bathroom, so another decluttering sessionmight be in order. Catherine Daw says,"I got rid of every extra, partly used bottle of anything and only buy more when needed." Eaglessaysbath towels are another problem. "How many towels do you really need?Store only things you need and use on a daily or weekly basisin the bathroom." Shesaysa nifty way to store towels is by using wine racks that attach to walls. Pedestalsinks are out in a small space-sinks with cabinetsare much better because they provide storage. Solvason says,"I like to purchase basketsfor each member of the home for the bathroom so they can easily grab the basket when they're preparing for the day and everything they need is all in one place.They can be storedin drawers, cabinets,or linen closets."

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Double stacking washersand dryers are aIl the rage thesedays, The latest gadgetin spacesaving is a combination washer and dryer that takes up only the spaceof one appliance.

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Most condos have a storageroom, and thesedays it's not uncommon for people to purchasestorageareasfor all their extra belongings.If you're worried you'll forget where things are stored (and that's easyto do), store your belongingsin clear, labelled As boxes, Shinn suggests. well, make a list of everything you're putting in storageso that you don't go out and replacestuff you already own. I
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If you have a closet, make sure there

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