Apartment Living–portable “Solutions” for you

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I was recently working with a new client that lives in a one bedroom apartment.  As a recently retired healthcare professional, she has decided that living in the downtown core and reducing the amount of ‘stuff’ that she had was appealing to her.  To give her credit, she had paired down considerably before I even arrived so my job was fairly simple.  What she did need was customized systems to help her stay organized.
apartment in Boston
As the apartment is a rental  unit and she was unsure of how long she will remain, we needed quick, easy, budget-friendly and portable solutions for her.
One of the great benefits of this apartment was that it had a large clothes closet in the bedroom.  My client is a rare bird in my view as she posses very few clothes.  Unlike my usual clients that struggle with closets upon closets – even whole rooms filled with clothes.  She explained that her taste is classic and understated – quality rather then quantity is her motto.  With few clothes to content with, we have used her closet to store other items that are near and dear to her: a weekend bag that she uses often when she goes to see her grandchildren, two accordion file folders where she keeps her financial papers, a sewing box, and two storage containers that I purchased to keep her purses & accessories in one and keepsakes in another.
The main storage room is compact but very useful.  We placed an Elfa wired drawer unit which holds craft projects, a few Christmas decorations and additional stationary and cards.  The kids toys (for when they are visiting) and portable playpen/day-bed, fit nicely in the closet.
Finally we needed to find solutions for a few items: the iron and ironing board, the brooms, swiffer-sweepers, dust-bins etc.
Since we are looking for portable solutions that she can take to her next apartment, I opted for over the door hooks instead of holders that were screwed into the wall.

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Most handles have a way of hanging them so getting thin hooks was helpful.
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Holding the odd items in this small bucket helps you find things right away when you are cleaning.  Note that the vacuum head fits nicely on the top.
The other solution was to place the ironing board and iron on the back of a door.  Another good way to get things off the floor and where like items are together.
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Make sure to tie the iron cord together so that it does not dangle and create a hazard…(don’t want those curious kids to come along and pull down the iron).
Creating a well organized home in a small space just means that you have to find solutions that can be simple yet effective.
I have to admit, my client love the transformation so much that she gifted me this lovely assortment of chocolates. To say the least, she has become one of my favourite clients…

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Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.

2 thoughts on “Apartment Living–portable “Solutions” for you”

  1. You can certainly see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers such as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart. “Until you walk a mile in another man’s moccasins you can’t imagine the smell.” by Robert Byrne.

  2. OKay, I have to look into something like this for my closet! I always fear for my life when I go in search for my iron certain it will drop on my head!

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