I really am serious when I say I’d like to have a home organization business. I don’t know if I could tackle houses as packed as on those HGTV shows (remember Clean Sweep?) but when it comes to the average person who has 100 cooking utensils and no where to store sheets, I love the challenge.
I’ve had a blast helping Karen with her kitchen!
She went to Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday to pick up the last of the requested organizers and this morning I walked over to help her finish setting up her new (rental) house.
I used this vase as her utensil holder to get a bunch of them out of the drawer and add some color to her massive counters! Pretty blue.
We found a non-traditional but appropriate place for her mixer and cuisinart – they are like art on display.
She has no pantry, but plenty of deep drawers that we turned into a pantry space
Living room – in progress
Dining room in progress –
And her secretary is now filled with office supplies : )
After a few hours of putting on sheets, cleaning and unpacking, we headed to Great Harvest for lunch. I ate half of this HUGE Monticello Garden sandwich
Along with some Dill Route 11 chips
And desserts!
I just walked home (Hot hot hot!) and am hitting the showers. I’m now inspired to go organize something in my own house! Wonder what could use some tidying?
Allie@LiveLaughEat says
You totally should…I’ll be your guinea pig. Come throw out our 800 spatulas and untouched kitchen appliances from decades ago! Beautiful place, Ms. Karen!
KathEats says
🙂 I really would if it would make more sense logistically. I just don’t think anyone wants to pay for my travel, plus a fee, plus invest in some organization bins/storage units, plus listen to me tell them to get rid of things 🙂
Zoe @ loseweightandgainhealth says
I might 🙂 It would save me (neat, tidy and organised wannabe) endlessly arguing with husband and daughter (messy, untidy, never want to get rid of anything) !
jane says
my aunt is a psychiatrist but loves organizing homes and spaces so much she does it in her spare time! she mainly helps people in her hometown and the surrounding areas so there isn’t much travel, but for family members she will fly 🙂 she lives in PA and we live in FL so my mom just buys her flight (in the winter is when she likes to come best!) and feeds her when she is here and that is the payment. she is tough with us though and makes us get rid of a ton of stuff. but it feels oh.so.good.
Jen says
There’s a lot of people who do those businesses so yes it is very possible. Something to consider after the baby – and a chance to break away from the computer for a bit!
Richard says
I love throwing stuff out, feels really cleansing.
Krissy @ Shiawase Life says
I love Karen’s new kitchen!!
Brie @ Coxswain Dilemma says
This post makes me really, really happy. I love organization.
Rachel says
LOVE the color of her walls in her kitchen!
Andrea says
She has such a beautiful kitchen! Look at all that counter space!!
Michelle (Peachy Palate) says
Come to Ireland and tidy my house!I’m good with every room with the exception of my bedroom..TOO MANY CLOTHES!
Elizabeth says
You are really nesting! When I was pregnant I was always rearranging random things like my Tupperware or spice drawers!
Sana says
I love Karen’s new space :)! Is it baby proof for future sleepovers?
KathEats says
Not yet!
Jennifer says
Karen sure does seem to move an awful lot! Looks great though!
Alyssa (pb and oatmeal) says
Looks great! (including the sandwich 🙂 )
Lynn @ the actor's diet says
Please organize my mess of a kitchen. I stopped by great harvest yesterday but 5 min after it had closed. D’oh/dough!
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } says
I always have grand organizational schemes but they usually end up with me getting 10 minutes into a 4 hour project and giving up to watch Netflix.
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
I use a beautiful pitcher and pottery wine coolers to store my utensils on the counter…love the vase you choose for Karen’s kitchen utensils!
Cait's Plate says
I love Karen’s place!
You should seriously have your own HGTV show Kath! 🙂
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
I want to a be the type of person who thrives on organization, I’m just not – my husband would love this though!
Rebecca @ Blueberry Smiles says
I’d hire you! I’m not very good at home organization!
Angel7 says
Karen’s new place is really nice — personalized by Kath 🙂
Great counter space in the kitchen!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Tiffany says
Hey Kath,
I just bought the same rice cooker that you have except mine is in black.
Quick question, can you set a time for when you want something to be cooked at? For instance, if I want my oats to be ready at 7am…can I set the cooker to start at 6:30am?
Thanks!!
KathEats says
Yup! You just program it
Sabrina says
My FIL’s beach house is a junkyard of random knick knacks everywhere. I had a field day this weekend when they were at the pool. They were not thrilled.
I love countertops to be empty and closets to be organized and sheets and clothes to be folded perfectly. It makes me feel good like I guess it makes you too (except for folding your clothes- which, when I think about still makes me shudder lol)
KathEats says
I have watched Martha Stewart’s video like 5 times and still can’t fold sheets to my liking
Sabrina says
Next time I see you I’ll give you a live tutorial lol.
Baby crib sheets are mini fitted sheets and they have to be folded just so in order to look nice. It’s such a pain in the butt!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Her house looks amazing – she just moved in like 12 hours ago??! Where are the boxes, chaos, mess, and bedlam! Wow, this is the smoothest post-move organization in less than a day I’ve ever seen!
KathEats says
No 2ish weeks ago 🙂 Moving is a process
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
I love moving for the mere fact of reorganizing. It’s always so fun to me!
Rachel says
Nice! I had that same secretary when I was a kid! LOVED doing my homework sitting at it – I always thought it was so cool. Especially the little slide-out compartments on either side of the tiny “door” in the middle! I used to tuck “secret” notes in them!
Lisa says
I love reading your home organization/cleaning posts. I’m making an attempt to improve in both of those departments and your posts are truly helping!
Beth says
How fun & total deja vu for me as I have that very same secretary desk passed down from my Nana!
kristen @ verbs and vignettes says
you are more than welcome to come organize my apartment. I’ll make you whipped banana oatmeal. :p seriously, I love to get organized, but it never, ever lasts.
last night I jumped into cleaning. I bought store brand swiffer wipes and dusted everything. I bought a mop! and my vacuum is out for delivery from FedEx right now. hahaha. organizing will come again after the mass few-months-late spring cleaning going on right now.
Nicole says
I’m always amazed that you have the willpower to only heat half a sandwich! Especially the yummy ones from GH!
KathEats says
Less stomach space 🙂
Cassie says
I LOVE organizing and minimizing! I do it at work all the time! 🙂
Helen says
Karen might want to line her pantry drawers with grippy shelf liner. Then the cans won’t slide around when opening and closing!
Jennifer says
You’re CRAZY! I hate organizing. I’d fly you to Canada to organize my life 😉
Jennifer says
You definitely have a talent for organizing. Plus, the fact that you enjoy it helps.
From the few pictures, Karen’s house looks really nice. 🙂
j3nn says
I love setting up clean, new spaces, aka blank slates. But organizing dirty, grimy, cluttered spaces is definitely a challenge I’ll pass on, lol!
Hillary says
I’m the same way with cleaning and organizing, especially once I get going on a spree!
Eileen says
Karen’s new kitchen looks amazing! And I really need a utensil organizer exactly like the one in the 2nd pic…I guess I’m off to the store!
Megan @ Megan's Munchies says
You did an amazing job!! I need to organize so bad!!
Annette @FitnessPerks says
Want to come do my apartment?!! Please 🙂
RunEatRepeat says
My entire life needs organizational help…
Michaela says
I hope you are not very desperate! Just think “one step at a time”! Good luck!
And Kath, I would PAY you to organize my house and do some interior design. I like doing it, but I am not good at it, to be honest…
Julia says
Organize my kitchen please!
Chelsea @ Chelsea's Lovelys says
The kitchen looks fantastic. We are currently working on organization throughout our home. I find that focusing in on one area at a time is best, so that we don’t get overwhelmed 🙂
Kim@hungryhealthygirl says
Beautiful home! Love what you did withe mixer and cuisinart.
Lee says
I am an organizational nightmare. I would pay you to come organize my house!
Emma says
I really love that blue vase for the utensils – it’s gorgeous!
I also love organizing – it makes everything so much better when it’s in the “right” place.
jen_alluisi says
You can come organize my house ANYTIME. I am excellent at organization of the mental sort – spreadsheets, planning events, etc. I suck at actual physical organization, probably because I find it boring. I want things to be organized, but I don’t actually want to organize them. 🙂
alicia says
Me too! I absolutely love to organize, clean out, throw away and minimize. All of my favorite things. It gives me such a good breathable sense of well being to unclutter my home. Love your blog.
Liz says
Karen’s new place looks great (especially with organization 😉 ). I especially love the kitchen cabinets.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
What a beautiful house – I would love a kitchen like that.
I am guilty of having way too many utensils. I only use about 1/3 of them. I must have a clear out.
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count says
It’s such fun settling into a new space. Can’t wait till I get the opportunity in our house in NM!!
Kelly says
That kitchen is AMAZING!!!!!!!!! WOW!
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope says
Wow! I need you to come help me organize my house! I’m so jealous 🙂 I need to take some tips from you. The kitchen is beautiful!
jen says
I love organizing too, but I have a semi-organizing-related problem I haven’t been able to solve and am wondering if you’ve ever run up against it. Closet/cupboard stink! In all three of the houses I’ve lived in within the past 7 years there have been closets and/or cupboards that have a foul/musty smell to them. They’re often the linen cupboards and as a result my sheets wind up with this musty smell if they’re stored for more than 1 week and I have to wash them again before I can use them (nopt very efficient or handy!). Have you ever run into this?
In my current house it’s the linen closet and the kitchen drawers we store tupperware containers in that stink. Both are painted wood surfaces, so we tried re-priming and painting the wood to seal in any residual musty wood stink, but that didn’t do the trick. We used one of those moisture absorbing bucket things in the linen closet for a while and that helped some, but didn’t completely do the trick. Anybody have any magic solutions?
KathEats says
Man smells are tough.
You might consider taking out the drawers and putting them in the hot sun for a day. Sunshine is magic.
Since you can’t do that with a closet, I’d break out the essential oils and/or maybe some cedar wood strips and see if you can replace one smell with another? I don’t have any experience with odor neutralizers – baking soda in the fridge comes to mind but I’m not sure if that would work in a closet? might be worth a try!
jen says
Thanks for the ideas. You’re right, sunshine is magic and I’ll give that a try!
I read your first line as “man smells (as in… the smells of a man) are tough” at first, and had a good chuckle.
Jo Williams says
I would pay you & you don’t have to travel too far to southern West Va.! We moved 10 years ago and still trying to downsize from 3 households into 1. We’ve gotten rid of lots of stuff but still have more to go thru. I work full-time and that project is just not what I want to do on my weekends that zip by so fast! I would love to get rid of the stuff though!!
Jo Williams says
Oh & my biggest problem is that the house is old and has a few teeny closets & no basement so nowhere to store stuff!!
Millie Snyder says
What a cute house, I love it- great find! And I’m right there with you when it comes to organizational challenges, love em! You should see when I moved my daughter into her college dorm- what a FUN mess haha. You’re a nice friend for helping! (And that sandwich looks delicious)
Lexi @ You, Me, & A World to See says
That kitchen is absolutely gorgeous! And that sandwich…with dill pickle chips?!? oh yum..
Marcia @Frugal Healthy Simple says
I LOVED Clean sweep. Totally addicted to that show.
If you want to practice, and you are ever vacationing in Santa Barbara, feel free to organize my house. 2BR, 1 BA, 1100 sf, no garage, and now 2 boys. I need help.
Vanessa says
It’s none of my business but I’m curious who Karen is. It seems like an amazing friendship you have!
KathEats says
My mother in law!
Kristin at MommyPage says
That kitchen is pretty! I hope you had fun organizing it. You girls did a great job! And lunch look amazing, especially the dessert!