by Natalie Morey | Aug 16, 2016 | Declutter tips
There is a lot to do when you declutter and prepare your home for sale. So I have broken the tasks you need to declutter and organise down into 4 manageable parts (1) the outside, (2), the inside declutter (3) furniture placement, and (4) on the day.
A little bit of planning, organising and decluttering your home for sale can have a big impact on the bottom line. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression when people come to view your home so you want it to be the right one. Plus, as you know house hunters will often do a “drive by” of properties before they attend open for inspections, so first impressions counts.
Declutter and prepare your home for sale – Start with the outside
Preparing your house for sale
Image credit: http://www.realestate.com.au/
Prepare a maintenance and declutter list and write down everything that needs to be done in the front garden. Do you need to address any of the following:?
- Gardening – either a tidy up or removing and replanting
- Lawn mowing
- Roll up any hoses and place tools out of site
- Painting including the front fence, house and front door
- Fix up or replace the mail box
- Fix the front fence/gate
- Wash down the outside of the house
- Wash the windows
- Wipe down or paint any outdoor furniture
- Place some pot plants around the garden/patio/front entrance (my tip is to plant full-size, bright annuals that will provide immediate colour)
- Replace the front door knocker, knob or other hardware if it looks worn out
- Clean up any clutter, debris, toys and gardening gear from the side of the house (remember people will poke around everywhere so there is no hiding anything).
- Purchase a new door mat.
How’s the view
- Take the time to think about the best attributes of your garden by standing inside your home and seeing what buyers will see when they are standing inside your house. What do you see from the window above the kitchen sink or the biggest window in your living room?
- Do you need to think about creating an outside focal point to draw buyers’ attention to the landscaping? For example, by planting bright flowers in the garden will help draw the eye of outside. Or, if the view is not that great, do you need to consider putting up a screen, hedging or plants?
- Are bushes overgrown and blocking out light from coming into the home?
Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression, so you want it to be the right one. Writing down your maintenance and declutter requirements helps you to get organised and stay organised when you are decluttering and preparing your home for sale.
Also, you will then identify that some tasks will need to be done before others, so a little bit of pre planning will save you time and ensure everything will happen when it’s meant to. For example, you will want to paint before you wash the windows.
It’s also worth considering that in the spring time, you might need to book a more regular gardening service or make sure the lawns are mowed more often.
If you find that the process to declutter and prepare your home for sale is too hard or overwhelming then contact The Lifestylers Group. We can help declutter and get your home ready for sale. Click here to contact us.
by Natalie Morey | Aug 9, 2016 | Home Organisation, Tips
The laundry is often a small space so having it well organised is essential. So that often means looking at utilising some creative storage solutions to help maximise the space you have. I hope that these 8 ways to organise your laundry give you some inspiration.
8 ways to organise your laundry
1. Go vertical – put shelves or cupboards above your bench
By putting shelves above your bench you can create more storage space. They can be easily fixed to the wall by a handyman and can store things like cleaning product, toilet rolls and towels. It’s a great solution to help organise your laundry.
Organise my laundry with shelves
Organise my laundry with cupboards
Image credit: houz Image credit: onenuttygirl.com
2. Go for front loading appliances
If you stack your front loading washing machine on top of your dryer you can save valuable space.
Space saving ways to organise your laundry
Image credit: https://www.decorpad.com/photo.htm?photoId=104212&index=1¤tPage=2
3. Bench space and more bench space
Place your front loader washing machine and dryer side by side under your bench top. This creates extra bench space and provides room for you to fold and organise your clothes. This helps avoids the dining room table from becoming a dumping ground for clothes and keeps your laundry organised too.
Organised laundry
Image credit: lizmarieblog.com
4. Organise your laundry baskets
Most people will do a load of whites, then a load of colours and then a load of dark clothing. You can set up this system by using 3 different baskets. Clearly label each one with the category. Now all you have to do is get the kids (and hubby) to put their clothes in the right basket when they take them off. (Which could be more challenging than you think!).
Baskets to help organise your laundry
Overhead baskets to organise your laundry
Image Credit: Pinterest Image credit: blessings.com
Use baskets to help keep your laundry organised
Image credit: http://www.amazinginteriordesign.com/15-awesome-laundry-room-storage-organization-hacks/
5. Drying lines are great
Install a drying line, such as a rail, or a fold down or retractable drying line in your laundry. They take up very little space and are the perfect solution for drying clothes during winter. They help keep wet laundry out of the living room and keep everything organised in one spot.
Drying racks in your laundry
Image credit: http://www.amazinginteriordesign.com/15-awesome-laundry-room-storage-organization-hacks/
6. Create extra storage under your washing machine
Yes, that’s right. These units are perfect if you have a front loader washing machine. Your front loader washing machine sits on the unit. Not only does it lift up your washing machine making bending over and putting clothes in easy, but it also provides valuable storage space as well in a small laundry. This clever stand features a heavy duty steel construction. It also has a lockable child proof sliding drawer and adjustable locking feet that make it safe and sturdy, especially if there are kids in the house.
Washing machine stand
Image credit: https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/easy-living-front-load-washer-stand-with-drawer-ws1
Another solution to help keep your laundry organised is to have a custom made storage solution like this one built. If you need some assistance to help organise your laundry, then we can help organise it.
7 ways to organise your laundry
Image credit: ana-white.com
7. Give your laundry some personality
Just because it’s your laundry doesn’t mean that you cannot have some fun and decorate the space.
Organise and decorate your laundry
8 ways to organise your laundry
Image credit: etsy.com
Image credit: makingitinthemitten.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/laundry-room-chalkboard-printable.html
8. Doors and more space
Maximise the hidden space behind the door with these clever storage solutions that will help organise your laundry.
Your laundry organised
Image source: thefrugalhomemaker.com
Image source: hometalk.com
8 ways to organise my laundry
Image source: indulgy.com
I hope that I have given you some inspiration with 8 ways to organise your laundry. However, if you are still struggling to organise your laundry, then contact The Lifestylers Group. Since 2005 we have been helping to organise every room in the home – the kitchen, office, laundry and bedrooms and have a wealth of ideas and knowledge to share. Based in Melbourne, our professional organising service can also assist in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
by Natalie Morey | Aug 4, 2016 | Home Office, Home Organisation, Tips
Being organised is the start of achieving work like balance. So too is commitment, focus and dedication in achieving work life balance. These 8 tips to create work life balance are aimed at helping you to create work life balance. It’s definitely not easy and the wheels are going to fall off every so often, and that’s fine. What’s important is that you stay committed to the goal of work life balance.
8 tips to create work life balance
- Sync your calendars. Consolidate all your personal and work commitments into the same calendar. That way you won’t forget anything and I find it makes me work more efficiently during the work day if they are all stored in the same spot.
- Block out your time. Block out “fun” time in your diary. Get tough and make this “not negotiable”. Don’t let work take over and therefor you miss out on social activities.
- Plan, plan and plan. The key to work life balance is all about planning. Sit down at the start of each month and update your calendar, making sure you have scheduled in all the tasks you need to do and some fun stuff too. Obviously this will keep evolving over the coming month and you will keep adding to it.
- Record key birthdays in your calendar. Put all the key birthdays in your outlook calendar and set them up as repeating events. That way they will show up every year. You will know when you need to be taking time off work to spend with loved ones.
- Start small. Try adding even the tiniest tasks to your daily to do list. Then, when you cross them off the list, you already feel a sense of accomplishment and gain the momentum you need to tackle the bigger more daunting tasks.
- Work out. Did you know that fitness is the driving force that keeps people energised, focused and motivated? Take the time you deserve to do a little bit of exercise every day. Even if that’s 30 minutes at once or 10 minutes at a time throughout the day. Don’t have 10 minutes. Then what about 7 minutes? Have you heard of the 7 Minute Workout? It’s a free daily fitness routine found on the App Store.
- Learn to say no. “Sometimes work-life balance means saying “no”, politely of course. When an opportunity, activity or request comes up that doesn’t fit into your schedule, or is going to put you under too much pressure, sometimes you’ve just have to say no.
- Prepare for the day ahead. Before going to bed, pack up anything you need for the next morning including clothes and a health lunch. Being prepared will help you get out the door quickly. Plus, you can relax going to bed knowing that you are all organised for the day ahead.
If you are struggling to achieve work life balance in your life, then perhaps you need some expert help. The Lifestylers Group is a personal concierge service that can do many of your daily tasks. Our goal is for you to have more free time to do the things you want to do, not have to do!
by Natalie Morey | Jul 29, 2016 | Home Office, Home Organisation, Office Organising
Whether you call it a professional organiser, clutter buster or home organiser, the names all mean the same thing. A home organiser is a person who helps to organise your home.
The job of a home organiser
You don’t just need to be super organised to be a professional organiser or a home organiser. Whilst that is important you also need some other important skills. You need to be able to understand and empathise with people. You need to be assertive without coming in and taking over. You need to be able to look beyond the clutter and create a vision for a room by simply standing at the door to the room. You need to be a quick thinker, faster worker and motivator.
As a home organiser, our job is not just about coming to a clients home and organising the perfect bedroom, office or kitchen, it’s about more than that. It’s also about giving our clients the necessary tools and strategies so they can keep this space organised once we leave. Therefore, being able to communicate is an important skill that any professional organiser or home organiser needs. Small rooms, the lack of storage and systems in a home or home office means that some nifty problem solving and troubleshooting is also required at all times.
About our home organisers
Luckily, we have a team of lovely and trustworthy ladies who perform our professional organising and home organiser services. They each have different personalities and specialise in different areas of organising. For us, when we start work with a new client, we always like to match them up with the most suitable professional organiser or home organiser (both skill and personality wise). After all, you have got someone coming into your home and going through your wardrobes and belongings with you, so you want to like them. That is one of the benefits of having a range of professional organisers and home organisers. You get the right person, who’s perfect for you and your home.
More than just a home organiser
I also think that is why we have so many repeat clients. (The Lifestylers Group started in 2005 and is growing from strength to strength each year). When you work with a homer organiser who is perfect for you and your home, you build up a level of trust. Once a client experiences what our professional organiser or home organiser can do for them, they often get them back again. For some clients, this might simply be an annual spring clean. For others it might become a regular occurrence, whether that be weekly, fortnightly or monthly until their home is organised. And for some clients the role becomes more than just home organising. It’s more like a private pa, virtual pa or personal concierge service. Basically, whatever is on their list gets organised. One of my team does the most diversified range of tasks for a regular client – things like:
- Paying bills and filing
- Buying the kid’s birthday and Christmas presents
- Booking restaurants and helping to plan holidays
- Organising home maintenance and supervising trades
- Visiting Australia Post
- Running errands
- Planning the kids birthday parties
So if you have a list of things on your “to do list” that you never seem to get done, then perhaps a professional organiser or home organiser might be the solution you need.
If you have ever wondering how a home organiser can help you, then give us a call. We can have a chat and go through the challenges you are facing in your home, office or life. Our home organiser services are available in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
by Natalie Morey | Jul 13, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Office, Home Organisation, Tips
I’m a big fan of storage solutions that not only help to keep your belongings organised, but have a dual purpose and look good too. I recently did a home office organising job and we used a gorgeous white leather ottoman in the office to store files. It looked great, was functional and ensured that there was no loose papers and files lying around the newly decluttered and organised office.
So I thought I would put together 6 stylish storage ottomans which can be used for storing things like spare blankets and cushions in.
Ikea Storage Ottoman
This storage ottoman works just as well in the living room, hallway or bedroom. It has storage space under the seat. Plus, the cover is easy to keep clean as it is removable and can be machine washed. It’s both a stylish and practical bench that gives a warm, cosy feeling.
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/S29129333/
Cost: $399
When style matters – Linen fabric storage ottoman
Linen Ottoman Storage
Modern and practical, this Life Linen Fabric Storage Ottoman is the perfect designer furniture piece for any bedroom, study room or home living decor. Not only great as a foot stool, it also offers generous storage space to store any unused items and declutter the room.
http://www.templeandwebster.com.au/i.Life-Ottoman-Storage-Foot-Stool-ILIF2780.html
Cost $125.00
After a deep chocolate brown look?
Chocolate Ottoman Storage
Then look no further. Offering more than meets the eye, the Jeremy Storage Ottoman from Resort Living provides stylish seating for your space while creating hidden storage for household items. The lift-up lid provides generous storage space for household linens and cushions.
https://www.zanui.com.au/Jeremy-Storage-Ottoman-108885.html
Cost: $109.95
When style matters
Plush Ottoman Storage
Refresh your home with a beautiful ottoman from the Plush range. They add instant colour, style and storage with the Roller Storage Ottoman. This one is available in a wide range of decorator fabrics too, so it will match any decor.
https://www.plush.com.au/roller-storage
POA.
Is vintage more your look?
Vintage Ottoman Storage
Add some vintage charm to your décor with this faux leather and brass Owen Storage Trunk. It looks great, is upholstered in linen fabric, providing exceptional softness and durability. It’s a stylish form of storage that can hold anything from linens to shoes to books. This size is perfect for the living room, bedroom or reading nook.
https://www.zanui.com.au/Owen-Storage-Trunk-Large-132515.html
Cost: $699
Space for more than just your feet
Ikea storage ottoman
As well as that extra put-your-feet-up comfort, they make great seats for guests, too. Plus, you can put things like magazines and toys in them. But best of all, with this one they have a range of coordinated covers which makes it easy for you to give your furniture a new look. The covers are easy to keep them clean as they can be removable and machine washed.
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/20926/
Cost: $249
