Calm Out of Clutter: Tips From a Professional Organizer

A recently remodeled kitchen inspired by Eichler-style design gets help from a professional organizer to maximize the space.

Amanda Clark is the “queen of bless this mess.” As a professional home organizer and the owner of Ever So Organized in Orange County, California, her job description entails making calm out of chaos for her clients. And, she doesn’t simply organize; she teaches her clients how to implement organizational systems so they can maintain and enjoy their homes long after she’s left.

“Organization is a learnable skill,” she says.

Recently, she was hired by her neighbors, Chris and Jeanine, who had just remodeled their kitchen and also have a deep passion for Mid Century Modern aesthetics. Amanda was the perfect person to hire.

“Not only did I grow up in an Eichler in Orange County, but I now own one of my own,” she says. “I relish the challenge of organizing an MCM home.”

A large island and four barstools in a mid century modern kitchen — “‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ continues to ring true,” Amanda says. However, most rooms don’t naturally have places for everything—so that’s where Amanda comes in. “I create a space for everything,” she says.

Chris and Jeanine, who are California transplants via the Pacific Northwest, are true MCM aficionados.

“Since moving to SoCal, we’ve owned and remodeled four homes—all in the MCM style. Two of them have been Eichler homes, and two are traditional ranch homes,” Jeanine says. “We love being students of MCM style!”

Their kitchen is remodeled to be modern, functional and reflect a definite nod to Eichler-style homes. They restored the lighting and windows and brought back the wood paneling, which had been removed and covered with terrible “orange peel” and paint.

Amanda was enlisted to help the couple find the best way to use the kitchen.

A kitchen cabinet filled with spices, containers of food, cans of soup, and crackers — Organizing by color is rewarding. “I organize by color whenever I can—books, board games, even canned food,” Amanda says. It’s visually appealing, and often, areas stay organized longer: The color coding acts as a reminder of where items should go. “It’s also easier to tell when you run out of something,” she adds. “No more orange cans? Time to buy more sweet potato soup.”

First Step: Decluttering

“The space was great, but it needed to be optimized,” says the professional organizer.

First, she made sure the homeowners didn’t have superfluous items that would just “hang around” and take up room.

“Decluttering is always the first step,” she says. “For instance, most clients somehow collect multiple spatulas. They don’t usually need all of them. In addition, invest in kitchen tools that are well-made and will last.”

An open kitchen drawer that contains a bamboo insert filled with drink accessories — “For this drawer, I selected a bamboo insert,” Amanda notes. “This configuration was chosen to best organize the drink accessories the clients have.” She enjoys using sustainable bamboo because it looks as though it’s built in, and it’s much more affordable than creating something custom.

Second Step: Organizing

When it came to organizing the kitchen, Amanda used dividers to separate items and risers to enable the couple to see cans in the back of the cupboards. She also brought in baskets to hold granola bars and snacks. Spring-loaded dividers adjust to the size of the drawers, while clear containers allow food to be easily seen and decanted.

“Packaging looks messy and uses up a lot of space,” Amanda points out. “All you need to do is cut out the expiration date and tape it to the back of the container.”

Levels, minimal packaging, clear containers and drawers divided to artfully contain items worked together to transform the couple’s kitchen—but behind the scenes. By keeping the space efficient and organized, the kitchen’s glamorous MCM design now takes center stage.

A kitchen drawer divided into 4 sections that contain various plates and cups — Every member of the family uses this drawer multiple times a day, because it stores daily glasses and plates. “The expandable drawer dividers keep each type of glass and plate separate and tidy,” Amanda explains.

a mini fridge, plus two cabinets that are filled with wine glasses, mugs, and bottles of alcohol — Lazy Susans are some of Amanda’s go-to organizational tools. Here, she uses an acrylic ones to make sure all the bottles are accessible. The acrylic also allows the focus to remain on the cabinet’s beautiful woodwork.

clear bins filled with facial masks and electronic equipment — “Every modern family needs a place to corral electronics and face masks,” Amanda says. Placing these items in clear, labeled bins helps everyone see each item. A wooden door hides them when they’re not in use.

an open drawer filled with aprons — A “file fold” allows you to see all these aprons. “Each apron holds memories for the family members,” Amanda says. They couldn’t see the aprons when they were stacked on top of one another. Amanda folded each apron to match the width of the drawer and set them on their side. This technique is perfect for tea towels and place mats as well.

a cabinet filled with games, crafts, and art supplies — This hidden cabinet under the island is a perfect place to store games, crafts and art supplies. The white bins can be placed on the countertop so that the kids can grab what they need. “It’s also easy for them to put items back in the bins when cleaning up,” Amanda says. “Labeling ensures everything is easy to find, as well as making sure it gets returned to the right place.”

Top Tips for Organizational Items

Organizational pieces such as bins and drawer dividers make a world of difference in creating order in your home and preventing clutter.

Here are Amanda’s top tips for selecting these items:

The Simple Life. “Simple, sturdy and versatile” are what Amanda looks for in her containers and organizational accessories. “In particular, I especially like using sustainable bamboo products,” she says.
Matchy-Matchy. If you aren’t willing to invest in matching containers, or you find yourself with a bunch of different ones, use matching labels to tie the look together.
Hold Your Horses. Categorize, declutter and create zones before you buy the containers. Most people want to buy containers first. “I get it,” Amanda says. “Shopping for containers makes you feel as if you’re already organized. Nevertheless, the problem is that people don’t know where to use the bins and baskets and are left with even more clutter.”
Way of Life. When creating zones and reviewing what you need containers for, consider how you live life and what activities you engage in every day. You might not need that tea organizer if you realize you rarely drink tea and that you don’t really need an entire container for it.

Show of hands: Who else wants a professional organizer to transform their home? If you’re ready to update your kitchen, check out “8 MCM Kitchens to Inspire a Refresh,” “The Most Colorful Kitchens on Instagram” and “Retro Registry: 30 Kitchen + Dining Essentials.”

And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!