Repurposing furniture…

Last month, I met a new east bay client for a “home organizing assessment“.  An assessment gives me the opportunity to uncover those areas of the home that are not working as they should.

One of her frustrations was the front door entry way.  Everyone walks in the front door, drops their backpacks, brief cases, keys, sunglasses, lunch buckets, mail and papers, as they head into the house.  Leaving piles of their clutter on top of the table, and on the entry floor, is unsightly and a tripping hazard.

She also told me she was hoping to add a bookcase somewhere in the house, as one of the baskets on the bottom of the shelf was full of books which she wanted to display.

My client attempted to make this console table work in the entry by buying baskets to live on the bottom shelf, in hopes of containing all the clutter.

As we traveled through the house, I noticed that a hutch in the dining room that was virtually empty.  This hutch had several open shelves on top, some nice sized drawers in the center, and enclosed cabinets on the bottom.    I quickly measured each piece of furniture, and determined that the console table and hutch could easily be switched. By repurposing furniture, each piece would be better utilized in its new location.

After an afternoon organizing session, here is the result:

This hutch is perfect for the entryway. There's a place for everything.

The former dining room hutch now in the entry way. It’s the bookcase and storage area she was looking for – in her house all the time, she was just unable to see the possibilities. By repurposing this furniture, she is able to get everything on her wish list.

And here’s how the console table now works in the dining room:

The console table and mirror fit perfectly in the dining room.

The console table holds all her serving pieces as well as place mats and napkins.