26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lavish, lovely and oh so organized!, October 22, 2004
I enjoy functional yet eye-catching rooms with a feel of luxury to the space - comfortable and classy ....So when I came across the book "The Organized Home: Design Solutions for Clutter-Free Living" it immediately appealed to me.
The book is filled with lavish photographs of beautiful rooms that are pleasing to the eye. But the rooms go beyond the pretty/decorator look because each is designed with simple solutions to organize the space so the home becomes a refuge from our hectic lifes. It becomes a place of peace. Organized and restful.
Though I have read a number of organization books, this one introduced me to some lovely new ideas. How to use a tansu(or chest), how screens can be used to hide and divide, why you should always have a mirror in the hallway and much more.
The hardcover book 10" by 8" with its glossy cover is pretty to place on the coffee table and so packed with solutions you will refer to it constantly. It includes chapters on organizing by design, creating a first impression, adding life to the living room, creating a double duty dining room, taming childrens rooms and taking a fresh look at laundry and mud rooms among others.
Each chapter takes an indepth look to give you tips and techniques to make your home glow. One of my favorites is the kitchen section. In this section the authors teach you how to cut clutter, plan for get togethers, organize your kitchen gear and display collections. The nitty gritty is covered not just surface information. Not only are you given quick and easy ways to increase your storage for example you are also encouraged to label your spices with the date of purchase, rotate your dishes and take inventory of your cutlery. Little things that make your kitchen function at its best. And this is done room by room.
A super read, packed with information and very inspiring!
Lee Mellott
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BUY THIS BOOK!, November 1, 2004
I am in love with this book. Instead of telling me what a slob I am or that I should just toss all clutter, the authors understand what its like to have collections of stuff and busy lives. There are so many "home organization" (and i use that term loosely) books out there and instead of focusing on how to organize your home and indirectly your life, they pound into you that one must always get rid of stuff. This is not the case with the wonderful Casey Ellis and Randall Koll! I can live clutter free and organized. Yes, junk mail gets thrown away as soon as it enters the house but I now have lovely baskets to organize the myriad of magazines that cross my threshold and I can actually get to the things I use most and sleep well knowing that my linen closet could be in photo shoot.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm So Organized, IT HURTS., March 17, 2004
I received this book as a gift, and when you get a book about organizing as a gift, you tend to examine what it is that's, well, wrong with you. I hunkered down for what I expected would be the dreaded lecture on setting up a neat little corner for bill-paying. But no! I opened a beautiful book! Witty and smart. Great writing, not just about organizing options, but on useful design theory. Gorgeous inspiring photos! Things that seemed like I could actually do them, and not just mentally file them away as something my neurotic professional organizer aunt would do. Tips on keeping a functional kitchen have improved my good-but-lazy cook ass already! I love that this book does not require an instant remodel of everything you already have. It offers useful suggestions you can do one at a time, and some bigger ideas to mull over for when le grand remodel is actually possible. Thank you, Casey Ellis and Randall Koll! I must now buy five more copies to give as gifts! (Do you think people would take that the wrong way?)
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