fresh
problem solver
A three-section wire unit organizes
a tight entry area. A dry-erase board
mounted to the back of the door is for
notes, tickets, and keys,
facing page.
Cleverly combined furniture results in
an area that is comfortable, stylish, and
efficient,
right.
A jewelleiy tree, puts keys at your
fingertips,
below left.
A lidded box below the ottoman holds
seasonal items,
below middle.
Metal bins are easy to reach into and
ideal for returnable items and shopping
bags,
below right.
f you collide with piles of personal
detritus every time you enter or
exit your home, stop stumbling and
stressing. You can have an efficient,
attractive entry area without spending
days reorganizing your life or a fortune on
fancy fixtures. Indeed, the space just inside
the door—what professional organizer
and
clutterdiet.com
creator Lorie Marrero
calls your “destination station”—is an
ideal project to tackle in a single weekend.
Follow Marrero’s three key principles to
create a drop zone that looks great and
functions beautifully.
Id en tify the essen tials. Start your
makeover by analyzing the stuff clogging
your entry. Things you use daily merit
prominent storage spots, items you use
less frequently—don’t. It makes sense to
store regularly used forms and important
papers (such as bills or bank statements)
near the door, but important documents
that you want to keep for your records
should reside where you would file them,
perhaps on a tray near the filing cabinet
in your office, or in your briefcase.
However, just because you use
something every day, it doesn’t
automatically deserve a spot in the
entry. Sports equipment, for example,
needs to air out and is better stored in a
garage or on a porch. Stash backpacks or
briefcases near the table or desk where
you go through them. Transport a musical
instrument to the spot where you practise.
Worried you’ll forget an important item
“ In an entry, choose storage that you
can use with one hand, because you’re
usually carrying things as you enter or
exit. Try open containers. You can throw
something in and then walk away.”
—Lorie Marrero, CPO, creator of
clutterdiet.com
46
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | JANUARY 2012
