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Tricks to Plan a Spook-easy Halloween Party!

October 27th, 2017

You can thank me for not posting last year’s large pumpkin which was vomiting on another smaller pumpkin. Disturbing humour from the kids!

Smartly store your Halloween décor

Though not often used, you don’t want seasonal décor to be too difficult to access. Don’t risk letting your collection languish in hard to reach storage spots.

Keep things manageable by storing items in clear bins of a uniform size or system designed to stack easily. Adding labels can make for faster recognition. To reduce visual noise and provide an quick clue for recognition, line the front of each box with orange Bristol board.

Create bins for costumes, makeup (probably in a shoe box within a bin to make sure it doesn’t go everywhere!), and both indoor and outdoor items. You might consider storing wreaths separately to protect them.

At the end of each season, be sure to cull your collection by removing faded, worn and damaged items.

Sensitively serve tasty treats

Arrange food and drinks for easy self-service on clear counters, buffets or serving carts. Trays will help contain like items such as wine bottles, paper napkins and cutlery or condiments, and may help protect furniture surfaces.

Add labels to identify food allergens and sensitivities for nuts, but also sugar, meat, fish, dairy and gluten. Your guests will feel attended to and more at ease.

Smoothly schedule the date

Halloween parties are pretty easy to schedule as they often fall on the night itself or on the weekend preceding. If choosing a date is hard and you want to make sure key people can attend, create a poll in www.doodle.com to assess availability before choosing a date.

Easy invites

Use an online program such as evite or Eventbrite to streamline the invitation and response system. Guests can respond and also see who else is joining in.

It can be helpful to create an excel list of your invitees with their email addresses to copy and paste into the event site. Save the file for use next year.

If this is a formal party with designated seating, consider investing in the Pro Party Planner app which has greater functionality, even letting you assign seating for your guests.

Don’t forget the soundtrack

Compile a playlist of your favourite spooky sounds or songs to complete the mood for your party.

Have a camera or your phone ready to capture reactions and best costumes!

If you’re planning an event and need organizing assistance, we are here to help. Streamlife organizers have assisted with addressing and putting together invitations, preparing a home for a party and more. Book a Discovery Call to discuss your needs!

Categories Arrange, Events, Holiday Organizing, Home Organizing
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Four Ways to Have a Smooth and Productive Transition into Fall

by Clare Kumar

September 6th, 2017

Stephanie Smyth of CP24 interviews Clare Kumar on getting organized for the fall. Photo: Screen capture of show on CP24

The change of seasons brings a change of schedule and some anxiety for all about how we’re going to manage it.

Watch the video here!

Here are some strategies which may help. If you’ve got others, please add a comment!

Choose your outfit the night before.

It’s often beneficial to separate planning from execution. Planning requires decision making and sometimes problem solving. Execution is about completing tasks you know how to do. Since mornings are often more rushed, take time the evening before to select what you’re going to wear the next day . I check the weather and often plan from footwear up. Layering is your best friend for days which start out cool and warm up, or for transitions between hot weather and cool, air conditioned environments.

Fuel up for your day.

Your brain is on average 2% of your body mass, yet consumes about 20% of your energy.¹Tune into what your body seeks to keep thinking clearly. If you don’t want to eat a full breakfast before you leave for work or school, identify some portable, nutrient rich snacks which you can take with you. You don’t want to end up depleted during your morning, or worse, “hangry”!

You might think caffeine is helping you boost your focus, but recent research suggests that it is simply an alleviation of your body’s craving for the substance. Consider cutting out caffeine to see if your mind is equally sharp without it.

Create a task management system.

When schedules change and we take on new challenges, there is often a worry about keeping on top of everything. Because our brains are challenged to remember everything, as Daniel Levitin suggests in his book, “The Organized Mind”, “Writing things down conserves the mental energy expended in worrying that you might forget something and in trying not to forget it.²

Having a system that works for you is critical to staying on top of things, and comforting because you know you depend on it. Key elements of a system include a place to gather your intentions – a “to do list”, a calendar to make time less abstract, and notifications to cue your attention.

When building your task management system, pay attention to how you like to work. There is no right and wrong between paper and online solutions. What is important is that it is accessible when you need it, easy to interact with, and redundant (possible to recover information if lost).

Avoid making a mess.

When arriving home, it’s easy to plop down our backpacks, briefcases, lunch and gym bags, kick off our shoes, throw off our coats, hats and sunglasses and toss our keys. Generally, though, this approach leads to chaos. Turn your “drop and dash” into “stop and stash”!

To avoid a stressful entry way, make sure every item you come in with has an easy home to land in. Drawers or hooks near the front door for keys. Cubbies or hooks for backpacks. Use a magazine holder for mail and papers parents need to review. Offer a bin per person for accessories. Unpack your lunch bag and prepare it for its next use right away. This especially important on Friday nights to avoid unpleasant surprises!!

Changing behaviours takes time, so a little lot of coaching is likely required of housemates as you adopt the system. Not only with it keep the entryway clear, everyone will know where items are when they’re running out the door!

NEW – In recent months I’ve created new workshops which have been well received by clients such as Facebook Canada and Ryerson University. If your organization is looking for an informative, engaging talk on boosting productivity, becoming more organized or better managing work-life integration, please pass on my contact information, or connect us and I’ll be happy to follow up. With many thanks.

SOURCES:

Appraising the brain’s energy budget. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Levitin, D. (2014). The Organized Mind, Allen Lane, Penguin Canada Books

Categories Arrange, Home Organizing, Organizing with Kids, Productivity, Time Management, Wellness
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5 Easy Steps to Your Tidy Desk

by Clare Kumar

April 13th, 2017

Is the your office so full it’s repelling you rather than serving as your centre of creativity, problem solving and getting great work done?

What is that about?

Is it that you are drawn to the next interesting task and not so much to putting things away? Putting things away has got to be one of the most deadly boring things for many of my clients.

Confession: even I don’t LOVE it. It might help to reframe it and view it as paying yourself forward. Short term pain for long term gain. You know you’ll thank yourself later.

Or, has the office become a dumping ground for those around you? This is incredibly common in home offices. If so, boundary setting may be required, and of course making sure there are homes for those things that land in your office! A topic for another post.

Before you start moving things around, envision your ideal work space. Hold this picture in your mind as you work to create the environment in which you’ll thrive.

Now how do you go from a cluttered to calm desk space? With these 5 simple steps:

1. Commit

Schedule 90 minutes to tackle the re-organization of your desk top. Write this in your calendar. You’ve made an appointment with yourself. Keep it. If you repeat this regularly, you’ll need less than 30 minutes.

2. Clear

Scan or file any papers, folders or reference material you wish to keep. If volumes are large, gather like categories for processing later. Schedule time for this in your calendar as well.

Recycle or shred any unimportant papers.

Gather items to be returned to others, or relocated. Use a shopping bag or a box for each location.

Use a bin or box – perhaps the one paper is delivered in – and place in it all the remaining items from your desk. Now it’s time to make some decisions.

3. Cull

As you place items in the box, edit your supplies. Get rid of pens and markers that don’t work or that you simply don’t like using. Throw out dried up glue sticks. Let go of the three jammed staplers that you think might work one day and replace them with one that does.

Keep only one each of basics such as tape or glue at your desk, and place backups in a supply cabinet.

Take a closer look at all the awards, stress-busters and office trinkets you have accumulated. Be discerning and decide which have meaning to you. Let the others go.

If you like to keep photos in your office, consider mounting them on the wall, or changing to a digital photo frame to reduce their footprint.

4. Categorize

Sort the items into two groups – those which should remain with your desk and those that can be placed elsewhere.

Store the items you use most often close at hand. The less often you use something, the more you can afford the time it takes to retrieve it.

If you’re not sure what you’re using, place your supplies into a shoe box. Each time you use an item, retrieve it from the shoe box and put it back in your drawer. If after a week you haven’t used an item it may not need to be by the desk, in fact you may not need it at all.

5. Cycle

Repeat the process! Overhauling your desk area once in awhile is a good idea keep to your essential supplies. It will make it easier to clear your desk at the end of every day, enabling you to start each day with a sense of control.

When is it definitely time to do this? Before you get that heavy, cringy feeling that a cluttered office gives you. Note the date that you cleaned up last time, and schedule the next clean up a week or two sooner, or after a big project or particularly busy time.

If you have a clear desk policy for security reasons, it is critical to establish good habits so that files are in order when you need them rather than being stashed away quickly. Say no to the “Stash and Dash”!

Good luck! You can do this.

If you’re want some support while getting organized, we offer virtual and in person coaching. Set up discovery call here to find out more.

Categories Arrange, Business Organizing, Home Office, Liberate, Nurture, Prioritize
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How to Organize A Small Space Series – Part 5 – Fashion an inspiring home

by Clare Kumar

January 17th, 2017

Pillows inspire the colour palette for the condo

When shaping a small space, it’s more important than ever to have a vision to drive a cohesion, otherwise it will feel chaotic, visually jarring and likely smaller.

First choose a colour palette. My staging training recommended 60% main colour, 30% second colour and 10% an accent colour. I’ve heard respected designers and colour experts focus on two colours in 80/20 or 70/30 ratios, with just minor pops of accents. The key is to simplify the palette used in the space. Repeating the colours and changing the balance in different rooms can tie the areas together while creating a variety of different feels.

I chose ivory as the main colour, in keeping with the flooring and light quartz counters. Big pops of energetic colour come from two tall orange bookcases in the living room, rugs and a console in the foyer, and bedding in the guest room. Fuschia is the accent colour which you see in flowers, notebooks, some cushions, bedding and pompoms my daughter made for me. The pillow fabric in the photo above was my inspiration, although you can probably tell from this site that these have long been favourite colours!

Metals add brightness and interest in a room throughout hardware, lighting, furniture, accessories and even carpeting. Use one dominantly and another as an accent, or mix several being careful not to let any tone dominate. If you choose one metal, play with texture in the finishes. I chose predominantly gold toned wood and metal to visually warm up the space, but also included some silver pieces, including a weave of shimmery thread in the living room carpet. This complements the room hardware which I wasn’t going to change.

Repetition of shapes, such as the rectangles and circles you see in the foyer above, and the curved lines you see in the living room settee and tables, is another way to bring cohesiveness to a space. Create vignettes for your eyes to rest on. Group smaller items in odd numbers as this is often more visually appealing.

A theme is another way to bring a space together. I drew on my Anglo-Indian heritage and chose to bring elements from both cultures into the space I call it “Tea Time” for in both cultures, it is always tea time! I got lucky that pieces from India were on trend while I was putting the condo together which made it easy to find bedding, carpeting, tables, art and accents.

It was also important to me that the condo express some of my personality and interests. On the foyer wall, I collected travel photos (mine and friends), and art (mine, loose term!), as well as posters and clippings that have meant a lot to me over the years. Some are black and white, but many are colourful. They work well together because all are framed in a unifying black.

I lay all the pieces on the floor to map out how I would hang them. Playing with composition on the ground really pays off. I got everything up on the wall in about an hour and a half. Work from the centre and move outwards. Measure twice, and don’t assume that art that comes in two pieces has the hanging brackets in the same place….whoops! Good thing nail holes are easy to patch. If you haven’t tried Monkey/Gorilla hooks, before, I highly recommend them. You can push them in drywall by hand and they leave minimal holes while supporting quite a load. Here is a link to an example.

In a rental space there are very often vertical blinds which function very well to control light entering the unit, yet don’t look particularly elegant. Consider adding drapery by hanging it onto the blind’s valance. Look for lightweight curtain panels with 4” tabs and simply slide them over the valance. Can you see the drapery which complements the carpet (it’s a smaller pattern in similar colours) in the image above? When the blinds are open, they tuck right behind the drapes and disappear. The blinds protect the drapery from fading in the sun which meant I could use a beautiful pure cotton fabric.

Coffee tables, settee, carpet, drapery and art on the far foyer wall all from Homesense. Orange rugs in foyer from Ikea, art above orange console from Homesense.

* Note – I was sponsored by Homesense, Ikea, Neatfreak and FoodSaver in completing the condo. All opinions are my own after testing and working with the products.

Categories Arrange, Home Organizing
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How to Organize A Small Space Series – Part 1 – Planning to downsize

by Clare Kumar

November 25th, 2016

View from my condo

If you follow me in on facebook, you probably already know I’ve recently downsized to a small space. I was nervous about it – changing spaces for me always seems to be a big deal, but my sojourns south have helped reinforce I can be very happy with a lot less.

Since moving is one of the major stressors in life for everyone, I thought I’d share some of what stood out for me on this journey. I invite you to a short series over the next few weeks on how to get your small space organized, from selecting it to making the space serve you.

Disclosure: I got to work with some great brands to shape the space. Stay tuned for examples from Neatfreak, FoodSaver, Homesense and Ikea. You’ll also see how I integrated Pliio, and incorporated some smart kitchen pieces from Jospeh Joseph.*

Here’s what’s coming up:

Part 1 – Planning Your Space

Part 2 – The Kitchen

Part 3 – The Closets

Part 4 – Functional Living

Part 5 – Fashionable Space

PART 1 – PLANNING YOUR SPACE

Condo “Before” photo

Step 1 – Define your needs

I knew that to be excited about the move to a smaller place, I had to be excited about the space into which I’d be moving. I looked for several months and finally found a unit which met my key criteria which I discovered were in this order.

Light
Privacy
Peace
Amenities
Space

If you’re looking for a new space, be sure to identify what matters to you in advance. And if not sure, tune into how you feel in each space, and trust it to guide you.

I’ve traded ample space in a beautiful traditional, dark gum wood home, for a much smaller brightly light corner unit condo complete with water views on both sides. I’ve never felt better.

I put myself through my own organizing process – the four step P.L.A.N.™ (Prioritize, Liberate, Arrange and Nurture). What a great opportunity to put myself in my clients’ shoes! It was a wonderful reminder of how challenging a time it can be, and how having a plan really helps make it a smoother process.

Step 2 – Choose your new space

When selecting the condo unit I wanted, I first narrowed down on the geographical area – close to my old place, yet on the water. Condos have sprouted forth furiously on the lake in the past five years.

Working with a supportive agent from a real estate team was very helpful in this process. I quickly learned which condos had layouts and facilities that would work for me which helped narrow the decision down quickly.

Vacancy rates are at near record lows at the moment so I needed to be quick to respond. It was important to have credit history and letters of recommendation ready to send. I also discovered I needed a healthy dose of patience to keep searching. Units would evaporate in a day!

Step 3 – Plan your space

Get the floor plan

If the floor plan is not included in the listing itself, request it from the sellers, or do some searching online. I was able to find a website which listed many of the floor plans of condos in the city. This is invaluable for high level planning and useful in striking a lot of units off the list without having to waste energy visiting them.

Measure furniture you intend to take with you

Create a log of each piece per room. Measure the height, width and length of each article. Include wall art dimensions, light fixtures and important plants as well. This will be important to make sure they fit in the new space with space to move around them.

Draw a floor plan for each room, to scale.

Space plan each room IMAGE

You can work on paper or with software, whichever is more comfortable for you. I went old school and drew each room to scale (1 cm = 1 foot) on graph paper, noting electrical outlets, air vents, windows and doors, and ideal travel paths.

On another piece of graph paper, draw your items to scale and label them. Cut them out. Now have fun placing them on your floor plan. Be accurate. In a small space, every inch matters.

If you or someone you know is thinking to downsize, or is already in a small space, Streamlife organizers delight in helping you make the most of every inch.

*Brands have sponsored me and/or provided products for use in the space. Opinions are my own.

Categories Arrange, Home Organizing, Prioritize, Streamlife 4 Step P.L.A.N. to Get Organized
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Preparing for a Reno? First let go

by Clare Kumar

April 24th, 2016

Photo: Jon Nicholls for the Toronto Star

Are you considering a renovation or home restyle? Too often I’ve seen a main floor renovation which looks and feels fantastic, yet when you head downstairs to the basement, I, sometimes literally, stumble upon a very full den of deferred decisions. Clients tell me this diminishes the joy of the reno.

To avoid this, I recommend editing possessions in advance of the redesign. Thoughtfully consider what will need a home in the freshly designed space. Thinking about this early enough so you can provide input to your design team will lead to results you’ll be happy with. It’s all driven by your priorities – what you want to do and how you want to feel in a space. From there, choose your furniture and storage solutions to house the items you’ll use, while preserving function and flow in the space.

Create homes elsewhere for items that continue to serve you but no longer make sense for this space, and find ways to divest the things you no longer need. This can be emotionally challenging so let your clear vision help guide you to solid decision making.

Read the full article. which appeared in the Toronto Star, on my media page. I explain my Four Step P.L.A.N. to Get Organized™, and put a positive spin on letting go. You’ll also find comments from busy families and what they are doing to creatively clear.

Toronto Star article on decluttering to prepare for a reno

Courtesy Toronto Star

Have you managed a renovation? Were you able to successfully prepare or did you end up in a scenario similar to what I’ve described? I welcome your thoughts.

Did you know I enjoy speaking on organizing and productivity? If you know of a group who would benefit, please let me know or pass on my name. Thanks!

Categories Home Organizing, Liberate, Media, Streamlife 4 Step P.L.A.N. to Get Organized
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Get Up, Stand Up! How to choose a standing desk

by Clare Kumar

July 18th, 2015

I’ll bet you’ve heard the phrase “sitting is the new smoking” – it has been kicking around for a few years now. When sitting, our metabolism slows dramatically and this can be linked to increases of a myriad of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even early death as brought to life in this infographic. Sitting is also a drag on productivity. This well-done TED-Ed video explains the impact on your body.

On trend to help mitigate the effects of lengthy sitting are walking meetings, fitness monitoring devices, “sweatworking”, and the increasing popularity of standing desks

I had been exploring standing desks for some time given my, ahem, long-standing interest in workstation ergonomics, but it wasn’t until I started developing lower back pain that I decided to get serious about researching options. Read More→

Categories Arrange, Business Organizing, Ergonomics, Home Office, Products, Wellness
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Book Review – Part 1 – The Pros and Cons of the Kon-Mari Method

by Clare Kumar

May 12th, 2015

I’m pretty judicious about buying paper books now that my bookshelves have reached capacity (more on how to handle that another time!), but I was very glad to receive a copy of Marie Kondo’s phenomenally successful book, “the life-changing magic of tidying up – The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing” as a gift from my mom this past Christmas.

This book has caught on around the world with such fervor that recently Marie was included in Time Magazine’s list of the top 100 influential people. Jamie Lee Curtis, an inspiring woman herself, wrote a rave review of the KonMari approach calling it a “how to heave-ho”.

With its compelling and diminutive Japanese style, the book already achieved sales of over two million copies by late last year. I recently read the book and reviewed each concept in detail. I celebrate the attention Marie has brought to the act of getting organized and offer you these thoughts.

Pros

1. Honour your things
While Marie might take it to an extreme level of appreciation in thanking her accessories for working so hard to keep her beautiful each and every day, the concept of treating our possessions with respect, and consequently caring for them appropriately is worth adopting. I’m not sure the sweater at the bottom of a pile feels crushed by the weight of items above it, but if the pile is so high that the item is never used, or it is so messy that pieces are never seen, what is the point of keeping the item? Practicing mindful gratitude towards our things improves our relationship with them, moving them from mere commodities to treasures. And that’s a beautiful thing.

2. Let go before you organize
On this point, Marie and I clearly align. It can be exciting to go shopping for an organizing system with the rush of researching (yes, some people love this part of the process) and acquiring a solution. In the rush of the rush so-to-speak, it’s quite possible that the solution misses the mark completely.
It’s better to go through the liberation (see my Four Step P.L.A.N. To Get Organized™) of things that aren’t serving your life now, and invest only in storage and organizing accessories that help you access, use and protect the items you need. If liberating feels challenging, you might need to go back one step to get really clear on your priorities.

3. Get vertical
Marie recommends folding her socks and other garments and storing them vertically. I’ve done this for years and fully recommend it for a couple of reasons. First, it keeps socks visible, one of my three criteria to make sure you can easily use what you own. In addition, the elastic will stay in better shape, and the socks will take up less space in your drawer. If you don’t believe it, just give it a try. On top of that it can be faster to fold than ball up your socks. Be sure to divide your drawers into rows that are narrow enough to support socks using shoe boxes or drawer organizers – whichever you prefer.

4. Dial down visual noise
As someone who is keenly aware of their environment, another practice I heartily agree with is the removal of packaging from products. Whenever I can, and it won’t affect the safe use of a product, I peel labels off containers or decant products into those which are simpler, prettier or easier to use.I have bought matching containers of hand soaps and creams to use in the kitchen and bathroom instead of purchasing new pumps which are often expensive and fragile, or too tall. I’ve filled many a clear shoe box or bin, and subsequently lined the front with scrapbook paper to make it less busy to look at. If you feel like your things are shouting at you, take a look around and see what you can visually turn down.

Stay tuned for Part 2 – The Cons!

In the meantime, what was your favorite takeaway from the book?

Categories Arrange, Home Organizing, Liberate, Nurture
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Savvy Space Saving Products – as seen on The Social

by Clare Kumar

May 4th, 2015

Sharing Space Saving products with Traci Melchor and Melissa Grelo

In my recent segment on CTV’s The Social, I had fun sharing several new and innovative products that save you space. From small condo’s to storage sparse older homes, a lot of us are struggling to create homes for things. Here are four things to keep in mind when shopping for new items:

1. Compact

Look for items that compress, fold down or squish (thanks to silicone!) into a flatter shape. This has long applied to laundry drying racks and chairs, but now you can find these features in kitchen tools such as colanders, graters and whisks.

2. Stack

Taking advantage of vertical space is one of the best ways to maximize storage space. Look for items that nest inside each other or are designed to stack on top of each other.

3. Multi-task

Pieces that perform more than one task are becoming more and more popular. Coffee tables that lift and expand into dining tables. Beds that fold away to reveal a desk, and as show in the segment, an ottoman that explodes into seating for 5.

4. Inspire

As William Morris, the famous British textile designer and poet said,

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

If you can find beauty in every day items, you can confidently leave them on display as sculptural, colourful, inspirational elements.

What space-saving products do you swear by? Love to hear!

Categories Arrange, Home Organizing, Products
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New Organizing Products from the Housewares Show 2015 – Part 1 – Impressive Inventions

by Clare Kumar

April 3rd, 2015

In March I visited Chicago for the fifth time to attend the International Home and Housewares Show – continuing work on bringing Pliio to more retailers, but also scouting to share the latest inventions with you. It was wonderful to see many new items and also the growth of products I spotted last year, like Gleener, Fresh Tape and Holster Brands and (re)zip from Blue Avocado. Boot Butler is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Congrats to inventor, Andy Elstein.

On to some cool finds from this year’s show:

Sustainable Toothbrush

Meet Patrick Triato from The Goodwell Company and his new take on the toothbrush. This eco-friendly toothbrush addresses the goal of reducing waste with a base you keep forever, offers a subscription-based service for biodegradable oral hygiene components, a storage compartment in the base, and a string on the bottom which would allow you to hang it from a hook – perfect for those who like to brush in the shower. The picture above does not do it justice. Check out their website for a close up. The toothbrush really looked like it belonged in the MOMA store, and it felt fantastic in your hand, too. Congratulations on being a finalist for the Innovation Award.

Categories Home Organizing, Products
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Archive for organize

Smartly store your Halloween décor

Sensitively serve tasty treats

Smoothly schedule the date

Easy invites

Don’t forget the soundtrack

Choose your outfit the night before.

Fuel up for your day.

Create a task management system.

Avoid making a mess.

1. Commit

2. Clear

3. Cull

4. Categorize

5. Cycle

PART 1 – PLANNING YOUR SPACE

Step 1 – Define your needs

Step 2 – Choose your new space

Step 3 – Plan your space

Pros

1. Compact

2. Stack

3. Multi-task

4. Inspire

Connect

Categories