My name is Tawnya Healy. With me today is Kimberly Armstrong, owner of Life Organized by Design, a lifestyle company focused on helping you live the best life possible. Kimberly brings her unique design expertise to each space she creates and is known for creating cozy, inviting, and practical living spaces.
She says, “Attention to detail, design, and organization are key in assembling a practical, functional space, finding solutions, and creating systems for young families experiencing the “avalanche of life” has become her specialty.
Let’s get started with why is organization so important?
Kimberly:I think that it becomes important for many people for different reasons. Some people feel like they are experiencing the avalanche of life, and some people just are fed up with stuff. Everybody gets to a point where they’re ready to make some changes and at that point is usually where we come in, evaluate the situation, go over some goals that they’d like to attain in their organization project and then move forward.
T: I think I’ve heard you say that, “Being organized helps improve someone’s life.” How is that?
K: Oh in so many ways, so many factors. I’ve specialized lately in helping young families with … I say young families, but families with young kids. I really have had 2 clients, 2 couple clients, say to me, “You saved our marriage.” There’s a ton of changes that happen when you start to alleviate your things. Not everything has a place in your life anymore, or even for a future reference.
When you alleviate some of that and get down to the basics, the things that you need to live your life, that help you move forward, it does change you life. It makes you feel lighter, it makes you feel happier, and usually it helps your day-to-day function in getting through the day. It helps you follow the systems that we set up to make your life easier.
T: You mentioned young families, or families with young children. Who is your typical client, or do you have a typical client?
K: I do not have a typical client, although I have been working with families with young children lately. Mostly in the New York City area. Then my client base changes when I come to South Florida and it could be a multitude of clients there, whether they’re downsizing from a larger home up North and coming to a smaller space in South Florida, or in some cases, moving into a bigger space. It depends really. Everybody is in need of organization at some point.
T: Have you ever run into anyone who says, “I just can’t get organized?”
K: Yes, and I think that’s why they reach out to me to help get organized. It’s a mindset and if you’re really ready to do it, with my help, with an organizer’s help, you really can make strides, but you have to be ready. When I say you have to be ready, it’s more than just saying, “I need to get organized.” It’s really wanting to part with your things.
It’s really changing the way that you’re going to live your life. Where that comes from, daily decisions on how you purchase, where you store your things that you bring into the home, how you let things go from the home, and it’s a constant challenge. It’s a constant battle, so I can help set those systems into play. I can help purge and merge, but it’s up to the individual to really be dedicated to want to make those changes.
T: I’m going to shift gears a little bit here revolving around meals, because I’m a mom of a toddler so when it comes to preparing meals, I find myself either really organized and I pull it off well, or I’m not so organized and it’s kind of chaotic. How does organization come into play with preparing meals?
K: Interesting. Although I don’t get into that, necessarily, with my clients, I do prep their kitchens for that kind of activity. I think staying organized in your kitchen, as far as Tupperware drawers, pots and pans, do the lids have a home? Is there a proper garbage system in the kitchen? In other words, garbage and recyclables, and is it out of the way or is it tucked away in a place that’s accessible, but not unsightly?
Managing cabinets, whether it’s changing the height of a shelf, just properly house entertaining trays, or if it’s to change it to add maybe a shelf, there’s a shelf riser that you can get for plates and you can house plates underneath and bowls on top or vise versa or coffee cups. You could really make use of every inch of your space of your cabinetry.
Just make sure that you’re looking at your space with an open mind and a different view and thinking, “How can I use this differently? How can I utilize every space?”
T: Thank you, Kimberly for taking the time to be here. Reach out to Kimberly today for a consultation on how to get your Life Organized by Design.
For more info and to contact Kimberly Armstrong, go to http://LifeOrganizedbyDesign.com
