How far can you get into your garage without parkour?

Overwhelmed by your garage?  Can’t find tools you know you own?  Do you wonder where your tennis racquet, swim fins, or snow shoes went?

If so, let me help you sort, purge & organize the contents of your garage.  I help my clients identify and properly store their most meaningful possessions, and find new homes for unwanted items through donation, resale, and recycling whenever possible.

Going from chaos to order in a typical garage usually takes between three and eight days.  If you book a garage reorganization of 3 or more days before March 31, 2012, you’ll receive a free, heavy duty shelving unit (36″ x 72″); assembled and in place in your newly organized garage.

Call today for a complimentary 30-minute consultation and start the new year right.  Phone 650-799-4927 or schedule a consultation via email.

What is a reboot?

In computing, memory holds data that you or the computer input. Occasionally the memory becomes full or gets some data that interferes with the computer’s operation. When this happens, you may not be able to perform an action that you or the computer needs to do.  By rebooting the system, the memory gets refreshed and clears any stuck temporary data in memory. This is the reason rebooting the computer is one of the first steps in troubleshooting a system.

What is the January Reboot?

In the physical world, most of us have stuff that is interfering with our tasks or taking up space we could better use.  In January, I’ll be sending daily emails with short tasks that will help you refresh your home and clear out items that are clogging up your operating systems.  Sign up for my mailing list today and start off the New Year with a clean(er) slate!

Before, the wire storage cubes are great on function, not so much on aesthetics.

This two story home has a bonus room: either very small room or very large hallway at the top of the stairs, through which you access two of the bedrooms.  The clients call it the loft.  Previously, the room was used for TV watching, and for storage of games and books.  Since the middle of the room is a traffic path, The furniture arrangement was limited.  We removed the TV, moved the couch to the other wall, and added two low chairs.  The existing wire storage cubes held a lot, but didn’t add much to the feel of the space.

Adding an inexpensive shelf and simple curtain give the wire cubes more appeal.

I redesigned the shelving by making the layout long and low, adding an inexpensive white melamine shelf with a curtain rod in front, and sewing a simple curtain in fabric to coordinate with the existing upholstery.

A couple of low chairs provide comfy seating for music practice.

The clients wanted a space where people could just hang out away from the living room.  Adding a couple of low chairs has turned this ‘bonus’ room into a room the clients regularly use and enjoy:  “The loft is my new favorite room in the house, by the way. It’s become our music room, and Nat and I play the guitar there every night.”

The couch is now visible as you come up the stairs, making the room more inviting.

I’ve always loved the term “bonus room.”  Realtors use it for rooms that aren’t quite up to code as bedrooms, but I prefer to imagine that one day you’re just idly wishing for a little extra space and realize that there’s actually another room off the hall that you’ve just never noticed!  Wouldn’t that be great?

Before the makeover, all the bikes were thrown together.

Having access to all that equipment makes it a lot easier to use.  For this garage, the focus wasn’t on downsizing, it was on keeping the sports gear organized and accessible, and providing a nice little studio for messy kids crafts.

The stroller/bicycle parking lot is more accessible.

My favorite solution in this project:  a simple hanger for the Thule roof box.  I used a large carpet remnant, put grommets in the four corners, hooks on the wall, and nylon rope to create a sling.  For less than $15, the roof box is easily accessed, but tucked aside in a stable, safe way.

A carpet remnant provides a low cost sling for the roof box.

The garage opens onto a secluded driveway, so it’s a great place for the family’s kids to explore their creativity.

Finger paints and other messy art supplies are stored and ready to use in the garage/studio.

Table settings for the gala used old maps to add character affordably.

One of the fun activities was the wine wall:  40 donated wines, ranging from $10 to $100 in value, were wrapped in maps.  For a $20 ticket, participants could draw a number and take the corresponding bottle home.

The wine wall was very popular & raised almost $1000.

Nonprofit events are a lot of fun because they foster community as well as raise money.  By leveraging the help of dozens of volunteers, MVEF is able to offer a wonderful silent auction with items at every price point.

Attendees enjoyed outbidding their friends at the MVEF silent auction.

I manage to have a great time at the events I work, especially when the clients are as fun & on the ball as the people at MVEF!

AAB Design at the Mountain View Gala

“We had the whole extended family over for dinner the night before my son’s bar mitzvah.  I was able to visit with everyone while Alison handled all the logistics.  The next morning, it was such a pleasure to wake up to a clean home, everything back in its place, the leftovers in the fridge, clean dishes put away, and great memories of being able to spend time with my far-flung family.”

Family came from all over the US for Eli's bar mitzvah.

The entryway table is a repository of stuff that has no other home.

The console table in the front hall of this three-story home was the go-to storage place for mail, school papers, office supplies, as well as hair bands and nail files that never made it upstairs, theater tickets, library books, and more.   A secretary or other desk that closed up would have been a good solution, but the available space was  just 14” by 45”  — smaller than almost any mass manufactured piece would be.

I designed this custom entryway/console table to fit in the space, have a drawer for each family member, a cubby for the 3-ring binders of schedules & paperwork, another for the daily mail, and shallow drawers for office supplies and the toiletry items that never quite make it upstairs.   The entryway table will continue to be a repository for all kind of things, but much of it can now be tucked inside, out of sight.

The new, custom table has 8 drawers and 2 cupboards.

The table legs are made of white oak with walnut wedges.

The drawer pulls are white oak with a walnut inlaid strip.

Before the redesign, the view from the door wasn't very inviting.

15 year old Natalie was ready for a new look in her bedroom, something a little less sweet, a little more fun.  First, I rearranged the furniture so the dresser is not as prominent upon entering the room.

After the makeover, the dresser isn't visible from the door.

Next, I brought a playful element to the room by adding a vibrant orange stripe, painted paper lamp, and other decorative accents.  With narrow shelves, mementos are easily displayed, but not taking over every flat surface.

Narrow shelves provide a home for small treasures.

My approach is not about creating magazine-ready vignettes nor is it about creating models of organizational efficiency: I want to make your space work for you, whether or not it’s the prettiest interior design. I provide hands-on, real life solutions: I actually help you declutter, haul away donations, move your furniture, highlight your thingamajig collection, and keep the cat tree in the living room if that’s where you want it.

Why should I pay someone to help me get organized or design my home? I’m smart, I have good taste, I can do this…

I believe most people can create happy, productive spaces, but it takes time and initiative. Once our stuff begins to overwhelm us, it’s much harder see what matters, or even identify what’s making a space not work. Having a guide makes the process quicker and easier… plus, I try to make it a lot more enjoyable!