Monthly Archives: May 2014

Solutions for “Ugly Mirrored Closet Door” Syndrome

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Mirrored Closet Doors Cover

A client recently hired me to revamp her master closet and dressing area, in preparation for putting her home on the market later in the year.  She’s a savvy homeowner who plans to invest in a few key updates in order to make her property (which was built in the early 70’s) as appealing as possible to buyers.  This area of her home boasts several great features, including this built-in storage area:

Closet built-ins

An element of the space that will NOT appeal to buyers in its current state would be the floor-to-ceiling smoky-mirrored closet doors:

Mirrored Closet Doors

In order to stage this space properly for resale, those doors have to go.  Our budget would not allow for new doors; therefore, we explored several potential creative fixes. One solution was to utilize some type of wall covering to transform the doors, such as this awesome grass cloth example:

doorside

Source

After conducting a Pinterest search, we came across this brilliant idea of employing some type of opaque window film to create a more updated look, working with the mirror instead of covering it up:

frosted design

Source

After we made the decision to remove the central shelving unit from the closet to maximize hang space, we realized that neither of these solutions will work for our situation, since the existing doors would not close off the entire length of the closet. Back to the drawing board!

Like it has in so many previous Refined Rooms projects, Ikea comes to the rescue with a low-cost solution for our closet door woes (oh, when will Northeast Ohio get an Ikea store?)

ikea panels 2

I’ve most often seen Ikea’s panel curtains used to replace hideous vertical blinds, but they can also be used as a room divider, as well as in place of a door to hide open storage. Ikea offers 18 different panel designs, ranging in price from $4.99 to $14.99 per panel.  For this particular project, the total cost of panels and hardware comes to around $80…significantly less than new doors.

The client was sold on this solution immediately and will be ordering and installing the panel curtains in the coming weeks. I promise to post the “after” photos when the closet makeover is complete. Until then, I’ll leave you with this visual…

ikea panels

Is there a place for Ikea panel curtains in your home? Hop on over to their website and check out all of the snazzy designs they have available.  Maybe one of them is right for your space.

Interested in learning more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms? Visit RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

Hosting a Garage Sale? Here’s How to Do it Right

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I don’t know about you, but I have mixed feelings about garage sales.

On the one hand, they require a crazy amount of prep time, not to mention the hours spent hanging out in the garage during the actual sale. On the other hand, if you have a ton of items that tend to sell well at garage sales (i.e., kids’ clothing and toys, tools, etc.,) they can be a good option for cashing in after your spring declutter efforts.

My #1 piece of advice regarding garage sales is to be certain that the time and effort you will expend will be worth it in terms of the cash you anticipate bringing in.

With that being said, here are a few quick tips for running a successful sale.

Tip #1:  Prominently Display your “Hot Ticket Items”  

If you have a high demand item for sale (such as a larger kid’s toy), place the item in your driveway in a location that is easily viewable from the street.  This will drive more foot traffic into your garage.  Even if the shoppers don’t end up purchasing the hot ticket item, they will likely find something else to purchase at your sale.

Tips for a successful garage sale (4)

Tip #2:  Merchandise Your Items

Follow the lead of store merchandisers and make your display of items as attractive as possible.  You also want to make the shopping experience enjoyable and easy by displaying items on tables (instead of placed on the driveway) and grouping like items together, just like the stores do. It doesn’t hurt to have some music playing in the background as well.

Garage Sale Tips Collage1

Tip #3: Price Everything

Prepping for your garage sale not only includes corralling all of the items that you want to sell out to the garage and setting up attractive displays. It also involves assessing the value of each item and putting a price tag on it. As part of the process, you may need to conduct a little research for higher ticket items to determine their value. I suggest taking a look at what similar items are selling for on Craigslist and Ebay to use as a guide in your pricing (which should be a bit lower in a garage sale).

Shoppers like to see price tags. It gives them a place to begin the haggle process. Be sure to factor in a bit of “haggle room” when you price your items.

Tips for a successful garage sale (1)

Tip #4:  Include Some Freebies In Your Sale

Who doesn’t love getting something for free? Including some giveaway items in your sale is a “win-win” for both you and your customers. It can be an easy way of removing “no value” items from your home that you may otherwise need to expend energy disposing of properly (e.g., half-used cans of paint, department store clothes hangers), while providing value to someone else who has a need for these items.

Garage Sale Tips Collage 2

Tip #5:  Document Items to Be Hauled off for Donation

When it’s time to pack up those items that did not sell, take photographs of the items while they are displayed on your tables before packing them up in boxes and loading them in the car for the donation site. Use the photos for reference later on to create an itemized donation receipt for tax purposes.

Click here to read more about what to do with all those unsold items. 

Are you hosting an upcoming sale? Share some of your favorite tips for a successful garage sale by commenting below.

Interested in learning more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com.

Garage Organization 101: Tips from a Local Professional

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 Now that Polar Vortex 2014 is becoming a distant memory, we are all anxious to roll up our sleeves and begin sprucing up the exterior areas of our homes. Of course, we all know that spring is the ideal time to give the garage an organizing “overhaul”. In order to assist with the process, I invited Paige Norton of Top Shelf Transformations to provide some basic tips for banishing garage clutter and creating a functional space that you can be proud of this spring!

Monkey Bars

Make Decisions:

When you begin to go through the items in your garage, think about how often you use them. If you haven’t used an item in the last few years, you probably won’t use it in the future. Separate your items into “keep” and “toss” piles.

Once you’ve decided what to keep and what to toss, consider donating those items in the toss pile to your local charity. Donating gently used items to a local charity is a great way to recycle and give back to your own community. Now that you’ve gotten rid of unnecessary clutter, it’s time to organize what will remain in the garage.

Separate and Categorize:

Now that you’re left with the essentials, it’s time to separate them into specific categories such as: sports equipment, seasonal items, tools and yard equipment. Storing multiple items together into a category will help you identify their whereabouts easily when needed.

Once you’ve separated your items into specific categories, you will then need to assign them to a spot in the garage. Think about how often you use each item. Seasonal and holiday items are used only a certain amount of times per year and should be stored out of the way. Yard equipment, tools and sports equipment are used more frequently and should be stored in an area of easy access.
Monkey Bars 2

Maximize Space:

To maximize your available storage space, consider storing things up high on walls, above windows and doors and hanging from the ceiling. Utilizing these typically unused overhead areas allows you to take advantage of all the potential storage space your garage has to offer and keeps things up off the floor. As mentioned before, seasonal, less-frequently used items should be stored out of the way. Utilize overhead racks and shelving to store things up out of the way while still allowing for easy access to them when needed.

More frequently used items such as tools and yard and sports equipment should be stored in an area where items are easily accessible. Hang these items lower on walls and in cabinets for easy daily access.

Select the Right Storage Containers:

Avoid storing things in cardboard boxes. Sturdy, plastic bins are easier to stack and protect your items. Use clear plastic bins to help you easily identify the contents, or clearly label each bin.

Select the Right Storage System and Accessories:

Everyone’s storage needs are different. After separating your storage items and deciding where to store them, it’s time to decide how to store them. There are many storage solutions out there. Shelving, hooks, racks and cabinets are all great options for storing items up off the floor. Select the system and accessories that fit your specific storage needs and maximize your particular garage layout.

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Garage Organization Giveaway!

Now that you know the steps to complete your garage “makeover”, I invite you to head over to the Refined Rooms blog and enter to win a fantastic garage organization tool from Monkey Bars Storage. Refined Rooms is giving away a Garden Tool Rack to one lucky blog reader!

Giveaway Collage

Paige Norton is the Community Manager at Top Shelf Transformations, Northeast Ohio’s exclusive, authorized dealer of Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems. Top Shelf Transformations provides expert garage storage and organization solutions.

If you’d like to learn more about Monkey Bars Garage Storage Systems, you can find them here:
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