This Pro’s Hot Take: Large Spaces Are Harder to Organize Than Small Ones
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Professional organizer Ashley La Fond is obsessed with scissors, mostly because she grew up in a house where she could never seem to find them. That’s why, when you go over to the Of Space and Mind founder’s home today, you’ll find a pair in almost every room. “Sometimes I open packages in my bedroom, so guess what? I have scissors there,” she shares. “It’s about intentionally having things where you’re going to use them.”
This mindset is incredibly helpful, in particular for tidying up large homes. Since moving from New York City to Chatham, New Jersey, La Fond’s work has grown in scale, literally—the majority of her clients are dealing with spacious suburban homes that almost have too much room. “There’s not just one logical place for things,” she points out. La Fond will be the first to tell you: that can be more challenging than organizing a tiny studio apartment. “It’s really about getting into your lifestyle, how you use a space, and then designating that thing, in that spot, based on where it makes the most sense,” she adds. Ahead, the pro shares her top tips (and six holy grail products) for organizing homes with no shortage of nooks and crannies.
Consider a Kitchen Medicine Cabinet
Knowing that La Fond’s number one rule is putting things where they’ll actually get used, it might not surprise you that she’s all for having a bonus medicine cabinet stocked with Tylenol, sunscreen, Band-Aids—you name it—in the kitchen. “We’re all about efficiency,” she says. Her personal version of this is what she calls her “morning zone.” In one corner of her kitchen, La Fond displays her travel mugs, blender, toaster, supplements, honeys, nut butters, and protein powders—basically all of her breakfast-making staples. “I can stand in one place, give the kids their vitamins, take my supplements, put a toast on, and make my coffee, while my husband is making lunches and we’re not stepping on each other,” she explains.
Create a Visual Representation With Tape
There is a crucial step La Fond and her team take between editing down a client’s things and putting them back in their new home. With a marker and strips of tape, they’ll label off where they’re considering placing items so they can get a real sense of how things will flow. “We can experience it before we actually start to execute,” she says, saving them time and energy but also making sure they’re not forgetting about any categories. In a kitchen, for instance, she’ll almost alway situate the plates in a cabinet closest to the dishwasher, but most other things depend on the homeowner’s lifestyle. “How do you set the table? Do you use placemats? Are you big into food prep?” she’ll prompt them.
Carve Out a Back-Stock Area
The top request La Fond gets from her suburban clients? An inventory room. “You cannot shop at Costco and store everything in your pantry unless you are Kim Kardashian,” La Fond argues. For people who shop in bulk, it’s often handy to stash surplus paper towels, cereal boxes, and Swiffer pads on shelves in the basement. La Fond just warns them not to go overboard. “Commit to what you can store, and shop from there,” she says.
Spread Out Your Everyday Essentials
Remember La Fond’s scissors? It’s just one reminder that there are often multiple places an item can go. The pro organizer also recommends dispersing cleaning products. “A lot of people are like: Well, does it go in my laundry room? Does it go in my basement? Does it go in my garage?” she says. “Let’s think about where you are using it.” She has even gone so far as to keep scrub brushes underneath all her bathroom sinks, that way she doesn’t have to trek across the house to the supply closet to fetch them.
The same holistic approach goes for out-of-season clothing. Just because you have a giant mudroom doesn’t mean all of your coats need to be crammed in there. Instead, choose what you wear the most that season, and then, if you have another closet somewhere in the basement or attic, consider storing items there for a little while.
Products La Fond Swears by for Larger Spaces
An Expandable Pan Rack
YouCopia StoreMore Expandable Cookware Rack, The Container Store ($40)
“Using every square inch is important in a small space, but also in a big space. This works for baking sheets, pans, muffin tins, cutting boards, as well as pots and pans. We use them a lot if a kitchen doesn’t have drawers underneath the stove for cookware.”
Deep Kitchen Bins
mDesign Plastic Stackable Kitchen Organizer, Amazon ($29)
“These are the deepest bins we’ve found (16 inches), and they work great in a walk-in pantry where things might otherwise get lost in the back.”
Back-Stock Shelving
Chrome Wire Shelving, Uline (price varies)
“Uline has the most variety in height, depth, and length so you can maximize your storage. You can add on additional shelves and add on units—a great solution if you want to create an L- or U-shape. They are also the most durable and sturdy!”
Bottle Holders
Lifewit Stackable Water Bottle Organizer for Cabinets, Amazon ($14)
“We use bottle organizers a lot to take advantage of vertical cabinet space.”
Playroom Storage
Trofast Storage Combination With Boxes, IKEA ($80)
“This is low so kids can access toys themselves, and it has built-in bins that hold more than you think.”
Baskets on Baskets
Marie Kondo Bamboo Bin, The Container Store ($50)
Cambridge Storage Bin in Gray, The Container Store ($18)
La Jolla Basket, Serena & Lily ($128)
Rinna Rattan Basket, Rejuvenation ($29 – $89)
“In larger homes, we’re often sourcing a lot of bins and baskets that are beautiful yet functional for playrooms, mudrooms, pantries, and closets. Here are a few favorites:
We love the linen color of this Cambridge bin and it’s price point.
These bamboo bins are beautiful in a mudroom, and we love that the liners can be wiped clean.
Rattan baskets are sturdy and work in almost any design aesthetic.
The La Jolla basket has so many great uses and it’s beautifully made. We’ve used it as a laundry hamper, for pool towels, and for toy storage in bedrooms and playrooms.”
