“Functional Ethical Design” Philosophy

Aesthetically pleasing, functional spaces are the goal of my organizational process. I carefully consider the footprint of organizational solutions and seek to reuse, donate and dispose responsibly.

Functional

First and foremost, a space needs to be functional to serve the life it upholds. This includes careful consideration of everyone that will be using the space and accessing the items. Sometimes the functional priority is

• Proximity (ex. Coffee mugs near the coffee maker)

• Height (ex. Playroom organization systems should be low)

• Space utilization (ex. If there is a lot of vertical storage space, considerations are made to maximize the available space. This might include finding a space for a step stool or using deep bins)

Ethical

Organizing can often require a significant investment in product to create an organization system to contains items, while also purging many items from the existing space. It is an ethical priority to 

• Meet the financial budget of a project, while considering the quality of the organization products used, providing guidance on splurge worthy items or more budget friendly options.

• Reuse, recycle and donate to reduce the environmental impact of the organizational process.

• Create a judgement free and supportive organizing process.

Design

Whether it is a single shelf or an entire room, the end result should always be aesthetically pleasing. Some ways of achieving a well designed organizational space include:

• Consistency of organizational products throughout the space(s). Having similar and complimentary organizing products throughout the various systems allows for the re-use of product as the spaces change.

• Grouping like items (ex. White dishes are stored on one shelf with glass dishes on another shelf.)

• Determining a design style. I suggest going as far as giving the preferred style an actual name, like “mid century modern” or “french country”. When it’s time to get a new piece, like a shelving unit, Pinterest is a great resource to search for style inspiration (ex. Search “mid-century modern shelving unit”).

A well organized space balances function, ethics and design to create a space that supports the life it upholds.