Organization Station-The Plan (Phase 1)-Living Room Update

Wow okay so it's been over a month now that I started my Living Room Re-Organization otherwise known as "THE PLAN",

and took my Living Room Chaos from this
to this...
(Do you hear the angels singing?)

First off let me say that I am one happy lady these days!!!

I was able with relatively little cost and fairly simple solutions to transform this room from a chaotic mess to a more functional, organized space (which we all know that I LOVE).

Here's the low down on my attack of this room.

1. First off, we started with a de-clutter of the room. We took out all the unnecessary items that really served no function for the room anymore (i.e. general mess, baby swing, baby bouncer, storage bins, treadmill...). This was great and it freed up a lot of space to play with and took the space from this...

to this...
(I know we just saw it but I LOVE seeing it again and again)

2. In our next move, we did a shuffle of the layout of the room. It was too random and hodge podge so we rearranged the key pieces in the room to create more functional zones which serve the flow and functionality of the room much better (i.e, moved the piano, desk, baby gear...).

So this area from before
was streamlined to become our entertainment zone here
This general cluttered mess
then became this baby zone/organized clean space
(It even came complete with a baby in the baby zone)
We took this mess of a space...
(Remember my craft/office space?)

and this untapped plethora of space
freed it up to become this
and transformed it to become our new office/craft zone here
We already had a two of these storage drawer sets, but purchased one more and they are now the new happy home to all my crafting and office supplies. I LOVE this space! It's quaint, but cozy. I'm still in the midst of everything but I'm somewhat separated to my own little crafty corner. I've got my clipboards to keep me organized, as well as my hanging organizer above the desk. I've got hooks to hold all my sewing projects (yea you read that one right), right now they've got the aprons from the store, and I've got a place to hold my crochet projects in process/manikin heads.
Ground has finally broken on my dream organization unit (Hallelujah)
(I'm told that the pieces are cut and ready for assembly...I'm exstatic and anxious to say the least).

Really the only thing this space is missing for me (besides the dream unit) is some pizazz! I need a little color, a little decor or something to keep me happy in my little corner, oh and a clock! I'm got some ideas in the works for a few projects, so be on the look out for those.

Our last zone took this hot mess
and turned it into this new Family Business Zone
(Ignore the Easter baskets, and folded laundry...)
I moved that piano solo mio! Seriously! No wheels...I'm not kidding! I'm like an ant.
I like the piano over here now it gives me space for all that family business. So we've got our family calendar, family rules, FHE board, and behavior chart all in one glorious spot!

3. Our third move was to bring in some additional pieces to bring in organization and functionality to the room (here's where some cost comes into play).

We made a trip to our storage unit and pulled out one of our end tables, so not only is our coffee table happy to be reunited with its little buddy but we are also happy to have more storage and an extra place to set our glass when we're watching TV.
We also decided to bring in this storage bench (which I've been coveting at Target) which allowed me to hide all the winter gear (because the beanies, you know there are a lot were literally taking over the house) and baby toys in one inconspicuous, functional, spot. My favorite part is that the bins nicely hide the chaos inside of them and no one will ever have to see it! The cushioned bench on top besides adding additional seating in our limited space, has also become a nice little spot for shoe tying.
This piece was really only one of three pieces that we purchased for this room, and at $60.00 (well worth it) was our most expensive purchase. I LOVE it, although I'm thinking I see a future project in the form of a cushion revamp coming soon.

Our other purchase and the sole reason for this update post taking SO long (the piece was lost in transport for a while), was this coat rack, also a Target find.
I wanted a coat rack because our apartment while having awesome storage space lacks a coat closet. Being a winter fearing family of 6 coat wearing people, coat storage was in need. In our old system
We had a make shift coat rack a.k.a. treadmill, but I thought it was time for an upgrade. I actually searched for a while to find a coat rack at a decent price that had hangers not only at the top but also down at the kids level. A fairly simple request, yet one that I found to be an expensive feature to ask for. Luckily for the hubster (who I was going to recruit for a custom job) good old Target came through for me again (it always does, I'm not sure why I bother looking any where else). This little baby ended up setting us back $42.00 with tax and shipping...not bad...not bad at all.

4. Our last move was to bring in a few decoration pieces just to give it a little more of a homey touch. I didn't go all out or bring in too much, believe me I wanted to and I always have in any apartment we've lived in, but I didn't want to this time just because I'm crossing my fingers that we'll be in our new place (wherever that might be) SOON! We did a little, mostly brought in some Spring/Easter Decor. The few pieces we brought in really made the place feel more homey, but also brightened up the space by breaking up all the drab color that was going on.


So one last time here's the before

and here's the after!
All in all I've got to say that I'm super happy so far with the result! Our space is limited, and it's tight quarters, but with a few simple and relatively low cost solutions we managed to make the space a more functional space! But let's not forget the most important thing...it's so much better organized and if we've learned nothing else, we've learned this Mamma loves her some organization!

With everything having a place to go, the room stays a lot cleaner, (which is always good) and pick up is a lot smoother, and best of all, I finally feel free from all the clutter! I'm working so much better these days!!!

Total cost for this living room revamp =$122...One Happy Mama=Priceless!!!