Organizing your home can make the layout neater and easier to find things. But many people don’t know where to start. Here are some tips for arranging furniture in your home.
- Find the active and passive zones.
First, you need to find the active and passive zones in your home. Active zones are areas in the house that we frequently pass through or touch. For example, the entrance, wardrobe, and shelves or cabinets are at eye level. This is where we often put things.
Passive zones are those we use less often. One common organizational mistake is mixing items that are used often and those that are used rarely in one place. For example, you might put a spare lamp that you only use once or twice a year on a kitchen shelf.
- Pick shelves that are tall and narrow
If your home is small, try using vertical shelves or containers. Then, put the heavier items at the bottom. It’s about the same height as the bottom of the door. You can put things like kitchen utensils, carpentry tools, and anything too heavy to lift at the bottom. This is important in countries like Indonesia that are often hit by earthquakes. In the event of an earthquake, heavy items will not fall from high places. - Focus on how things look
Store items in a way that makes them look nice. Every home can use a combination of open and closed storage shelves. However, whatever you choose to put on open shelves should look good.
For example, you can put books on the shelves in the living room. Arrange them by color to make them look better. Decorate with a few cute objects, such as potted plants or carvings.
- Group items by how they are used
For example, there should be a box for medicines, another box for writing supplies, and another box for baking equipment. It’s important to make things easy to find. Transparent containers are great for making certain items easy to see.
If the containers are not clear, label them clearly. You can label them with paper that lists the contents of the box. If you want to make it more fun, take pictures of the items you have placed in the container. Then, put the photos on the outside.
- Set up a shelf for transit
Set aside a specific place or shelf for items that are currently being moved. We may have library books to return, things left behind by friends, and bags we will take with us. Instead of just putting them anywhere, make a “transit” area for these items. With these tips, you can organize your home more effectively.
–sh
