We all make jokes about sharing a closet with a life partner, but in real life it can be less than funny. What happens when a soon-to-be groom recognizes that there’s potential for a relationship battleground in the main bedroom closet? If he is smart, he calls The Order Project to surprise his bride. They will solve the problem before it becomes a point of tension while he whisks her off for a weekend break! This newly engaged couple is attempting to happily merge their space. Having just moved in together they are already having spats over who gets which real estate in the closet. This is a small space with big organizational needs. Space planning is going to be a huge part of the solution to this his-and-hers space. The TOP ladies, all happily married women, use their personal and professional experience to create a neutral space with a functional closet system that works for both and provides room for growth.

Part linen closet, part utility closet and all a mixed-up mess, this space at Great Commission Baptist Church, where our host Lauren and her family regularly worship, is in need of more than a hope and a prayer! Like many of The Order Project’s clients the church needs to be able to find those ‘use once in a while items’ as easily as those used daily. But in this storage space, filled with items that range from tablecloths, napkins and serving dishes to items normally found in a utility closet, this has proved to be a challenge. And, just like the linens at your house, the church’s linens require special storage requirements. Do they fold and stack or hang? Is it a good idea to store on wire racks? And how do you know if this is a tablecloth for 4 or 14? The ladies of The Order Project, like always, have done their homework and will create systems that keep the serving pieces clean and protected and the linens preserved and ready to go at a moment’s notice. If their tips and tricks work for a church that regularly hosts events for hundreds, just imagine how helpful they will be for your linen’s occasional pieces.

Viola’s House is a maternity home for homeless teens and the demands on the space are enormous. They have reached out to The Order Project for one particularly problematic area. Like many homes they have one big storage closet that has multiple identities. The closet serves as storage for food, baby bottles and paper products, including diapers and cleaning supplies. There is an overwhelming amount of stuff in this closet and many people access it for many different reasons. This kind of storage is so common in so many domestic settings that viewers will resonate. How will the TOP ladies categorize, organize and strategize an ongoingplan for maintaining order in this multi-use space? This is a huge challenge and order is so important for the young women going through challenging times as well as for the people who look after them and their little ones. One of our TOP ladies knows these challenges first hand and she uses her (painful) past experience to the benefit of the residents and staff at Viola’s House.

Gwen and her husband are both recently retired and, like many things in their lives, their food storage situation has been issued a change order. The Order Project comes in to evaluate their new wants and needs, while also taking planning for the future into consideration. Gwen and her husband want to stay in this home and the ladies need to look ahead and come up with an age-appropriate pantry design using the basic principles of ‘aging in place’ design.