Organizing for Shea and Syd McGee was a dream come true. Shea is one of the most incredible and well-recognized designers in the country and the honor to be the organizer that she chose to level up all of her "behind closed doors spaces" was one I will always be grateful for. This blog will go over everything we did to organize Studio McGee's laundry room.
Studio McGee Laundry Room Style
The McGee laundry room is bright and beautiful. There was more than enough room for all the items that needed organizing, but Shea was wanting better systems in place.
Pool towels and sheets were stacked high in upper cabinets that were hard to reach. There were some towels and cleaning supplies that hadn't been edited in a long time and simply needed to be donated and/or thrown away. And, because there are a number of people in and out of the McGee home, the need for labels to keep everyone on the same page was extra important.
Bedding Organization
After consulting with Shea and removing everything from all of the cabinets, we started to map out a plan. Shea's vision was to have a contained place for all her sheet sets. She wanted sheets separated out by bedroom and neatly labeled. They were originally all stored in one cabinet, but not organized by room and size.
We decided that sheet sets should be given a prime location. We neatly folded the sheets to be stored vertically in the kiva bins we used from the container store. We used gold bin clips and our favorite cube labeler to label each bin. The new system will be easy to follow and easy to maintain.
Pool Towel Organization
Shea did a great job of choosing which pool towels her family wanted to keep and which pool towels had seen better days. Towels that once towered to the top of a cabinet and were found in other various cupboards throughout the laundry room are now contained in one cabinet above the dryer. We took advantage of the extra deep space to put large Folden Lane bins on the shelf. These bins are not only beautiful but extra large and the perfect size to fit 5 pool towels each.
We moved the humidifiers and upholstery cleaners down to be in lower cabinets and the table linens up so they would be more visible. We adjusted shelves for the tablecloths so we could create more separation and not have any stack get out of control.
Laundry Detergent Organization
We made sure to bring in products that would work better for her under-the-sink cleaning supplies as well as her laundry supplies. With Shea's laundry supplies being stored above the washing machine cabinet, adding a lazy susan made the most sense to keep items corralled and easy to access. Detergent packs, dryer sheets, and other supplies were kept in hinge-lid acrylic bins on the same shelf. She had everything zoned well before, but this new system keeps everything easier to access.
Labeling the Laundry Room
The finishing touch on any space is the labels. We use bin clips to label the different sheet sets and then labeled both shelves and drawers on the actual shelves and drawers. We labeled everything from the iron and steamer to the pool towel cabinet.
This laundry room had space to spare even from the beginning. Sometimes it is harder to edit down what we own when there is plenty of room to store it all, but this room is the perfect example of how only keeping the things that you are using and that are adding to your life can create systems and simplicity that affect the way you live and function in your home. There is still plenty of extra space, but now the entire room functions has a system and is just as beautiful behind closed cabinets as it is on the surface.
Shea is the perfect example of one who values systems and simplicity over things. She was incredible at letting go of anything that was no longer serving her family and only kept items being used. This made all the difference in the process.
Now, I know having too much space is not a problem many of us have. And I know a laundry room as stunning as the McGee's is also not the norm... however, I do believe that with the same thoughtful consideration, anyone can create a space like this laundry room that functions and is beautiful. What space in your home could use a reset? I hope this perspective will help you to create a vision and intention for it and feel empowered to execute it!
Jen is the founder of Reset Your Nest, a Professional Home Organizing Business in Utah (servicing Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Alpine, Highland, Mapleton, and St. George). She loves creating order and systems out of chaos and is known for bringing a beautiful aesthetic as well as easy to maintain function to any space. She shares her tips and tricks on Instagram @reset_your_nest.
