Spring is the perfect time to freshen up your home, get organized, and declutter spaces. Start with these tips from some proven organizational experts based in Fort Worth.
Whitney Tevis and Debbie Horton have been helping folks become uncluttered in their homes and their minds for more than a decade through the Fort Worth-based business The Organized Nest (organizednest.com). But they saw a new level of customer interest in the last two years due to the practical implications of a pandemic. They met customers who, despite having more time at home in their cluttered spaces, couldn’t get their houses in order on their own.
“We had an influx of business from that point on, and it hasn’t slowed down since,” Tevis says.
Being based in Fort Worth, which is also surrounded by smaller rural towns, the ladies at The Organized Nest encountered more clients who wanted to simplify in general but didn’t necessarily want to dispense with the Western décor items and collectibles that defined their personal style.
“You can have things that don’t lend themselves to a minimal lifestyle, but you can still make it very tasteful,” Tevis says.
Creating an organized, neat household is less about quantity of items and more about how they are stored, organized, and displayed. Tevis and her colleagues live and work by the motto, “Everything has a home.” Read more for what that means to her, plus a few starter tips for those living in disorganized chaos.
Tips To Help Declutter Spaces
Remove everything and put back only what you need
“If you have 10 spatulas in your kitchen, unless you’re a professional baker, you don’t need that many. So, we help people kind of see what they have. Most people don’t even know what they have.”
Group small items in categories
“If we’re organizing a kitchen or a pantry, we go in and we take every single thing out of the drawer and then we’ll group it together, categorize it. So, all of your baking, all of your utensils, all of your barbecue [should go together]. It’s like putting together a puzzle and finding the right containers and then making the best use of your space, being creative.”
Everything has a home
“What we really pride ourselves on is setting up a system that is tailor-made for each family. Have a container with a label on it. You know exactly what is in this container. You know exactly where things go back to. We’re creating space and then making it crystal clear how to keep those spaces clutter-free.”
Organize In Style
You don’t have to lose your sense of style when decluttering a space. Form meets function with these storage-friendly Western pieces.
1. Roll Away
Vintage Rolling Cart With Shelves ($2,400), montanarusticaccents.com
2. Good Night Storage
Crestone Live Edge 2 Drawer Nightstand ($679), adobeinteriors.com
3. Based In Baskets
Tag Open Weave Round Basket (Small $40, Large $54), montanarusticaccents.com
4. Boxed Up
Ostrich Padded Bench (contact for pricing), chuckswoodbarn.com
5. Neatly Kept
Kalen Tooled Leather Storage Bench ($1,258), runyonsfinefurniture.com
6. Tucked Away
Wattle Wood Organic Edge King Bed With Storage Footboard (contact for pricing), thearrangement.com
7. On Display
Shadow Box Cocktail Table
(contact for pricing), steelstrike.com
8. Mountain Storage
Bitterroot Mountain Credenza (contact for pricing), robertseliger.com
9. Easy Clean Up
Cowboy Kitchen ($2,999.99), lorecranch.com
10. Perfectly Placed
Farm House Buffet ($2,955), adobeinteriors.com
Before-and-After Organized Spaces from The Organized Nest
From our April 2022 issue
Photography: (Product images) courtesy vendors; (Before and Afters) courtesy The Organized Nest