Feeling stuck at home? Struggling to work there while also supervising your kids' schooling? Buried under stockpiles of canned goods and toilet paper?
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are spending a lot more time in our home — dealing with its flaws, along with new challenges now that everyone in the household is doing more at home and vying for space.
"I'm getting a lot of inquiries on living this way," said Michele Vig, a Marie Kondo-certified professional organizer and owner of Neat Little Nest, Edina. Many of her clients are families with children who are struggling to make room for all the roles their homes now have to play. "We're an office, a day care, a school. We're having to rethink the house," she said.
But even those who are already accustomed to working from home and don't have school-age kids are seeking ways to make their home a more pleasant place in an unsettled time.
"When you're spending all this time in your home, you want it to be a refuge, a sanctuary, a happy place to be," said Bria Hammel, owner of Bria Hammel Interiors, Mendota Heights. Now's a good time to "clean it out, remove things you don't love. A simplified space de-stresses people."
Start with the "functional spaces," such as your pantry and mudroom, Hammel advised. Cleaning and clearing out the clutter will help your home work for you. Then move on to the "pretty spaces," such as the living room and bedrooms.
Patty Doyle is glad she got her Bloomington house in order months before anyone was talking about the coronavirus. A geriatric pharmacist who's currently studying for board recertification while raising four active kids, Doyle needs an organized home to support her busy family. "I worked with Neat Little Nest to create a space we could thrive in," she said. "It is a neater nest than before. I was fortunate to get this set up before it [the coronavirus] hit."
Vig, Hammel and other pros shared tips for creating a comfortable, functional home: