organization Archives - Lowell Custom Homes

Back-to-School Mom

Parents have always documented their children’s back-to-school day with pictures, but this year the photos going viral are all about the parents! We want you to have just as much fun celebrating the joy of missing your children. Our favorite tips and ideas will prepare your home for a full year of blissful and stress-free school mornings.

Parent Command & Communication Station

A centrally located planning area is essential for keeping track of schedules and back-to-school paperwork. Add a bulletin board, to keep it free from clutter, and a calendar where everyone can synchronize activities for the day.

Kids Rooms with Personality

Children will always wake up on the right side of the bed when they love their room. Decorate with colors and accessories that speak to their special interests. Hooks or pegs will help them keep their room tidy and a whimsical alarm clock is a fun way to teach the value of waking up on time.

Prevent Bathroom Bottleneck

Prevent morning bickering with a bathroom that allows for multiple users. The classic Jack-and-Jill layout or a double-bowled vanity will increase efficiency during the morning rush. Bath lockers provide great storage and visibility for toiletries and towels. Plenty of hooks keep the floor clothing and towel free.

Eliminate Wardrobe Wars

An organized closet is helpful for both parent and child. Include shelving and hanging space to keep clothing and personal treasures visible. Let kids help select their complete outfits for every day of the week. These appealing printable labels will encourage them to dress themselves and leave the early morning drama behind.

Before and After School Huddle

The concept of the Great Kitchen (open family room-kitchen) is ideal for Before and After school family connections. With open space children are in the line of sight for parents to check on everyones status for departure. An oversized island can multi-task as a dining bar, work surface, or even a desktop when the home has Wi-Fi. This is a great place to include a charging station behind flip-down panels or on the inside of cabinet drawers.

The Launch Pad

Ease the morning rush with a staging area where backpacks, shoes and show-and-tell treasures are ready to grab-and-go. This is also the drop off point at the end of each day. A basket or clip board for each child can hold special notes and permission slips. This is another good spot for a family calendar and electronics charging station.

School Supply Stash

A designated storage place for school supplies should be close to the Launch Pad. Built-in cabinets keep the area clutter free. Pull out shelves with labeled bins or storage boxes will make it easy to access and inventory supplies. Keep the basics organized to eliminate last minute trips to the store and wasteful spending for duplicate supplies lost somewhere in the back of a closet.

Homework Zone

No need to banish children to their rooms to study. The study lounge concept will help parents monitor homework progress and the child’s use of the Internet. Built-in cabinetry and shelving provide orderly storage for long-term projects.

Healthy Snack Station

Encourage healthy choices for snacking with a designated area filled with grab-and-d0 treats. Stock up on single serving snacks and individual water or 100% juice drinks. This is a good place to store lunch supplies and packed lunch boxes. Companies like Goodbyn have colorful, reusable containers that make healthy snacks even more appealing. Their “Spork” is a real lunch box space saver.

Bedroom Study Getaway

A study area tucked into a corner of a bedroom is great for reading and quiet study. Shelving provides a place to display special mementos and awards. Built-in cabinetry is helpful for sorting and organizing school projects and after-school hobbies.

Time to Unwind

Studies show that children who are active after school have improved concentration and learning ability. Areas of the home equipped for safe physical activity or a special place to pursue hobbies will make it more likely for children to choose activity instead of television.

The entire team at Lowell is ready to help you with your plans for a beautiful and well thought-out home for back-to-school . . .

. . . or any other time of year.

Here’s to all of the wonderful parents, you get a gold star!

Are you dreaming of a beautiful clutter free home? Is storage something you only think about when your pots are toppling over or when you’re frantically looking for your keys?
LOWELL thinks about storage in the early planning stages of every building or remodeling project. It can’t be an afterthought; otherwise you end up with cookie cutter solutions that don’t work for most families. Our first step is listening and understanding the unique lifestyle needs of every client.
The latest trend for home design responds to modern living with designated storage space in every room for frequently used items. The beauty and practicality of kitchen and bath storage is expanding to every room. Accommodations for connecting to technology and convenient charging stations are finding multiple locations throughout the home.
Important questions we ask, you can ask yourself when planning a home improvement project:

How do I use each room?
What activities take place in each room most often?
What household or personal items are used for each activity in the room?

Out the door convenience is at the top of every list. The grungy mud room is a thing of the past when storage is included in the plan. Referred to as the “drop zone” or “landing pad” everyone has a place to sort their on-the-go necessities. Benches, hooks, cubbies and charging stations keep everyone organized for grab and go convenience.

Living Room, Family Room, Gathering Rooms, all need built in storage that contributes to the overall design aesthetic. The numerous electronic components and accessories need suitable housing. Storage for blankets, games and your pets squeaky toys should easily co-exist with decorative displays.

Dining rooms delight with built-ins that provide convenient storage for bulky serving pieces as well as a buffet surface. Glass front cabinetry will highlight collections while drawers and doors keep dining china and flatware organized and at your fingertips.

Window walls are an opportunity for storage in any room. A window seat with storage adds both seating with storage benefits. When wall space is generous a niche can be created for a window seat or vanity flanked by generous closet space. This solution can be a real space saver when space it tight. It also adds value when the need to purchase furniture for storage is eliminated.

Personal items find a home in closets that perform far beyond the recommended 48” hanging space per person. Coveted personal collections like purses or shoes can be featured for your enjoyment in glass front cabinets instead of stored in boxes. Include a vanity for delicate items like jewelery and lingerie. A mirror and good lighting are essential for pulling yourself together and getting on with your day.

To wrap up all of your storage dreams, the kitchen! The cabinets you know so well have evolved. This kitchen designed by Geneva Cabinet Company include specialized dividers and pull outs for ergonomic ease. We love a well thought out Kitchen Island for expanded storage. Drawers are another easy to reach storage solution for sorting kitchen necessities. Knowing your style of food prep from gourmet to short order cook will dictate your storage needs with no wasted space.
Consider this, having an organized home has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety! A study by Real Simple magazine shows that the average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for lost or misplaced items! There are a lot more pleasant things you could do with 55 minutes each day.