Week #41 Organized Home Challenge
Organize Dining Room
This week, in the Organize Dining Room Challenge, we will tackle the organization of this formal room, and in addition, also focus on organizing other items we use to entertain guests and have parties.
If you've got a room devoted to the activity of eating with family and friends, ask yourself, when is the last time I actually used it for this purpose, and could I use it again today if I needed or wanted to?
If you find you can't use this space for what its meant to do, because of clutter build up, then you're not alone. However, it doesn't have to be this way! We'll organize this area this week so you can again use and enjoy the space.
But, what if you don't have a formal dining room? You may think you're off the hook for this week, but think again! Even if you don't have a dining room, this week's challenge can help you get on track (or stay that way) for using your kitchen table for what it's supposed to be used for -- eating with your family, plus we'll still organize items used for entertaining, so jump on in to this challenge!
Are you new here? The Organize Dining Room Challenge is part of the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home Challenge. (Click the link to learn how to join us for free for future and past challenges if you aren't already a regular reader).
Step 1: Consider How You Want To Use Your Dining Room Space
Whether you've got a formal dining room, or not, there is somewhere in your house that is designated as the area where you and your family will sit down, together, and eat and socialize with one another. That is the primary function of the area.
I cannot emphasize enough how important this area of your home is, as a hub of family life.
This week we'll begin treating it with the respect it deserves, to make sure it is ready to serve that purpose whenever we want it to.
If you do have a formal dining room, along with a kitchen eating area or breakfast nook, make sure you work on and organize each space this week. In addition, I encourage you to use your dining room more frequently in the future, if you don't already, since I hate it when space in our homes is not used, and enjoyed, on a regular basis.
Along with this prime function for this space, eating together, often there are secondary functions for the space since it contains a large flat surface -- a table -- that can be used for lots of other activities.
Some additional common functions of dining rooms in many homes include using it as a home office, homework area, or crafting work surface.
There is nothing wrong with using the space for these additional functions as long as they don't interfere with the room's primary function, for eating.
However, remember that if you want to do these additional activities in your dining room you'll have to be extra creative in your use of storage solutions and organizing principles to make sure it will all work for you, including having space to hold the supplies in activities when not in use, so the table remains clear most of the time.
Step 2: Declutter Your Dining Room Or Other Eating Area
Once you've decided what function or functions your dining room will serve the next step in the Organize Dining Room Challenge is to declutter the room.
Your goal is to keep your dining room table clear most of the time, except maybe a centerpiece in the middle of the table.
If your dining room table is covered with mountains of paper now is the time to tackle those mounds, and after throwing away (or shredding) the junk, put the rest into the home filing system you created in an earlier Challenge.
Further, if your table is a dumping ground for lots of stuff that don't serve the functions of the room go through everything and place it in the correct spot in your home. You may realize that there is really no "home" for some of these items, which is why they got dumped in the dining room in the first place.
Go ahead and try to make homes for the main categories of items you find, so that things don't begin to pile back up in the dining room in the future.
If you don't have a dining room table you can always still make sure you're in the habit of keeping your kitchen table clutter free as well.
The other things you're likely to have in your dining room (and that at least some of which will stay there) include:
- China, silver, and crystal (click the link for tips on how to declutter these items)
- China cabinets, side boards, and buffets (click the link for how to declutter these pieces of storage furniture)
In regard to these common items, get rid of anything broken or stained, and pieces from sets you no longer own (unless you absolutely love them).
In addition, go ahead and get rid of any very nice and expensive items that you actually detest. You know, the one you got as a wedding present years ago but think is hideous and wouldn't be caught dead actually using.
Finally, here's the Declutter 365 mission article summarizing how to declutter your dining room.
Step 3: Make A Home For The Stuff You're Keeping With Dining Room Storage Solutions
Once you've whittled down the possessions in this room into the real keepers take a look at what you've got left, and consider how you'll store everything.
Typically, the items you'll store in this room and need to organize include those associated with eating meals and serving your guests and family. This can include china, glassware, linens, and other items used in your dinner service.
If, however, you also want to use the room for other functions, as you decided in Step 1, consider where you'll store these things too. Make sure you've got space available to store these items when they are not in use so the dining room table can stay clear most of the time, ready for eating on when needed.
Dining Room Furniture: Sideboards & Buffets
Buffets are a good way to hold dishes for use
[Click here to purchase similar on Amazon.com]
Typically, dining rooms don't come with a lot of built in storage, such as a closet. Instead, you will often use pieces of furniture such as dining room sideboards and buffets (referral link) which can often be both beautiful and functional at the same time.
Ideally, when choosing such furniture it is nice to choose something that has both shelves and drawers, so you can display certain items while also just storing others that you don't necessarily want to see out.
Also, consider whether you like to serve through a buffet line, in which case the flat surface of a buffet sideboard can give you a good flat surface to serve on when needed, as well as a place to display items the rest of the time.
If you don't like, or can't afford to purchase one of these pieces of furniture though, don't despair. Another wonderful idea is to use a bedroom dresser to hold many of these items. These dressers are nice since they often have deep drawers which give lots of storage, and can still look quite beautiful in your dining room.
Dining Room Furniture: China & Corner Cabinets, And Hutches
Another beautiful and functional type of furniture you can use for both storage and display are china cabinets and corner cabinets, along with hutches (referral link). What distinguishes these items from sideboards and buffets is the fact that they're taller, and have more display areas, typically.
Displaying And Storing Items On The Wall
Even if you don't have a lot of space for furniture an additional way to display certain items, especially plates, is on the wall.
However, I'm not a huge fan of storing plates on the wall which you actually plan to use for serving guests since then, when you're actually entertaining, the walls are bare (except the empty plate racks), since you've taken down the plates for use.
Step 4: Organize Other Items Used For Entertaining Guests
Finally, whether you've got a dining room or not we all have guests from time to time in our homes.
Often there are extra items we own that we use just for guests, or if we have a larger crowd we need to have larger items like bigger serving platters, extra chairs, etc.
When organizing these items, and storing them when not in use, remember that the more frequently you use something the easier it should be to access. Conversely, if you don't entertain frequently you can put these items in a harder to access area since you won't be getting them out frequently.
Here's some ideas of additional items used for entertaining that you might like to tackle this week:
- Candles
- Serving dishes, bowls and platters
- China, glassware and crystal
- Silver, including silver utensils, serving trays, bowls, etc.
- Extra plates, dishes and glasses (that aren't fine china)
- Table linens (see some additional tips below)
- Extra chairs or tables
- Liquor cabinet
Storing Linens In Drawers And On Hangers
Blanket and tablecloth hanger
[Click here to purchase on Amazon.com]
Most people have some nice linens that they use for entertaining, holidays, and other special occasions. I suggest that you have a couple of tablecloths, a table pad, a set of placemats, and a set of napkins.
You can store these items in a drawer in your sideboard, buffet or china cabinet, if there is room.
However, if you run out of room or hate the idea of having to re-iron your linens before use I suggest using a heavy duty hanger designed to hold tablecloths, quilts or comforters, such as the one shown on the left.
These hangers keep the item from slipping and sliding off, can take the weight of these heavy items, and keep it from getting as wrinkled at the crease.
Obviously, most dining rooms don't have closets so if you use this linen storage method just choose the closet closest to the dining room to store these items in.
In addition, I discuss how to organize a linen closet in more detail earlier in this Challenge.
Listen To Taylor's Video Tips For This Week's Organized Home Challenge & Declutter 365 Missions
Do you want more in-depth tips and instructions for how to do this week's missions and challenge all about decluttering and organizing your dining room, as well as entertaining? If so, I've got recorded video tips from me, Taylor, from the video archives in the Declutter 365 Premium group, all about this week's challenge and missions.
These video tips are available on demand in the archives, once you're a member of the group.
In Week #41's video I discussed the following topics, among others:
- How to decide whether to keep or declutter expensive items you're supposed to care about
- How to deal with the struggle to keep your dining room table clear
- Tips for decluttering and organizing your dining room
- Declutter 365 missions for the coming week
I suggest watching the video archive for the week, perhaps while you're doing some decluttering or cleaning around your home, before starting the week's missions and Challenge, and then you'll be able to breeze through this week's worth of decluttering missions, as well as organize what's necessary for the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, based on the advice and instructions within those videos.
It really is like having me, Taylor, available, 24-7, as your decluttering and organizing coach, for every area of your home!
Plus, once you're a member of Declutter 365 Premium you get access to not only this video, but all the videos for the 52 weeks of the year, for 6 years (that's over 270 videos available in the archives!)
Get This Dining Room Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering your dining room, and the items it contains, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space of your home.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
Tell Me How The Organize Dining Room Challenge Is Going For You
I would love to know how this week's Organize Dining Room Challenge is going. You can tell me your progress or give me more ideas for how you've organized this room of your home in the comments below.
I also love before and after pictures of your dining room or other eating areas, and would love to see some of yours. Submit your pictures (up to four per submission) and blog posts and get featured in the Creative Storage Solutions Hall of Fame. You've worked hard to get organized, so now here's your chance to show off!
Sneak Peek For Next Week's Challenge
We're working on our homes slowly, one area at a time, so don't get too distracted from the Organize Dining Room Challenge this week.
However, I know some of you love to know what's coming next, so I'll tell you. Next week we'll start organizing photos.
Make Sure You Make The Most Of These 52 Organizing Challenges
Get your copy of the printable one page 52 Week Organized Home Challenge schedule for the year here, so you can see all the challenges we're working on.
Further, if you'd like to join a community of others who are all commmitted to these organizing challenges and corresponding decluttering missions, and want more interaction with me, Taylor, video archives of Taylor providing more tips for each of these challenges and missions, as well as live monthly group coaching sessions focusing on the skills and habits necessary to maintain your home from now on, I'd urge you to join the private and exclusive Declutter 365 Premium Facebook group (you can learn more about it at the link).
In addition, have you gotten your Declutter 365 Products yet, to make sure you can get even more assistance with decluttering and organizing your home this year? There are both free products (like the Declutter 365 calendar, a $20 value), as well as add-ons, such as daily text messages, planner stickers, and a Premium Facebook group, as well as a pack of printabe decluttering checklists.
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