Reducing clutter, re-organizing closets top list of new year to-dos

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to people spending more leisure and work hours in the home. That is why home re-organization is now up there with dieting and exercise as popular New Year’s resolutions.

"January is actually one of our busiest months of the year," said designer Jonathan McCullom with Closets-by-Design of Raleigh.

McCullom believes that, with more children in virtual learning at home and parents working from home, clearing out household clutter is a higher priority.

He says re-thinking closet space is a favorite target. It requires hard decisions about what goes and what stays. McCullom suggests, "For every item that you buy, you donate something that you already have that you don’t really use that often."

He has seen focus turn to the closet to save bedroom space. "People don’t want dressers in their bedrooms anymore," he said. "They want to get all their clothing and all their items into their closet area."

His specialty is designing storage solutions that can add shelves and drawers and reduce space for hanging clothing. McCullom says it helps to streamline storage and saves time searching for clothes.

With lifestyle changes due to the pandemic, McCullom says more closet space is reserved for casual wear rather than party dresses and suits.

As changes are made, he said, "They see the extreme advantages of the organization, just having everything exactly in its place."

He says the response is always the same. "They say I can’t believe I didn’t do this five years ago. I’ve been thinking about it forever."

McCullom says the kitchen pantry is another favorite target for re-organizing the home.