Lots of people have been raving about Netflix’s show Get Organized With The Home Edit, and y’all…I watched it and I fell in LOVE.
I immediately wanted to organize my workspace to make it just as beautiful, colorful, and rainbow-y as the spaces Clea and Joanna makeover in the show.
At first, I thought I may take a DIY approach, but then I realized that I needed to call in some reinforcements!
So…I did it. I hired a professional organizer in my area! If you’re thinking about hiring one for your home or office, maybe my story below can help you know what to expect.
Side note: This is NOT a sponsored or gifted post! It’s a business expense that I’m paying for. I’m just really excited about how it’s going so far and I wanted to share my experience with you all!
Why I needed a professional organizer
The gorgeous spaces I saw on Netflix influenced my decision for sure, but I realized my photoshoots could run so much more efficiently if everything was organized, too.
Here are some of the problems I faced with my current storage and organization:
🌈 Lots of props and products started magically finding their way into other areas of my house. Areas they did NOT belong in, like spare bedroom closets and laundry room storage. Whoops.
🌈 I have a huge collection of weird, random items that fit into a variety of categories. I had no idea how to organize them in a way that made sense.
🌈 There is nothing minimalist about being a stylist and photographer. You never know when you may need something again; I’ve donated items I thought I needed only to repurchase them later. Even though I return items I don’t use and declutter my collection pretty often, I was still running out of storage space.
🌈 Having a strong organization system takes time to plan out! I never sat down and really thought about what I needed. I’ve always just bought storage units whenever they go on sale or on a whim while shopping.
As you can see, I needed a professional expert to come up with a custom organization solution that would help me tackle these issues.
How I found my new professional organizer
Thanks to good old Google, I found an organizer pretty easily! I searched “professional organizer Pittsburgh,” which is the largest city near me.
After browsing a few websites and Instagram profiles, I reached out to a few people who looked promising for an initial consult. Some were slow to respond, and some never responded to me at all.
Who did I end up choosing? NEAT Method Pittsburgh. Their website was clean and simple. They have a great presence on Instagram with a style similar to the one I was aiming for.
Plus, the NEAT Method company is a larger company that has locations around the country. I figured I’d have access to their resources but still work with someone local personally, which is exactly what I wanted.
The design phase
I spoke to Nikki, the owner of NEAT Method Pittsburgh, about the pain points I was facing. I also showed her the space I wanted to organize during our FaceTime call. Nikki put together an estimate for me, we agreed on a total budget, and I signed the contract.
Nikki then came over to look at the space in person and take measurements to be used in her design plan. And oh my gosh, you guys…just look at Nikki’s design plan ideas! Here’s a quick peek:
The contractor phase
For most clients, a professional organizer will find a contractor to build and install some of the more complicated parts of your organization system.
But lucky for me, my dad is a mechanical contractor! He owns his own HVAC business and can fix and build just about anything. He made custom shelves and came over to hang them in my space, along with the pegboard. (Thanks, Dad!)
Check out some of our progress so far:
This pegboard will make it so much easier for me to find the tools I’m looking for!
Yep, more rainbow colors. These custom shelves will organize and display all my seamless paper.
No more trekking back and forth from kitchen to studio for food and beverage props!
The organizing phase…coming soon!
We’re still in the organizing phase, but I did share an update after the NEAT team was finished! But stay tuned for the big reveal when it’s all done. I can’t wait to share the results with you all!
