How to organize for temporary guests in shared spaces
Hosting overnight guests
We have reached the stage of life where our oldest children are starting to get married. We are thrilled that we have a new daughter-in-law, but that has led to a new problem: temporary guest organization for shared spaces. There are now times when we have more than one married couple visiting us at a time. Holidays might involve both grandparents and the newlyweds. I don’t know about you, but we only have one guest room in our house. And while in the past, bunking with his brothers in their childhood room might have worked for a returning sibling, it’s not exactly the lodging that a young couple is looking for.
We also have a middle son who works third shift while he is home for the summer. He decided that moving into the basement (see related blog post here) was easier than compromising with his youngest brother’s early-to-rise carpenter’s schedule. So while we have a sleeper sofa in the den, downstairs wasn’t very homey and didn’t give anyone much privacy. What to do?
The problem
Our basement is open concept and serves as teen central. There is a TV, video games, gaming computers, foosball, ping-pong, and even a lifting bench that regularly attracts a crowd. It all gets used when people come over. This, however, is where the sleeper sofa is located. We have egress windows and briefly considered building a bedroom in this corner of the basement. However, one of the principles of organizing is not to make the exception the rule. Don’t let the stewpot you only use once a year for after-Thanksgiving turkey leftovers soup take up valuable cupboard space that could house the blender you use every day. So, we didn’t want to break up the great entertaining space we use frequently to create a bedroom that we would use only a few times a year for out-of-town guests. We did, however, want them to feel welcome when they came.
The out-of-the box solution
After some brainstorming, we realized that we needed a way to close off that space when guests needed privacy. We also wanted it to be open to the public when we had lots of people over. Some quick research on the internet found these floor-to-ceiling tension rods we could adjust to our oddly varying ceiling layout and use to hang curtains from. When we have overnight guests, the curtains close to create the feel of a room. When we have party guests, the curtains pull back to open up the room for conversation and interaction. And if really needed, the tension rods and curtains disassemble and stow away in just minutes.
The benefits of a professional organizer
We hire professionals all the time to do things we could definitely do ourselves. I go to restaurants so I can pay someone to cook for me because I don’t have the time, specific skill, or inclination to make a particular dinner that night. We pay personal trainers and physical therapists to help us do exercises that we have already learned. You could do them at home, but professionals provide accountability and expertise to keep you on the right track. We pay lawn guys and cleaning ladies and dog-walkers. Hiring a professional organizer is no different.
Do you have a space in your home that is almost right, but you just can’t figure out how to make it work? Do you know you need to declutter, but you just can’t seem to find the time to actually do it? Professional organizers have seen lots of spaces, they have studied design trends and organizational methods, and they make the time to research products and possibilities. Maybe your time is better spent elsewhere and you need someone to do it for you. Or maybe you just need that spark of inspiration to help you get started. Professional organizers can provide the creative thinking that you need to begin the process, or they can work alongside you all the way to help you get it done. Call or message today to get your $10 intro session on the books.
