Ripple Effect of Change

Sometimes small, seemingly insignificant decisions and changes can vastly improve the organization of a challenging space in your home.

It is often said that “change is the only constant.” Sometimes that change comes in small doses, and sometimes it hits you like a ton of bricks. Other times, it’s like a ripple; a chain reaction, whose furthest consequences are unfathomable. While all these truisms apply to life, they also apply to home organizing.

We just needed one thing

It started with needing a new mattress. Despite the mattress being less than 10 years old, it had failed along the edge, resulting in a less than restful night’s sleep. Also, my special pillow set for sleeping on my side took up a solid half of the bed. My husband and I each tried our best to ensure the other had the best night of sleep possible. Despite our best of intentions, we were failing and needed better sleep. Since we decided to get a new mattress, NOW was the time to decide whether we wanted to stick with a queen size bed or switch to a king size bed.

One thing turned into four

We had a king bed before. We liked the size of the bed but decided to switch to a queen bed to better fit our bedroom. After talking about it and weighing all the pros and cons, and measuring it out, we decided to switch back to a king. This of course meant we wouldn’t only need a mattress; we’d also need a new bed. Since we’d be getting a larger bed, we’d also need to get smaller nightstands. Whew! Talk about a chain reaction.

My husband and I are big fans of the Zinus bed-in-a-box and Tuft and Needle mattress-in-a-box. Picking out a bed took only a short time and picking out the mattress was a breeze. We decided to wait to choose a nightstand since we could be more exact with our measurements once the bed was in place. A few days of waiting, and Amazon delivered. After a flurry of moving out the mattress, box springs, disassembling and moving out the bed (1-800-GOT-JUNK is too convenient!), emptying and moving out the nightstands (freebies on the curb) and deep cleaning, we were ready to assemble the new bed. Once assembled, but before we added the heavy mattress, we placed it in its new home to admire it.  

An experiment with placement

Then my husband suggested re-arranging the whole room, which until that point, we hadn’t considered. We thought about it, imagined it in our minds, and then figured this was the time to try it. With a closet and door to the room along one wall and a window and radiator along the opposite wall, there weren’t too many options. The most feasible option was to put the bed where the dressers were and put the dressers where the bed was. Although the headboard would partially cover the lower part of the window, we gave it a try.

We moved the dressers and placed the bed in front of the window. It looked better than expected. And, given the layout of the room, this arrangement also permitted larger nightstands on each side of the bed. I was relieved we waited to order the super narrow nightstands that I had assumed we’d need, since now most nightstands would fit in this space. Even the shelf that had been above our headboard looked a lot better above the dressers. The rearrangement was a success.

Tried and true decluttering

Besides a fresh new arrangement and some new furniture, this change also provided the opportunity to go through EVERYTHING in our nightstands. I knew I had extra stuff in my nightstand that I had placed there over time. While I used the nightstand each night, most of its contents were not things I used all the time—much of it was a dumping ground for things I didn’t have a home for at the time.

In the hustle and bustle of moving everything out and getting the new bed and mattress in place, I temporarily deferred some decluttering. I did a quick declutter as I emptied the nightstand, placed whatI would need nightly into one small bin, and the rest into another bin to further declutter. Over the next week, when I had a chance, I continued decluttering, repeating as necessary:

·      Books I’ve finished reading and won’t read again? Donate.

·      Old magazines? Recycle.

·      Cell phone charger and cables? Keep.

·      Trash? Throw away.

Being as ruthless as possible, I donated, recycled, or threw out what I no longer wanted. Some items I wanted to keep, I moved to more appropriate places elsewhere in the house. Before I knew it, I had a very manageable number of essentials for my new nightstand.

After sorting, organizing

Functionally, I knew a large flat surface was important tome along with an open cubby and at least one drawer. After looking at Wayfair and Amazon, we designed our own coordinating nightstands using Ikea’s EKET. The EKET Planner Tool was particularly helpful. While neither IKEA nor EKET was in our initial plan, it seemed to meet our individual needs the best while still coordinating for amore cohesive look and feel.

Once we purchased and assembled our new nightstands, it was time to place everything I had sorted into place. Because my design ended up with 4 drawers, I repurposed some drawer dividers I already owned to keep smaller items in place, especially in the larger drawers. I placed a box of tissues and my cell phone charging stand on either side of my lamp, lotion and a few select books in my cubby. There’s even additional space for storing other items, whichI will use as I continue to make our bedroom for functional.

We LOVE the result

There’s now a newness and freshness to our bedroom. Each evening, we walk into a more inviting and less cluttered space. We sleep well, and in the morning, we wake up in a space that is calm and works for us.We are ready for our home and our stuff to better fit us and our needs. Keeping only what will serve me in my nightstand is another step in toward living the life I want to live, without being bogged down by unnecessary clutter and junk.

All of this change was triggered by needing a new mattress. Months later, it still surprises me—how a simple decision caused all sorts of unintended change that, in the end, resulted in a space we absolutely adore.

Start to make a change today

What is something in your home that you’d like to change? Be open to the possibility that making that one change will result in many unintended “bonus” changes. And, if you need some help with making your home more functionally organized, Honeybee & Chickadee is here for you!

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