So maybe you’re not ready for an episode of “Hoarders” quite yet. But most Americans, overburdened by stuff and a lack of places to put it all, would agree that clutter is an issue, even if it’s not yet a pathology.
How booming is the clutter business? There is an annual Closets and Home Organization Convention and Expo, where cutting-edge products such as European modular systems and space-saving beds that fold into desks are unveiled. And there is a National Association of Professional Organizers, whose tidy fleet of members are dedicated to making sure no pair of socks or panties is without a neat berth.
The organization business is holding steady despite the recession, said Rita Spellicy, sales manager in the Duluth office of the California-based chain Closets by Design. “People are tending to stay longer in their homes,” so they are tackling the one area of their spaces that have not been updated: their closets.
And the organizational bug recently has spread to a new domain: the garage. According to “Closets” magazine’s annual State of the Industry 2011 report, the strongest growth is the garage organization sector.
“The majority of our jobs five years ago were for custom closets and pantries. Now they’ve expanded to the garage category. It’s kind of like the last frontier,” Spellicy said. “It’s probably the most cluttered area in the house. I think there’s a trend toward putting your cars back in the garage. A third of all Americans with two car garages can’t even fit one car.”
Closets by Design garage systems can run from $450 for a single cabinet to $3,000 for a system with countertops, accessories and cabinets, all customized to suit the client.
In terms of recouping one’s investment for resale, Starr Pirkle of the Marietta-based chain Closets and More said the smart money is on master closet organization — “the No. 1 space to redo.” Closet systems can range from $600 for a small, reach-in closet to $250,000 for a top-of-the-line dressing-room master bedroom closet “with all the bells and whistles,” Pirkle said.
Pirkle also has seen growing interest in entertainment centers, bookcases and office spaces, especially when the unusual dimensions of a home’s nooks and crannies mean “furniture doesn’t always fit in the odd space.”
Rachel Barich of Spacemakers — a division of the Michigan company ORG — prices her organization systems from $500 to $40,000 and said the big trend she sees is closets-as-dressing rooms with islands, drawers, shoe storage and bench seats. The average price is $2,500.
Beth Lakis, who works in sales and marketing from her Kennesaw home, recently outfitted her space with a Closets by Design dressing room-style closet with “all the nice little touches,” including a valet bar for her husband’s dry cleaning and two jewelry drawers. She also added a Closets by Design pantry and closet in her daughter’s bedroom for a total estimated cost of $12,000 to $15,000.
“It’s a special treat,” said Lakis of her new organization system. “I don’t want to put half my junky clothes back in my nice new closet because you want everything in there to be just as pretty as the closet.”
“I think it will help with resale, absolutely,” she added.
Dan Weidmann, owner of Weidmann Remodeling-Renovation in Roswell, has been working in the industry for 22 years. He has seen a marked increase in people choosing not to expand their homes but instead making the space they have more efficient.
“Everyone is concerned about resale value, and the two primary rooms buyers tend to look at are the kitchen and the master ... because that is ultimately what clinches the sale,” Weidmann said.
One of the biggest challenges homeowners encounter when it comes to organizing their homes is emotional, said Lauriann Stepp, who calls herself a clutterologist.
“People are emotionally bogged down” by too much clutter, said Stepp, who often has to “talk down” clients eager to move to bigger homes to house their messes.
“A lot of people, after we finish purging their home, they don’t want to move,” Stepp said.
