Rating: 
Summary: A great idea for the obsessive compulsive in your life..
Review: The perfect solution for spring (cleaning) fever! I live in a great apartment but have recently felt the urge to move. Too many books, lots of old clothes and not enough room. Sound familiar? This book has inspired me to make some changes and given me creative alternatives to my current storage solutions. As someone who works from a home office, I especially appreciate the chapter on home office storage. (Come on, there are only so many files I can stick under the bed). All of that *and* advice on using pinon incense? What a book!
Rating:
Summary: Saving Me From The Black Hole I Live In
Review: There's really no reason to buy this book unless you want to
live like a human being for once in your life. Oh wait. That's what you want? Then this is the last book you'll ever need on organizing. Frankly, I'm such a slob I was afraid to even crack the cover. It sat, rebuking me, on a pile of unopened mail for about 2 weeks. When I finally got up my courage and opened it, I was shocked to see how funny and simple and straightforward the advice was; how wonderfully written, too. I'm taking it slow; I'm trying not to panic when I see how much there is to do in my house. But it's showing me that there is, at least, the remote possibility that I won't live like a teenage boy forever.
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY
Review: This book has taken photo after photo straight out of the Ikea catalogue! Obviously, the authors have decided that they have nothing to offer and opt instead to refer to Ikea's design and storage ideas. This book actually put me in a bad mood. Listen up folks, THE IKEA CATALOGUE IS FREE. Do yourselves a favour and pick one up, because none of these so-called "organization" books have anything to teach you that cannot be found at your local Ikea store. These authors should be fired. Shame on both of them.
Rating:
Summary: A different spin, which really works
Review: This book is truly a gem. I live in Ann Arbor, and am one of those people who leaves a "trail of clutter" behind wherever I go. My house (yikes!) shows it, and though I've read a lot of books on managing clutter, staying organized, and the like, they just really haven't worked for me. I guess I'm not altogther embarassed to be me, but this book is really great and really different It looks at all this from a *design* perspective, and makes it both fun and engaging to begin designing one's home (or apartment) in ways that make it look *much* *much* better *while* managing the clutter in some really easy and helpful ways. This book has helped me find a me that *can* be more clutter-free without stressing out about it. Now I'm beginning to invite people over to my place much more, and this design book is--strange as it sounds--actually opening up new avenues for me socially and in all kinds of other ways. What a great idea! Randall Koll and Casey Ellis: my hat is off to you. Thank you. I mean it: thank you.
Rating:
Summary: A different spin, which really works
Review: This book is truly a gem. I live in Ann Arbor, and am one of those people who leaves a "trail of clutter" behind wherever I go. My house (yikes!) shows it, and though I've read a lot of books on managing clutter, staying organized, and the like, they just really haven't worked for me. I guess I'm not altogther embarassed to be me, but this book is really great and really different It looks at all this from a *design* perspective, and makes it both fun and engaging to begin designing one's home (or apartment) in ways that make it look *much* *much* better *while* managing the clutter in some really easy and helpful ways. This book has helped me find a me that *can* be more clutter-free without stressing out about it. Now I'm beginning to invite people over to my place much more, and this design book is--strange as it sounds--actually opening up new avenues for me socially and in all kinds of other ways. What a great idea! Randall Koll and Casey Ellis: my hat is off to you. Thank you. I mean it: thank you.
Rating:
Summary: And I thought I was organized....
Review: This book was given to me by a friend and I brought it with me to the Bahamas this winter along with lots of other reading material. Family had been visiting for a week (left) and I was ready to curl up with something really good...and this was it. I read it cover to cover without stopping. The great ideas, the snappy writing, the option that I didn't have to spend big bucks to make major improvements...there is something in it for everyone. I just got through going through a relative's house where she was a hoarder and had lived in the same house for 30 years. I think this book could have even made a difference there. So, I would think that anyone interested in less clutter, and how to go about making it happen would enjoy what Koll & Ellis have to say.
Rating:
Summary: And I thought I was organized....
Review: This book was given to me by a friend and I brought it with me to the Bahamas this winter along with lots of other reading material. Family had been visiting for a week (left) and I was ready to curl up with something really good...and this was it. I read it cover to cover without stopping. The great ideas, the snappy writing, the option that I didn't have to spend big bucks to make major improvements...there is something in it for everyone. I just got through going through a relative's house where she was a hoarder and had lived in the same house for 30 years. I think this book could have even made a difference there. So, I would think that anyone interested in less clutter, and how to go about making it happen would enjoy what Koll & Ellis have to say.
Rating:
Summary: Tell me something I don't already know
Review: This is basically a book of few words, many uninspiring photographs, and a some weak hints here and there that reveal to you the astonishing secret of clutter-free living: just buy a bunch of cute and clever containers to store all your junk! There is virtually nothing meaty in this thing about how to get organized and STAY clutter-free.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, I cried!
Review: This is such a fabulous book! I can't wait to read more by Randall Koll and Casey Ellis. Their writing is a joy and now I want to organize my home just so I'm ready if they ever decide to tour Southern California. I figure its only a matter of time until Organized Home: Design Solutions for Clutter-Free Living mania criss-crosses the nation!
Rating:
Summary: The Organized Home: Mindful Living with Style
Review: This little treasure of a book turned out to be much more than I expected. Scattered amid the practical and the stylish is a sense of humor that keeps the tone peppy and fun. Advice like "not putting a mirror in the dining room at a level where you catch yourself in "mid-chew" had me both howling and nodding my head in agreement. In the middle of kitchen organizing ideas, Koll & Ellis admonish us that "ancient powdered oregano" will do little to enhance our cuisine! (How old are YOUR spices?) Immediately, they helped us solve a problem we have had for years. Not being blessed with an entryway or foyer of any sort, I disliked having guests walk right into the living room. We had installed a hardwood entry section cut into the carpet, but it still lacked definition. After reading this book, we changed the way the furniture was arranged, added a few items and "created" organization and a "space" where there was none. We turned our sofa with the back perpendicular to the doorway. This created a long barrier to walking right into the room. On the wall opposite the sofa back, we put a console table with three woven storage baskets with lids on the bottom shelf, adding tons of DVD storage. This gave us a "zone" that ushered guests into the room in a structured and organized manner. You will especially like the Cool Weather/Warm weather tips. There are sidebar notes on most pages, and excellent photographs which show real, liveable rooms, not show houses. Examples of new fresh ideas of storage abound. This book got us thinking...Being organized is the result of being mindful. When you think about it, it doesn't take that much longer. The authors suggest to us that neatness creates order,calmness and a positive energy. Keeping the kitchen counters free of unnecessary items and clutter has made ours more fun to use. This can apply to your refrigerator, medicine cabinet and junk drawers! You will love this book, and it will spur you on to think of your own ideas for organizing your home and creating a home. This book would make an excellent gift for friends and loved ones. It should be "Standard Issue" for Newlyweds and new homeowners!
| 
