I shared part 1 of our 1923 house tour (prior to moving in) and I thought I’d share part 2 from when we added some of our items. It’s not a perfect set up but it is a great start and such a big improvement from where we were once we unpacked our belongings.
Our Historic Home Tour – Part 2
When we moved into our home, I was having such a difficult time setting it up. Stuff were everywhere, it’s like I had no idea how to bring some order into the house. I’d make many attempts to do something about it but wouldn’t get far. The house set-up is different so I just didn’t know what to do with all our stuff. On top of everything, I was homeschooling and hubby didn’t have much time off work to help me get started. We tried, but things just were not working out. I felt sort of misplaced, stuck in a way, and very overwhelmed. That’s until. . . .
I hired out help! It was to the point where I felt it best to have an organizing company come out to give us a hand. They didn’t fully organize things in permanent places but they helped clear the house from the disastrous state it was in. They put the items in the rooms where they belonged, helped us clear up some spots, and organized some areas. So while their sole purpose was not organizing but rather for clearing up areas and moving things out of the way, they ended up organizing in the process, I guess.
Before and After Photos
I wasn’t planning to share any before photos of how things eventually looked like once we started to unpack but I thought if I included a few, you might get a better idea. Basically the entire house was kind of like this next photo in one shape or form until we cleaned it up.
(Entryway before).
(Entryway after)
Moms, if you feel overwhelmed with the level of your home cleaning and organizing, start thinking of asking for help. It might be paid help but it will make such a difference to you. I was one of those who thought I could do all things by myself since I am very organized anyway. But not this time. Everything just felt so overwhelmed and I had to do something.
(Living room before)
My basket collection here in the Livingroom was something seriously so strong! We had bigger, more opened homes with more rooms and I used baskets to corral items. But alas! The baskets themselves became a source of clutter once we moved and the house was different!
(Living room after)
The workers came out one evening and did in “3 hours” what I couldn’t do in “3 months”. Maybe not 3 months but hopefully you get the point. When everything was done our house felt like a brand new place. I mean, it was brand new but we could finally see our rooms again and find what we need. When my husband came from work he couldn’t believe the space. We sat done and just enjoyed the house. It was like a huge, huge burden had been lifted and a new refreshing space made for our family! You can take a look at some of the photos I took after.
Note: Nothing is really set up in the way I think would look best but this was how we got the stuff off the floors and into functioning spots.
Into the dining and kitchen – these two areas were also a disaster. But we’re happy they got organized and now look so much better.
We used the dining for homeschooling. The table is large enough but I didn’t like the clutter of books to put away every time we needed to eat. Also, there’s only one electrical outlet in that area so having a bunch of chords all over the floor just didn’t seem like the best set-up to me. It made it a bit “awkward” for the kids to move their computers.
And here’s the kitchen in somewhat of a functional state during that time. It was a daily battle trying to figure out how to make it functional and keep it clean at the same time (among the chaos). Now, I still have spices to figure out how to organize it better but for now it’s very functional. The counter top is cleared off from some of the items in the photo, too.
The Bonus Room
This room was such a huge mess that I was happy they helped clear it up. Books, toys, and miscellaneous items occupied the floors for a while until it got cleaned up. It’s understandable for a new move but it became kind of overbearing to look at and to function in that something needed to be done. Everything looked so organized and peaceful in here.
(Family room before)
So that’s a view of how the downstairs got set up once I hired help. Most things were placed in their spots temporarily until we figure out how we want the house to look and function. Some have even been moved around already as we saw the need. Like these set of toy organizers are no longer to the left of the firplace. We hope to add pieces of furniture and other items to get the house to where we would like it to be but we’re just so happy to have a clean, organized and functional space right now.
(Basement before) – I actually organized it a different day. Didn’t take as long as I imagined. Got some stuff in bins and others thrown out or donated.
More bins and baskets – I used most of these for moving purposes. Now many of these bins are empty and organized on a shelf in the basement.
(Basement after)
So that’s basically all the photos for this tour. The organizers mainly focused on the downstairs even though I already worked on the upstairs (still in progress but functional). I’m so happy I hired help when I did because it was not only great for me but for my family on a whole. We just couldn’t go on in that state of chaos.
What do you think of this space now compared to the few “not so pretty” photos I shared? Don’t forget to check out part 1 of our Historic Home tour here.
Nice article. Unpacking is never easy without help. Loved the Dining set design by the way. Thanks for sharing.