Creating a Space to Share

Mission: Organization : Episode MSO-611 -- More Projects »
Sisters Katrina and Nikki Villani, ages 14 and 11, respectively, are polar opposites who share a bedroom and closet. Katrina is neat, but Nikki is not. Measuring in at 12 feet deep by 14-1/2 feet wide, the room should be plenty big for the both of them, but it is filled to capacity with oversize furniture, toys, trophies, books and stuffed animals. Even the closet is stuffed. Take a look:
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Before: The twin beds give each sister her own space, but the floor between them is covered in Nikki's stuffed animals. The girls have to climb over them to reach their beds.
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Before: The shared desk, chest of drawers and dresser take up too much floor space and are so covered in clutter that the girls don't even know what's there anymore.
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After: Organizer Jen Doman has split the room into a pink side for Katrina and a blue side for Nikki, divided by a rolling storage unit. Fold-out beds for each conserve valuable floor space (which is now showing off beautiful hardwood flooring instead of carpet).
Parents Rhonda and Troy enlist professional organizer Jen Doman to create order and carve out specific areas for each sister.

The first step is to sort through everything and decide what can be kept and what should be tossed.

Once that's done Doman brings in multipurpose furniture and storage pieces to ensure that each girl has her own space. Check out the results at right and below.

With all the extra stuff gone and multipurpose furniture added, there is enough room for each of the girls to have their own desks.
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Before: Though large and clunky, one desk just doesn't cut it for two growing girls.
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After: A more streamlined desk with storage underneath allowed for two desks instead of one.
Sharing a closet has not been working out, since Nikki's so messy. Doman decides to give each their own closet, placing divisions inside it them to create separate sections.
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Before: The closet was crammed to capacity, even overflowing onto the floor. Plus, the doors were broken, forcing the girls to lift up on them to slide them open.
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After: Now Nikki and Katrina have their own closets. Curtains that incorporate colors from both sides of the room hide them from view when not in use.
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