Eight Tips to Organize a Space For Two

Professional organizer and Mission: Organization guest Randy Ballesteros offers web-exclusive tips.

• When picking color for a small space, remember less is more. Also, be careful of too many colors or paint effects. You run the risk of making the space feel smaller or turning it into a super-psychedelic experience.

• If you live in a small space, like most apartments, you need to be highly selective of your furniture. When choosing storage pieces (bookcases, cabinets, etc.), look for units that are tall and wide. They are going to be placed against the wall and don't need be an obstruction. This is going to help ensure that the piece holds all your stuff for a long time.

• However, on the flip side, when looking for seating or tables (furniture that will be in the middle of the room) be careful on the size. You want these to be smaller so they don't take up too much floor space and turn your room into an obstacle course.

• We all love magazines. I certainly do! But these can take up a lot of space on your shelf (or floor). If there are articles, recipes or photos that you want to keep, cut them out and place them in a book or box. This will save so much space in the end, and you won't have to hunt for "that one article" or "that picture of that cute dress."

• When shopping for collectibles and/or souvenirs, be extremely selective. If you buy everything that you see, your house will turn into a junk shop. Have some criteria before you buy: Do I love it? Can I find this anywhere else? Do I have room to display this in my house?

• I find the easiest way to display collectibles is to group them in categories. You want them to complement each other and tell a story such as, "these are from the trip from New York."

• Computer technology has come a long way, but that doesn't mean your cords need to be long. So you don't end up with a bowl of cable spaghetti, check out wireless items accessories like a mouse, keyboard or speakers.

• Lastly, remember that if organizing is too overwhelming for you, there are professionals who are always happy to help.