Homebuilder faces organization head on

This article first appeared in the PB February 2008 issue of Pro Builder.

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, more than 80 percent of what we keep we never use. When you factor in the average size of a home — 2,459 square feet, according to NAHB — what you get is a lot of unused stuff.

Monica Ricci

Atlanta-based builder Beazer Homes has intervened on behalf of its potential home buyers. Through a partnership with professional organizer Monica Ricci, Beazer created SmartDesign, a concept rooted in designing homes the way people live in them.

Think of SmartDesign this way: When getting ready in the morning, do you have to walk from your bathroom into the closet, then back to the bathroom and then into another room for your keys? With SmartDesign, you design a master suite that connects the bathroom to the closet; within the closet you have a key nook. You never have to leave the comfort of that smart little space.

And how about declutterization? If homeowners don't use a space daily, it becomes a trap for clutter. A SmartDesign home ensures those rarely used spaces don't exist.

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