"Size Matters"

No space is too small for Laura Leist's organizational magic. The founder of the organizing company Eliminate Chaos (425.670.2551; eliminatechaos.com) recently transformed a tiny coat closet (above) into a home office.

"Our goal was to get the client's computer and office supplies out of the living-room area. It's a small condo [about 700 square feet] and it was visual clutter," explains Leist. (The cost of this minimal makeover was $1,000, but Leist's prices vary by a project's size and scope.)

An Alpha system from Storables has adjustable shelving that makes it easy to add or remove shelves as needed. Red cargo boxes and magazine racks keep supplies neatly contained. The biggest challenge was the desk. "We tried four different times to fit a desk in there," laughs Leist. The solution: a piece of wood from Home Depot cut to fit. To avoid closet cramping, computers communicate wirelessly to a printer and fax tucked in a little-used kitchen cabinet.

"People really need to decide what they're going to keep and how to store it before you do any of the shopping," offers Leist. "Otherwise it's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole."

-Niki Stojnic

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