Inside design: Hellen Buttigieg

Hellen's therapy Hellen Buttigieg is a good organizer – a pro, in fact – but some would argue that as she guides clients through the sometimes painful process of purging, planning and putting away, she's also acting as something of a therapist. (Is it any wonder that one of the other hats she wears is that of life coach?) On her show, Neat (HGTV Canada), Hellen hand-holds the distraught and disorganized, urging them to physically and emotionally let go, guiding them to more orderly homes with a firm hand, sharp wit and more than a few time- and space-saving strategies. We asked Hellen, an Oakville, Ont.-based member of the Professional Organizers in Canada, to share some of her secrets for controlling the chaos of that clutter hot spot – the kitchen. S@H: Why do you think it is that kitchens are such a magnet for messes?HB: The kitchen is the most used room in the house. We go there to cook, eat, entertain, even do homework. It becomes a receptacle for all sorts of things. And because we spend so much time in our kitchens, we find it hard to resist all manner of gadgets – many of which we end up not using. I mean, bread makers – it seems everyone has one and no one uses them. And don't get me started on mugs – why do we need to keep mugs from every stage of our life and every place we've ever been? But the biggest contributor to clutter is duplicates. I go into people's kitchens and find three slotted spoons, two can openers, a couple of bags of sugar. These things all add up to create disorder.S@H: What are ways to transform kitchen disorder into kitchen order?HB: It's all about the purge, and lots of people have problems with that. Some people have trouble saying no to gifts, others to sales – they're impulse buyers or shopaholics, so they accumulate all sorts of things that they don't really need. (Ironically, the most disorganized people I know own every organizing book ever written!) But I find that for every 10 things you throw out, you may end up regretting one.After you purge, you've got to sort through the remaining items and ask yourself, Where will I use each item in this kitchen? As a general rule, most kitchens can be divided into three main areas: work, storage and serving, and clearing. So you need to group your stuff accordingly. Put the message centre near the phone, the coffee maker beside the sink, and the toaster near the plates. You've got to make it as easy as possible to put things back in their proper place.Image courtesy of HGTV  Long-term success S@H: And then what?HB: You've got to create systems. For example, in a kitchen, paper is a huge issue. It's always coming in, it's always going out, so it's a constant battle no matter how neat you are. Depending upon the person, I might create file folders – one for bills, one for action items, one for school forms. But that only works for some people. We all have our own unique organizational style, and if you create a system that goes against the grain, it just won't work. I go into homes like a detective and try to deduce a person's habits. Someone who has a fondness for stacking and piling things wouldn't comply with file folders; a cubbyhole system might work better for them. Easy!S@H: Making organizing as easy as possible seems to be a big part of long-term success.HB: The key to success really lies in understanding what's at the root of the clutter problem, and by that I don't mean someone's fondness for mugs. Rather, there is usually something going on subconsciously – a self-esteem issue, negative self-talk. I try to sniff out those issues and challenge them. We did one kitchen on the show that was completely booby trapped. Every time you opened a cupboard something would fall out! This woman had abundance issues: she grew up with very little and felt more secure with lots of stuff around her. Or maybe the reason you procrastinate about cleaning is because you've heaped these incredibly high expectations on yourself, and you're just too paralyzed to even start. To really make organizing work, you have to first look for the clues and address those issues. S@H: It sounds like many of us would benefit from therapy as much as organizing.HB: Know yourself – that's the bottom line. Organization is not one-size-fits-all. You need to have a plan that fits you; the good news is that there are lots of plans. Controlling chaosHellen Buttigieg, professional organizer, life coach and host of HGTV Canada's clutter-combatting hit, Neat, offers these tips for changing your kitchen from bedlam to beautiful.Group items together in like categories (for example, baking equipment) to avoid overstocking. Hang lid holders on the backs of cupboard doors to save space and keep pot lids together. Label each plastic storage container (use a permanent marker) and its lid with matching letters of the alphabet. “I like to stack the containers and house lids together in a separate container,” says Hellen. Store spices in clear square containers. Square edges align easily, taking up less space, and translucent jars will allow you to see what's inside. Use peel-and-stick photo albums to store recipes. Simply place the recipe card, computer printout or magazine article onto a page, and re-cover it with the attached protective plastic. You may even want to get an album for each recipe category: salads, mains, desserts. Indulge in a bouquet of fresh flowers or a decorative bowl of fruit. “You'll be encouraged to keep your counters neat,” says Hellen.Image courtesy of HGTV