(no subject)

[vr_trakowski]

 Don’t get me wrong, I love home-organizing blogs.  I love poring over before-and-after pictures and reading about the latest clever hack or repurpose or new organizational gadget.  I read pages about paper planners even though I do everything on my phone (and not much of it at that).  I find it all very enjoyable, and occasionally I even bookmark an idea or two for later.  

But you know what I would also love to see?  Organization and decorating for everybody else.  

I want to know how to organize a pantry when it consists of one set of shelves, not something you can walk into.  I want pictures of laundry setups where it’s stored in a space the size of a coat closet, not a small room.  I want truly small kitchens, where two or even one person is one too many (I have yet to see a kitchen as small as mine on these blogs).  I want ideas for spaces where you can’t repaint, re-tile, or re-cabinet.  I want to know how to deal with a closet that’s too narrow for an Elfa or even a Rubbermaid system, or how to cover up stained walls, or how to organize a home where you can’t use the cabinets because of the bugs.  

Don’t get me wrong--I’m not knocking those blogs!  People get enjoyment and help from them, and that’s great.  No one should be mocked for what they like.  I’m just not the target audience.  

I want organization for the poor, the crowded, the disabled, the chronically ill.  The people who can’t run out and buy sixteen baskets or matching jars--or, if they can, can’t get them home on the bus.  Those whose carpet came with the place and whose cat/dog/child barfs on it regularly anyway.  Those whose landlords refuse to replace paint or fridges or bathroom cabinets that are old enough to vote.  

The people who have barely enough space for what they need.  The people who don’t have the time or the energy or the strength to tidy every evening or weekend.  The people who have to live in ugly spaces, but still want order in their lives, and maybe some beauty too.  

Does such a thing exist?