North Bay Woman

14 NORTH BAY WOMAN | F A L L 2 0 1 9 in the house or employ a nice quality, heavy-duty dress rack from The Container Store that can handle the overflow. Staggered over-the-door hooks can work, too. The guest closet Guests don't need an entire closet for their belongings but they should have at least one side of it, says Corinne Cronin, a North Bay design consultant for California Closets. "In general, a good guest closet will have a system with a couple of drawers at hip height, shelves for shoes or folded clothes and a hanging rod, or a set of double rods, for dresses and suits," she says. The Petaluma resident suggests stocking a guest room closet with extra hangers and a valet rod. "During the holidays women usually come with one or two dresses," she says. "A valet bar is valuable and lives on the side of the system partition where it is tucked away until it's needed. Then, it pulls out in front for temporary hanging of clothes." The new California Closets Essentials collection of premium accessories includes slim hangers and well-made storage boxes to capitalize on space and keep the space well organized. On the side of the closet not reserved for guests, you can store household items that are not often accessed. And, in Cronin's experience, these items are often holiday décor and accessories. (Generally, she finds that most of the large holiday decorations are stored in the garage.) "I've transformed entire rooms into craft rooms before but mostly what we see is that people need a place to store all their wrapping papers and ribbons, and not just for Christmas but for all the birthdays and baby showers that happen all year," she says. "And almost 90% of the time, that place is the guest closet." She likes California Closets' Wall Fusion Track Wall system for corralling those rolls of wrapping paper. "It organizes anything on a roll," she explains. For the 10% of homes that don't have enough closet space for a gift wrap center in the home, consider an armoire or a shallow cabinet in the room to give you easy to access supplies. "It's all about balance working with your space and your budget." Of course, she quips with a chuckle, "you don't want to give guests so much space that that they don't want to leave." n Resources: Life Well Organized San Rafael, 415-305-0864, lifewellorganized.com California Closets will open a Mill Valley showroom in 2020. Call 510-775-1445 or go to californiaclosets.com • "Guests need to be able to charge their devices," she says, so she provides guests with a power strip extension cord in their room. • Place a fan for breezy air, a box of Kleenex, a trash bin and some fresh blooms in a vase in case guests need them. • Clear the bathroom counter, on a shelf, or under the sink for their toiletry bags and Dopp kits. • Set out toiletries – toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and Q-tips – as well as a hair dryer and make-up mirror. • Provide a set of keys and your home's alarm codes so guests can come and go freely. • Allow guests access to the Internet by writing down the Guest Wi-Fi network and password. • Lend guests an extra FasTrak to use in their car or rental car. • Have coffee, tea, refillable water bottles and plenty of food and snacks available and handy. • Traveling – and hosting – can be exhausting. Build in some downtime or alone time each day. • Start thinking about preparing for the holidays in early November. "I like to use a focused half-hour and ask myself what can I do on this list and what can I delegate?" she says. • Walk through your home with the eyes of a guest. "I look for what I want to change or edit with the idea that I don't need to get rid of it, but just clear the space and pack it away for now." • Break down the organization process into manageable, actionable tasks. "I know it helps me when someone coaching me gives me five actionable steps that need to be done by the end of the week." Pam Benetz Parker's general tips for welcoming holiday guests Door organizer from The Container Store. – Photo courtesy The Container Store

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