The standout themes of this show were sustainability (and the definition and education of same), materials innovation, and color.

This last one, color, is of no surprise to my readers as that is what I earlier stated as one of the top 5 2009-10 top trends (color cornucopia), and for that matter sustainability will be of no surprise to either my readers or my clients–the fact that housewares companies stepped up their game for all of the above is surprising though as aside from tabletop a lot of the housewares companies stick with their same programs for as long as they can. In other words, innovation has NOT been a hallmark of this industry, but I will say that this show in Chicago has most definitely and finally changed with the times.

That said, there are stand-out companies who have exemplified the attributes of these themes above and beyond, and that is how I hope to personalize each of the aforementioned themes (trends if you will) of the show.

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I have a confession to make. I am a pile person…the sort of person who can magically pull that precise piece of paper from an unsuspecting pile and who, when all piles have been organized and filed, can’t find anything. Don’t ask me about this skill. It remains a mystery to me. And while I also confess to being pleased at how my work style still manages to pull everything together, I do ponder dreamily of the paperless office.

I would like for Bill Gates and his cohorts to approve of me.

So to that end, I have searched the globe and the internet tirelessly in hopes of finding the “perfect workspace,” “the perfect storage/file system.” I have even at one point tried a professional organizer with some success, and had a brief encounter with a pre Blackberry Palm Pilot. Then I took a stab at creating my own calender system having been an avid student of the Franklin Planner System, then the Franklin Covey Planner System, and now the At-A-Glance Quick Notes Planner (I still need the written word). It is a subject of great pride for me that I got my daughter started on a planner system when she was in middle school.
Professionally I work with several companies on creating storage and organizational products for home, home office, office and back to school (including dorm storage).

So as you see, I am a passionate consumer as well as creator of storage and organizational products and things….that said, I do believe I have found the perfect workspace and organizational system to, alas, put to rest the anxiety of this self proclaimed clutterphile and become, ahhhh, organized. Here is my perfect officespace, compliments of Ikea. What’s yours?

If you need a little help, check out Ikea’s Small business guide. It helps you organize your thoughts by getting you to understand want you wnat to achieve out of your space, then you can build it out from there, all online. And their tips and recommendations for workspace stations helps to direct your focus. In fact exploring Ikea’s Workspace Solutions in general is like chicken soup for the clutterphile’s soul, beginning with the small business solutions, making a pit stop at De-Clutter and Organize and then moving on to any other spaces you may want to organize with images of totally cool spaces and the product that fills them from every room of your home.

Let me know how it goes….maybe I should do a before and after myself since this is something I plan to get under control for 2008 and there’s no time like the present to get started.

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I’m having one of those moments in life when things get out of control. Too much to do to keep up with it all; I apologize for not posting for more than a few days. I’ve had several projects to get out and contracts to adhere to. The dog gets walked; groceries are purchased, occasionally and the rest has been put in piles.

So what I’ve discovered over the last few weeks is cooraboration on the checks, they’re in, maryam in marrakech is having all the fun (back from Egypt with bounty in hand), London is still besting New York and Italy when it comes to fashion (Paris is next week), and September is still my favorite time of year…September then October so it’s all good.

Next post? Office Storage. (and, that’s not me in the picture…but it feels like me…you know that feeling, yes?)

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