Perfect Order

Published by Kyle Cathie

Have you ever had the feeling that you simply own too much stuff? Do you ever suspect that your possessions are taking over your life? Would your life be simpler if you could have a huge clear out, and then organise what’s left sensibly and tidily so that you could find things when you wanted them?!

I certainly have had those feelings, and I discovered that it is possible to lighten up and get organised. Perfect Order was my chance to offer you ideas on everything from parting gracefully with years-old wedding or anniversary presents, finding extra space in your home for storage, making your kitchen work better and storing everything from family photographs to children’s toys to office paperwork.

The Independent called me ‘the goddess of storage’ on the strength of this book, which I took as a great compliment. They sent a photographer to take photographs of my home, which was a slight embarrassment as we’d just moved house and it was full (literally) of cardboard boxes…

Perfect Order has chapters on the following subjects:

Regain control of your life: planning and action

Up-storage 1: Off the floor

Up-storage 2: Shelves

Down-storage

Boxes, bags and much more

Display as storage

Disappearing tricks

Cupboards and drawers

The ultimate kitchen

Storing the family

Small Urban Spaces

Secret Spaces

Workspaces

This is one of my favourite spreads from Perfect Order because it shows… books. If, like me, you treasure your books but find that they seem to grow in number every time you look away, well, you could take advice from these photographs which suggest some ways of incorporating acres of bookshelves into the decorations of almost any room. The picture on the left shows a particularly clever interior. The owners have taken advantage of the room’s height to built a mezzanine library, underneath which are several spacious cupboard for storing everything from the home’s cleaning equipment to a light-up cocktail cabinet.