The allusions to the pink sewing room in the Clean Sweep thread reminded me: I caught part of a new Mission:Organization a couple of weeks ago, and it looks like they have undergone a minor revamp. Gail O'Neill visited the remade space (in this case, a garage) at the end of the show, and it sounds like she had also visited in the Before phase. Plus, she interviewed the professional organizer about the project. I suppose it's nice that Gail gets to do more, but I have pretty much reached my threshold of my favorite design shows being changed around to be more "dynamic". I don't have the energy for all the dynamics any more. What happened to relaxing television?

New episode! And yes, new format, with Gail out in the field now, visiting before and after, and chatting up the organizer. This time around, a teensy urban apartment. It was all about putting like things together, designating a place for everything, and getting rid of excess stuff. Not much in the way of redecorating. The organizer was giving me a real Peter-from-CleanSweep vibe.

This one was really interesting, because that was one messed-up floor plan. Mr. Boton and I kept trying to figure out if the whole apartment had been designed around an elevator shaft, or if maybe this was an old bording house that had had kitchen appliances added to make them into single family units. Whatever it was, it is just wrong to have the only means of ingress and egress be right through the galley kitchen.

They did a nice job with the redesign. The kitchen area was great--a few small shelves really helped. Since they added drawers there too, I might have added bigger ones. And I probably would have kept the storage chest they got rid of to make room for the "dining room"--how much entertaining can she realistically do in there? But the colors were great, and I loved how they used her own artwork.

Another apartment, this time inhabited by an entire family of four who have never, ever thrown anything out. When parents are hanging their clothes in the kids' closet, somehow I think you'd need more than just a professional organizer, because y'all have serious boundary issues. And when you're storing your clothes in your kids closet because you have a twenty-year old SADDLE in your own closet, you have problems on a cognitive level that I can't even begin to address.

The kids looked salvageable, though. The younger one, in particular, had some great moments with Gail. When a preadolescent boy is bothered by the lack of matching socks in his life, things have clearly gone too far.

Once they threw stuff out, the whole organizing process was not the difficult, really. Loved the custom captain's beds in the kid's room, with the double-decker shelves. I'm left wondering why we never got a glimpse of the parents' room.

I only caught the end of this episode and was a little puzzled by the sock organizer. For a show about organization (and I guess saving space by organizing correctly) the sock organizer seems to be such a waste. It took up an entire drawer.

I'll see your "boundary issues," ChelseaNH and raise you "borderline abuse." There was something horribly wrong with that couple. I mean, they seemed nice enough, but when you pack-rat so much stuff into a space that small, something's gotta be wrong. There was some weird kind of passive-aggressive sabotage going on there. With that much clutter, how could anyone ever get anything done? I wonder if the kids could even keep track of their homework.

What city did they live in? And they had so much stuff that I don't think money was an issue so why not move to a bigger place? gah. An unanswerable question, I know.

Those boys just seemed so happy to have the clutter gone. I'll bet none of their friends ever came over and now they can! yay! I did think both the parents were creepy.

Two upstairs rooms with CapeCod-style sloping ceilings: one guest room with a big cedar closet and one sitting room.

With all the stuff piled in the rooms, I thought I was watching Clean Sweep. Gail seemed to be doing a lot more interviewing in the first part. The homeowner was a shopaholic working in retail, and Gail had some good questions about how she was going to keep this from happening again. The kids were pretty funny with their disbelief, but not too harsh.

The organizer did a good job of setting criteria, but the homeowner did seem quite willing to get rid of stuff, so not a lot of drama there. The organizer made a point that showed up in Clean Sweep the same night: if you bring in a new item, you need to get rid of an existing item. Better advice for a shopaholic than "stop buying things," I think. Well, in terms of clutter management. From a financial standpoint, she should find a cheaper way to fulfill her needs.

I don't get the storage behind the bookcases on the knee wall. It would be a huge pain to get to that stuff, and if you're not going to use it, why keep it? The "map" of the cedar closet is a good idea, but I'd want it to be more spatial. It looked too wordy for easy reference. Still, the homeowner found her boots in four seconds, so clearly it works. Maybe it just needs a bigger font.

Not just a refrigerator in the living room, but a pearly pink refrigerator in the living room, used as a bookcase. Well, that's a first.

I wonder where she moved the desk. Bedroom? But shouldn't that be your relaxing space? It's a pity she had to give up the handmade shelves, but the sofa looked good there, and she did need to go vertical for storage.

Loved the benches and shelf in the dining room, but not the dinky seat cushions.

No stranger than having a butcher block serve as an occasional table. A family heirloom butcher block, no less! Well, at least they're conversation pieces.

After seeing the fridge and the butcher block in the living room, I dont feel so bad about having my exercise bike in my living room. I cant believe they paid $150 for that vertical bookcase. The HO could have done a better job. The two vertical pieces of 2x6s didnt even meet up in the middle. I didnt understand the point of her sister seeing the reveal. She doesnt have to live there.

A couple of items bugged me about the Pink Fridge eppy. 1)Ditto on the vertical bookcase; good idea, but the quality of the piece didn't justify $150 2) Another thumbs-down on the cushions used on the dining room bench seats; if you're going to spend $$$ to have built-ins, spend another $ or $$ and get cushions sewn to size 3) the organizers for this show must be shopping at the same place; that's the second time I've seen that glass-topped coffee table with the pump-up base on this show. However, it is a good idea for the tiny urban spaces shown in the last couple of episodes.
A final "Yes!" to all those who have commented on the extra screen time for Gail. She's fine; I just don't think this show needs extra host interaction. Face it, it's a 30-minute show, and all I want to see is a) the problem b) how to fix it c) the completed project. I haven't been watching Decorating Cents lately because the extra screen time for Joan/carpenter/designer seems superfluous to me.

I saw that pump-up table on another show as well - I think it was "This Small Space." The space in point was a studio apartment and the table was to be used as a coffee/dining table. But $1200? That's awfully pricey.

The bedroom energies of the Minister and the Diva.... Before? I'd be afraid to walk in there. After? Those curtains were certainly, um, lively. The wall color was nice and the bedspread was rather elegant, if kind of bland. The headboard was the right idea, but I'd prefer something closed up to the height of propped-up pillows (hidden storage!) and shelves above that point.

I wonder if they had been watching Clean Sweep. The Diva was using Shelley's "stuff under the bed is bad feng shui" argument, and both of them made the "you should treat important things with respect" point.

Living at home in your childhood bedroom with your hippo collection, your duck border and your poster of Bo and Luke. Sometimes it's about clutter; sometimes, the clutter is about something else.

So naturally the "after" room was a zillion times better. That was a funky little chair in the corner (certainly much smaller than the papasan). It took me a second to recognize it as a usable piece of furniture. The new minty green wall color didn't grab me; there was something insubstantial about it. But the wood floors and all the wood tones in the furniture were very nice.

They did another one of those "my little princess" canopies over a woman's bed this week. I know that this show concentrates on cleanup and storage, but since they're also going to do design, why not do something decent. Does any adult really think that these canopies are cute, you know, for an adult?

It might not have been a "my little princess" canopy. It might have been an "I'm a world traveler" canopy, a la the A Team on Design on a Dime.

Between the desks and the customized closets, that room looked very expensive.

Speaking as someone with allergies, bedrooms tend to be the dustiest rooms in the house, and those canopy things look like primo dust catchers. Unless it was mosquito netting and I was living in the tropics, it would have to go.
In the hippo room with the duck border: I think I'd want the papasan chair back. That wicker chair was unusual and very attractive, but if you want a chair in which you can curl up and read, that wasn't it.

ETA - are they doing any new episodes of this show? Every time I tune in, its one I've seen three times before, and the promo them on HGTV as if they were new episodes.

I've been watching this show for a couple months on and off and just had a realization. This woman is complaining about her bathroom, how it's not very functional and that there's all this stuff sitting around and cluttering up the closet.

I can understand the lack of imagination and/or skill for the organization part, because I suffer from that as well, but when I get tired of looking at my clothes lying on the floor ..... I pick them up! She acted like she had no idea how they got there or what to do about it. I myself can't stand to throw anything out, but I know that I am the reason that my house is full. No one came in the night and left it there. Thank goodness there are people with TV cameras that are willing to help.

Another "she lives at home with her little girl furniture and scary wallpaper" episode. This time, Mom stuck around and "rescued" things. She couldn't even say why she wanted them. The daughter is clearly miles ahead of her mother in the "dealing with stuff" category.

This time, the organizer included a "maybe" category, probably in recognition of the mother's anxiety. In general, I think you're better off making the decision right away instead of postponing things. Procrastination only contributes to clutter.

I wasn't over the moon about the grey stripe, but I can see how it contributes to the overall look of the room. It was a good combination of serene and high-tech. And yeah, I have closet envy, too. It would be nice to know how much some of the big things cost. They'll show the prices of bins and boxes, but not closet systems.

I know. Kinda makes me think it's expensive. The closet was pretty cool, but I'm not sure about losing the doors. I don't think it's going to stay that neat for too long. She already had extra shit in that box seat/storage thingy.

I think the whole idea of "getting rid of one old thing when you buy one new thing" is idiotic. It works with cars and sofas, but it seems kind of wasteful. Who throws out a pair of jeans when they get a new pair? Just to keep things organized? I guess you can donate to charity, but that's an awful lot of trips to the Salvation Army. Or maybe I just shop too much!

The stripe didn't bother me too much, but that crazy-assed checkerboard carpeting sure did.

I guess the flipside of that would be "don't buy something unless you actually need it." In other words, don't buy another pair of jeans unless you have a pair that needs to be replaced.

Lyddie, what strange alien philosophy is this? Have you gone mad?

Actually the flipside makes much more sense. I just can't see myself doing it, although I'd be a much richer woman if I did.

Gail O'Neill is getting on my nerves with her 'enthusiam' for the transformations. The show last night, June 21st, bathroom re-do -- she kept putting out her man-hands to explain what was going on. Those hands are huge.

The homeowner was trying to clean up a very messy bathroom that also had regular closets in it. This woman has tons of toiletries: creams, nail polish, etc. She also has many, many earrings and other jewelry that had to be sorted through. I have quite a bit of beauty stuff myself, but not that much. This woman was using her tub as a pseudo-hamper / resting place for her clothes. The redo was pretty good. Lots of nice cabinets. The designer seemed pretty pleased with herself.

Regarding buying something ONLY if you need it, I once read an article about saving money that said you should ask yourself: "Would I buy this item if it were not on sale?" If you can't say yes, the author said you shouldn't but the item. However, I have been so engrained to only buy stuff that is on sale, that this method just would not work for me.

The bathroom makeover was nice for the most part, but I didn’t like how the fixtures on the new bathtub were positioned opposite the wall. In order to get into the tub you would have to climb over them, which could be problematic if you’re a klutz or you’re still under that just-got-out-of-bed haze.

I agree about the bathtub faucets. Very dangerous. Also, in theory it is nice to save some space by having a tub/shower combination unit, but climbing in the tub (and this one looked somewhat deep) to take a shower every day might be a pain, especially as you get older. I'm not a bath person, so I could very well do without a tub, but I guess you have to put one in for the eventual resale of the house.

The kitchen episode was just on and the before state was scary. It is one thing to be a little disorganized but that was just unsanitary. Messy closets are one thing but kitchens are another since you can't even clean the countertops if you can't see them.

Also, how many plastic cups from restaurants and empty Cool Whip containers do people need? Did they throw any of them out? I think once you can fill your dishwasher 25 times with the plastic cups in your cabinet, it is time to start seriously thinking about getting rid of a few.

It would be cool to revisit some of the HOs and see if they actually kept up their organization. My money would be on no for these HOs.

Yes, flippernorthern, we absolutely need follow-up shows. I'd say around 2 - 3 months after the project completion. This would show the folks who learned the system and who were committed to making a change, versus those who just wanted the hard work done for them. I think Mission Org. participants are more involved and do more actual work than the people on Clean Sweep, etc.

I recall hearing that the plastic was reduced dramatically. Man, there were a lot of cups. Okay, so the kids go through about three a day per kid. How often do you run the dishwasher? From a storage perspective, it's really not worth having a bunch of random plastic containers. It's much easier to store them if you have a limited number of shapes and sizes -- all the round ones stack together, and all the square ones, and all the rectangular ones. And now they're pretty inexpensive.

I think the labels are a big help in maintaining the system, as long as you're willing to put any kind of effort into it. If you fall back into habits of just stuffing things wherever there's room, labels obviously won't help. But all you have to do is look at the label to tell if something belongs there. Creating all those categories and sorting all your stuff into them -- that's where the hard work is.

Last night's show (artsy young couple with baby, paintings and guitars) was just disturbing, from start to finish. The organizer creeped me out on all fronts, and the HO's always seemed on the verge of hitting each other. They spend 10 minutes on organizing their magazines, when there couldn't have been more than 30 to begin with. Then the jackass husband insists on having 2 bikes in the living room. The stupidest thing of all was the partition the organizer added to create a 4" foyer and an 8" living room. I liked the design of it, and it's probably a good idea but who wants to see coats hung up in the open like that? And shoes beneath?

And worst of all, Gail O'Neil looked bad! I ask you: what is How-To Reality TV coming to!?

I agree about the couple having a lot of agression. I missed bits - did they ever explain why he needed two bikes?

I thought part of the point of the divider was to be able to store the guitar out of reach of the baby. Seemed fine, but then in the closing shots they're showing the mother playing peek-a-boo through the divider to her son, who's up on the couch, where --ta da!-- he can reach the guitar.
Also, given the husband's complaints about how what a workout it is to hang up the bike, does anyone think he'll be bothering in a few months?

Do we know where this episode was filmed? It looks like Philly and, if it is, they should have a tiny patio/yard in the back of their rowhouse - a perfect to park your bike. That's where mine is along with a bike cover to keep it dry.

New episode with magazine writer's SUV-sized apartment came out okay, but if she worked from home, wouldn't you at least have a desk or table where she could work comfortably? How long can you sit perched on that sofa with your laptop on your knees? I coveted her console TV too, and I thought the organizer said they'd use it somewhere else, but I never saw it again.

For someone who writes about home fashions for a living, she was really clueless about how to organize her own home. She must see the same magazines and watch the same TV shows we do....and yet she still didn't pick up a single organizational idea?

She had the table and chairs next to the windows, which would make for a more appropriate desk than the coffee table. I didn't see a television in the after room, which made it odd when Gail mentioned how she could sit on the couch and watch TV. But then, I missed the second segment. Perhaps they addressed the pepto-pink thing on the sofa in that segment, too.

She did have boxes stored under a table in her kitchen, with a floor-length table covering -- that's one tip you could get from magazines. Not exactly organizational, but a tip. I don't know why she didn't have any kind of bookcases or shelving, though.

Yes, she really needs to get out more. She is constantly AMAZED by the makeovers. Every.single.one is AMAZING.

And what's the deal with the designer/organizer having to wait outside and then "join me a little later" at the reveal?

I think I like the little apartment shows best. Ye gods, that was a transformation! I don't know that I could live with that much color, but I'd rather have an excess of color than an excess of stuff strewn everywhere. Loved the Warhol of the adorable doggy. (At least she has an apartment-sized dog.) Now that they're showing us how much stuff costs, I want to know how much time they spend sorting through everything.

There is no way that gal's apartment wasn't going to be strewn with papers within a month. I'm sure she'll improve somewhat but come on -- you don't change completely, that fast.

And all I could think about (because I'm morbid this way) is, "What happens when the cutie dog dies and she has this huge Warhol memory on the wall?" So sad!

There were lots of good ideas for her, though -- especially the filing cabinets as furniture and the dry erase boards.

Why didn't the organizer have all the woman's business cards scanned so she could use the contact information into generating business lead mailouts, etc.?Those business card folders are outdated; if the woman was going to upgrade to a laptop with a wireless keyboard, she should have added a couple of extra $$ for a scanner or one of those little business card readers. On another note: Anybody know the sofa brand? That was a nifty design, with the built-in storage.

I dug this thread out of the bowels of obscurity to bitch about the woman last night who couldn't stop complaining about her partner's plasma TV. Does this ungrateful beast not know how many people would kill for a plasma TV? Plus, they were in a tiny, 1-bedroom apt where they had to use the main room as a living room, dining room, office, and nursery for the twins they were expecting. She should be on her knees thanking her husband for having the good sense to invest in a flat screen, instead of something that would stick halfway out into a tiny room. Why is it always the women on these decorating shows who complain about having a big TV? Just once I'd like to see a woman who was unabashedly ecstatic about her fancy new TV.

Damn, sometimes these shows make me despise my own gender. That ain't right.

Maybe she's thinking that if her partner didn't blow money on things like a big screen TV, they could move into something bigger than a one-bedroom apt? If I was facing the prospect of raising twins in that place, I'd bitch too.

Was that the Laura Duchovny episode, you know, David Duchovny's sister? I saw that episode when it first aired awhile back but nobody ever talked about it.

XII, I also wonder why all these design shows talk about hiding the tv like it's a toilet or something.

I KNOW, what was that woman thinking? I could understand her dislike of an e-norm-o television that would invade half of their extremely multi-functional room, but the plasma tv was very sleek and trim in that space. I had seen part of the episode earlier, but somehow had missed the designer gift of a "cozy" for the plasma tv -- good lord what sort of phobias do these people have?! As a woman and proud television owner, I let my television appear free and naked in its natural habitat -- the living room. Nary an armoire or cozy to be seen!

I also found myself distracted from appreciating the reveal by constantly wondering what the couple was going to do when the twins got too big to share their one crib. Wouldn't you go ahead and incorporate space for 2 cribs into the floorplan while you're going to all the effort of cleaning, purging, and re-designing? Perhaps they discussed that during the beginning of the show, which I always seem to miss.....

Seriously, if they aren't planning on moving to a bigger place very soon, they're nuts. And if they are, why bother with the re-do? The only possible reasonable explanation would be if they were planning to expand into another apartment next door or on the floor above or below them.

OR, if they own, rather than rent, they need to get the place looking decent enough to market for the best possible price. If it looks like a storage locker, it either won't sell, or it will sell for peanuts (comparitively).

Any messy people in the Chicago area? Mission Organization is looking for people. (Maybe I should apply?)

So in tonight's "man shed" of a garage, they had a $2000 elevator to lift the riding mower off the floor. Because that 18 square feet of space with 5 feet of headroom is so critical to making the garage usable again. (However, great guy toy for the man who has everything. Only 74 more shopping days until Christmas!)

The storage bench was very handsome, but why not just hinge the front panels instead of making the seats removable? I guess that would have gotten in the way of the copper-plumbing-parts footrail.

Just curious as to whether or not anyone watches this, because they will be filming at my sisters next week. All the furniture and supplies have already arrived.

Yes, I watch this show. I like to see how the professional organizers approach their tasks. HGTV has moved M:O all over the schedule map; if they'd give it a better slot and tone down some of Gayle O'Neill's "oh my gosh, that is A-MA-ZING" comments, it might have a chance.

I watch, too, stacim--but usually on the weekend or on a weekday afternoon. I don't even know when the first-run episodes air. Could you please keep us posted?

I tend to be a pack rat and have found this show motivating. Although, as you say, Decormaven, Gayle's awestruck hyperventilation gets old.