“Reorganizing a space always starts with a trip to Goodwill to donate what clients no longer need,” Chris Holdredge says. Holdredge and his wife, Heather, own Tailored Living of Southern and MidCoast Maine, a business that designs and installs custom storage systems for homeowners. In this installment of MH+D Inside Out, they explain how a clean, clutter-free space can transform a daily routine.

Q. You do a lot of work with Murphy beds, which fold up into closets or walls. Why do you rely on those?

Chris: We work with a lot of clients who just don’t need as much stuff as they used to. That’s where we can help them. In a smaller space, we really maximize how our clients store and organize their possessions so that they can live stress-free and eliminate some of that chaos and clutter in their lives. With Murphy beds, clients often ask, “Is this going to fold up like in slapstick comedy shows?” But no, they’re super comfortable.

Heather: Some of those smaller spaces really benefit from closet or pantry organization. A Murphy bed in a home office can help, too, so that you are able to take the bed out when you really need it, but you don’t need to have a guest room set up all the time.

Q. How do you reorganize these smaller spaces?

Heather: There are some standard things such as a cloth or wicker basket for enhanced storage, but our clients feel like they’re part of the process. Everybody is an individual. Even with a closet, each person wants to put their personal stamp on their space.

Q. What’s an example of that?

Chris: The process is very collaborative. When we first meet with a client, we ask them, what do you want to put in this space. How do you fold your clothes? What do you wear most often? Are you right-handed or left-handed? That determines how somebody’s going to reach into their closet at the beginning of the day. The goal is to maximize their space and make it easy to use.

Heather: The homeowner really wants that space to still reflect them. We hope that this process helps them feel better about that space, and living in that space, too.

Chris: In terms of organizing it just comes down to accessibility. If you can see your stuff in a pantry or a closet, you’re going to use it. When you start to pile everything up, that leads to an overwhelming snowball effect.

Heather: Absolutely. We like to help people live better in the spaces they have. Your home is a reflection of who you are. It affects the person that you are. When your space is organized, you start your day better. If you can’t find something you know you have, that frustrates you.

Chris: We help our clients get their lives under control, or get their new home set up with a custom closet or storage system. That’s the fun part.