Mike Ciucci

Current home improvement trends are all about creative storage solutions and efficient use of extra space in our now smaller homes. It's also about keeping your family organized while juggling a busy schedule. The following ideas take simple storage cabinets and turn them into functional pieces of furniture designed to make your life a little easier. Most of these solutions utilize a cabinet with upper and lower cabinets and perhaps a shelf, but these could be modified to use a book shelf or pantry.

Snack Center: Instead of the kids running in from school, opening and closing the fridge and leaving a trail of open cupboard doors, they visit the snack cupboard. Different shelves are assigned different themes or functions, such as a shelf for lunch bags, bowl of fruit, or place to drop off homework. Open the bottom cabinet and have an array of healthy snacks ready to grab including jars of trail mix, granola bars, crackers, and juice boxes. Space permitting this would be the perfect spot to insert a small bar fridge for cold drinks and refrigerated treats.

Breakfast Station: This is where all the cereal is kept as well as extra spoons, cereal bowls and treats to add to the cereal such as dried fruit. Store the various brands in clear plastic containers that are easy for small children to get ahold of.

Baking Station: Imagine going to one place and finding everything you need to start a baking project. Have shelves filled with flour, sugar, baking powder, and other commonly used ingredients. Allocate a space for recipe books and another shelf for blender, food processor and mixer. Hang up your muffin pans and small measuring cups and spoons. Place baking pans together and include a container for extra wooden spoons, spatulas and rolling pin. A handy corkboard attached to the inside of the door is perfect for displaying extra recipes and a shopping list. Buy magnetic containers and hang on a metal bar for small ingredients such as sprinkles, coconut or extra bits of chocolate chips.

Bartending Station: This is your all-in-one bar to make serving your guests a breeze. Attach a shelf for highball glasses and underneath screw in slotted holders to hang all your stemware. On the door hang small utensils and corkscrew. Add x-shaped dividers or a small redi-made wine rack so you're never short that bottle of wine. Add a small wire rack for drink mixes, cherries and other garnishes, napkins and coasters. A larger wire rack or shelf is perfect for bottles of liquor and an ice bucket.

Craft Closet: Hobbies and craft projects are so much more enjoyable when you know exactly where everything is. With this craft closet, you'll be able to get your hands on all your supplies with little or no searching. Start by using large shelves for items such as a sewing machine or clear bins for holding smaller items. Hang a paper towel rack on the inside of the door to hold spools of ribbon. Taller spaces are perfect for rolls of wrapping paper. Get organizers for all your craft magazines and stand them up on a shelf. Fill a drawer with commonly used items such as scissors, tape, pens, pencils, and glue.

Work with a qualified, dedicated agent for your James Island real estate purchase. Find the ideal Charleston S.C. home at BuyingCharlestonRealEstate.com.

I was showing property earlier today in the Bayview Farms subdivision of James Island, SC. I had some clients with me in the car...you know, from "out of town". And as we drove through the entrance of the neighborhood, things go quiet. Now mind you, this isn't normally out of the ordinary but these folks were from New York! They usually have a hard time keeping quiet (my NY friends can laugh and attest to this). So the entire morning, we all had coffee and were talking back and forth about life, yapping away. And like I said, when we get to Bayview Farms the car became completely silent. I froze like a deer in headlights, wondering what I had said, or what I had done. Do they not like the neighborhood? Are they scared of this area? Are they going to jump from the car?

Then I realized what had happened. When you first drive into the neighborhood, there is a very nice entrance. A great "Bayview Farms" sign that actually looks appealing. Then there are the flowers. Someone's really done a nice job with the flowers at the front of the neighborhood and they must want me to sell a house today (I'm thinking I'll have to send them a Thank-you note for help in this sale). Then as you drive further in the neighborhood, you pass a lake teeming with wildlife, a few hundred year old oak trees, canadian geese, ducks- I got so excited I thought someone was going to "cue the deer" like in that Chevy Chase movie when they are trying to sell their house.

As we drove further into the neighborhood, there were a number of people jogging, walking, people walking dogs (more like dogs walking people), kids playing at the tennis court and swimming pools, squirrels running for their lives across the street...basically everyone in Bayview Farms in harmony doing what they love doing most...living life.

It was at that point that I knew why my buyers got so quiet. There is nothing wrong with Bayview Farms. Bayview Farms may just be the perfect neighborhood. And it took complete silence from my buyers for me to realize it.

You know, I'm so glad to be in Charleston, SC. Right now, it's sunny, 72 degrees in February, with a light wind. The winter is slowly giving way to spring, and the people of the Lowcountry are training for the Cooper River Bridge Run. Earlier today, I was out at the beach going on caravan with my company, Carolina One Real Estate. We do this every Thursday morning. We have our weekly meeting, talk about the current market, things that have come up in transactions with other agents that we can all learn from, and how we can become better agents, and more importantly, better people.

So after our weekly meeting, all the agents go on caravan. What we do on caravan is take a look at the new listings in person, and determine what the sellers can do to their home to help get it sold. You know, changes, upgrades, subtle things that can really give a home a *punch* or a WOW factor. Different things that the sellers can do to make your home STAND OUT. But while standing out on the back deck of a home on the beach, while being in the warm sun, I realized at that moment, I am in the perfect city, doing what I love...Selling Charleston Real Estate. I mean, what is there about Charleston not to like? The cobblestone streets downtown, the beaches, the fishing and boating, the theatre and restaurants downtown, the parks/playgrounds. We can even drive one hour away and spend the day on Lake Marion.

So my question is...are you happy where you are? Why don't you come here and find a place to call home? This way, you can brag to all you family and friends that you live on the East Coast's best kept secret. Because that is exactly what Charleston is, "The East Coast's best kept secret."

-Mike Ciucci

www.BuyingCharlestonRealEstate.com