Shelfie + Six Degrees Society: Q&A!

Meet The Most Organized NYC Home Organizer: Sara Losonci, Founder of Shelfie NYC

Q&A

By Emily Merrell, Founder of Six Degrees Society

What do you do after stuffing your pants into a drawer and secretly praying that the dresser doesn’t explode? You call a home organizer. Enter Sara Losonci, New York City’s premier home organizer. Her charismatic and trusting personality puts you at ease as she reminds you why you don’t need four pairs of the same pants. She helps make that disorganization in your life disappear, implementing systems that can make positive changes in your life. So whether it’s a home office, kitchen or a new baby’s room, at the end of your time with Sara you’ll both be taking the ultimate #Shelfie.

SDS: What is Shelfie NYC and where did it all begin?

SARA LOSONCI: Shelfie NYC is a New York City based interior organizing service that transforms cluttered spaces into beautiful, relaxed and organized environments.

The idea for Shelfie began right here in my 4th floor walk-up apartment, or as I like to call it, the Shelfie Shack. I was recently laid off from a job for the second time in 1.5 years and trying to come up with creative ways to pay my rent. It was a challenging but exciting time for me. While I had no idea how I was going to make money, I felt liberated from the world of ad tech and had the opportunity to do whatever I wanted next. But…I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do next which ultimately sent me into a slight panic one evening in the middle of the night. I knew I’d at least need to get a roommate but my small apartment was so full of my own stuff that I didn’t have a clue how anyone else could come live here. I wished I could hire someone to come organize and clean it out.  That is when it occurred to me this is something I could do myself. Something that I’ve loved doing since I was a kid and boom – the home organizing light bulb appeared.

Founder of Shelfie NYC Sara Losonci. Courtesy of Sara Losonci

SDS: What’s the best part of being a home organization service in NYC?

SL: There is NOTHING like New York City real estate. NYC is unlike any other place in the world and between the culture, the energy, the people and the nightlife, I’ve been having a love affair with this place since I moved here 12 years ago. But visiting homes and offices and seeing the spaces in which so many people live and work has been my favorite part of home organizing specific to NYC.  I’m regularly exposed to quirky startup studios in TriBeCa, = tiny pre-war walk-ups on the Lower East Side, modern multi-million dollar lofts in SoHo, single family brownstones in Brooklyn and luxury doorman high-rises on the Upper West Side. I’ve seen incredible six-story townhouses which belong to well-known art curators and I’ve spent time in photo studios of some very successful online women’s retailers.  For anyone who loves to do something as simple as house-hunt, even when you’re not looking to move, this is a dream.

I love working in the small and quirky spaces just as much as I love working in the exquisite 3,000 square foot spaces because it forces me to think outside the box and get creative. I love that challenge.

SDS: Talk to us about Marie Kondo. Are there any other methods that should be on our radar?

SL: Ah yes, my dear friend Marie Kondo! The one who loves to nap for a hot minute upon arrival to a client’s home (see what I’m talking about here)! Marie Kondo definitely has a unique method to home organization and I’ve used many of her tips and tricks with my clients. There are some really amazing interior organizers out there and everyone has a slightly different process and approach to the work. Each client and project is unique so I have to be able to tweak my process to accommodate different needs and different spaces. I’m always open to learning new ways to fold a sweater or purge 10 years of paperwork but in the end, the most important method I communicate to my clients is to trust the process. You can call that the Shelfie Method if you want 

SDS: When do people need home organization in their apartments?

SL: Always! But typically, people reach out to me when they’re feeling stress and anxiety from their space. This usually happens when people move to new homes, cohabitate, have babies, un-cohabitate, change jobs, etc.  Often times, I find myself in someone’s home when they are going through a life change, beginning a new chapter or closing the door on an old one. It’s pretty cool because I get to help people feel better at home while they deal with some of the biggest life changes they’ve ever had.  It’s a big part of why I love doing this so much. It’s satisfying at the end of my day knowing a 4-year-old girl can find her ballet shoes and isn’t pitching a fit to her 9-month pregnant mother trying to calm down a screaming two-year-old. It’s the simple things.

New York City is an exhilarating and vivacious place to live but it can also be extremely chaotic and exhausting.  New Yorkers need a calm and serene space to come home to and decompress. I love helping to create that.

SDS: What’s your personal favorite room to organize?

SL: I love organizing kids’ spaces because they truly make a positive impact on so many people. Many of the families I work with in the city have a housekeeper, nanny, babysitter, tutor, dog walker, etc. So the systems I put into place make a huge difference not only for the children and parents, but the whole crew.  Plus, kids always end up feeling super special when there’s a place carved out just for them to play and be creative. For smaller children, labeling their toys can help with learning to read and also teaches from an early age the value of an organized space.