 by Jane McClure, Interior Designer
When Is Enough, Enough?
Arguably among the most interesting of the points made in the "Underwear Factor" is that in-home hemodialysis requires approximately 51 square feet of space for the medical supplies, dialysate solution, and associated paraphrenalia.
| The before (top picture) and after (bottom) pictures of a bathroom that has had the storage solutions refined, using reorganized existing storage space, with the addition of an IKEA cart on casters. |
Or, as Bill Peckham, former Chairman of the Board of the NW Kidney Centers and infamous founder of the "From the Sharp End of the Needle" website terms it, "the logistical tail."
To put it in perspective, visualize slicing a bedroom like you would a rectangular 8-layer cake. Cut the cake into 5 equal slices. One slice of the cake represents the amount of storage needed, or approximately 1/5th of the space in an average bedroom floor to ceiling.
How much room are you really going to need for your in-home dialysis treatment and where, oh from where, will the space for your "logistical tail" materialize?
Most average homes are not blessed with an abundance of closet space. This is particularly true of homes built prior to the '80's. And even if your home is a more recent model, odds are you have plenty of things filling those shelves, nooks and crannies, whatever the heck a cranny is? Regardless, if you have one, I'm sure it's full.
In "The Underwear Factor", I've tried to jostle your thinking from preconceived notions of what constitutes "storage" space and room usage. Finding and re-utilizing existing space is the absolute least expensive way of getting your storage needs met. We are creatures of habit. As such it's easy to become "stuck" in a particular mindset. We simply stop seeing our existing space as anything other than as it currently is.
At Arrange2Live our mission is to help you get unstuck when it comes to seeking out new storage options. We'll explore ideas that may seem unconventional, but are designed to help deal with the storage issues in-home dialysis brings. The ideas put forth here, however, are not designed to permanently impact the home. The point is, to keep your home's interior life as functional, practical and attractive as possible.
I will continue to add new ideas, pictures, resources and drawings to this site from time to time. Let me know how you've transformed your dialysis space to make it more attractive and comfortable. Send your digital pics and I'll post them on this web site.
Enough is enough when you can open a closet door and not be buried in an avalanche of stuff. When drawers open easily and you can see all the contents without rifling through it for 5 minutes. When clutter can be stowed quickly in a place where it's hands-on ready for you the next time you need it, and out of sight when you don't. Enough is enough when setting up for your home dialysis run becomes a seamless exercise in functionality and organization.
Let's arrange to live the best life possible.
For more information on solving your Design Dilemmas,
check out Jane's Blog, Arrange with Jane.
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