We’re all in this together, right? In the last three weeks, we have seen the global Coronavirus Pandemic unfold. COVID-19 has taken over the news, our social media feeds, and our lives. New York City was told to completely ‘pause’ and stay home. It is more important than ever to social distance and to stay home as much as possible.

But as New Yorkers, we’re not used to spending that much time at home. We’re busybodies who like to get things done. So, in order to stay busy and help out others who are now on lockdown, our team put our heads together to create a simple guide on organizing and refreshing your space.

How to Refresh your Living Room

Now is the perfect time to pack up art or décor you’ve grown out of. If you’re not sure if you want to get rid of something, pack it up and see how you feel after not having it for a few months. — Leha Edwards

I found a couple of colorful, cheerful throw pillows on Etsy that would change up the feel of our living space. Realizing we were going to be spending so much more time at home, I figured it would finally be worth the splurge! — Claudia Kiss

I finally got around to organizing my bookshelf! The first shelf contains my favorite books in alphabetical order, the second shelf contains books I haven’t read yet — in order of old-new, and the third shelf holds books that I’ve already read in alphabetical order. — Gabrielle Cucinotta

My living room always feels complete when I have some warmth with candlelight. In my apartment we typically have one scented candle lit along with tea lights in our handblown glassbabies that were gifted to us. — Jennifer Broder

How to Refresh your Bedroom

Once we realized we were going to be at home for the near future, I asked my partner to buy us a new duvet for my birthday! It definitely feels like the right time to invest in your space. — Claudia Kiss

I actually went to my parents’ house for this whole thing to get out of the city and be with them - the first week or so I quickly got a little stir crazy and actually moved around some of the furniture in my room. It was a nice little refresh that was super easy and my whole room seems different now. Trying something new made it a little more exciting to work from home in here every day! — Maggie O’Brien

I bought several new candles so I always smell something nice! I especially recommend buying the wooden wick ones because they provide soothing white noise while you are focusing on your work. — Gabrielle Cucinotta

I am all for airing out my pillows. If the weather permits, I like to sun out my pillows. If not, I throw them in the dryer for a cycle. It helps to fluff them up a bit and keep them fresh. In the end, do what’s best for you! — Charisse De Los Santos

We recently refreshed our bedroom by taking away one piece of furniture to make it feel more spacious. We also recently bought two new bed sheet sets in a color that we’ve never had before - peach and white. In the past, we’ve always used standard whites, grays, and blacks. — Bianca Serafica

How to Organize your Bathroom

Start by decluttering and tossing any old items. Yes, everything has a shelf life! Check expiration dates. Nothing needs to live ‘on’ the sink. If you have multiple roommates, try assigning a shower caddy to each person. The products can be stored in everyone’s individual room and only be taken to the bathroom when needed. Use over the door organizers and special command hooks to store items discreetly on the inside of cupboard doors. — Leha Edwards

I recently moved into a new apartment, so this gave me the opportunity to really go through my stuff and throw away anything I don’t need or use. This was especially necessary for my tiny bathroom with minimal storage space. Now, I can fit all my essentials on one shelf and it feels great to not have to worry about clutter! — Olivia Tedesco

We keep our beach towels in our bathroom and we have SO MANY - so we went through them and donated ones we did not need to local animal shelters. — Gabrielle Cucinottaa

How to Brighten a Small Space

Open windows! This may sound pretty obvious, but I have found that during this time when we’re supposed to be minimizing our outdoors time, it makes a noticeable difference to my attitude and mental health by just letting in some natural light and fresh air! — Olivia Tedesco

Plants, plants, plants! The B Floral team is known for our love of plants but they really do make such a huge difference - especially in a small space! We have plants placed throughout our apartment, making each room feel brighter and more ‘alive!’ — Claudia Kiss

The way that I bring light into my house is by using these amazing shades that transform from ‘blackout to transparent.’ On sunny days the first thing that I do is go around and make sure they are all transparent and letting the sunshine in! — Jess Cusick

How to Organize your Beauty Supplies

To keep my lipstick in order, I have them in a nice storage container so I am able to see whichever colors I want to use. For my nail polish, I like to keep them organized by color so it’s easy to see what shades I have to work with. — Charisse De Los Santos

No matter how much I try to purge, I always seem to have a large number of beauty supplies floating around my bathroom cabinets. To get this under control, I put all items out in the middle of my floor and made three piles – expired/time for the garbage, giveaway pile (if it hasn’t been used, of course), and finally the keep pile. I then organized the keep pile by category (ex: eyes, lips, cheeks, tools, brushes, etc.) and put them into individual cosmetic cases – gosh knows I have plenty of those! My biggest tip is to do this once every three months – you will be surprised how many items you don’t use and need to be tossed or given away! — Jennifer Broder

How to Organize your Workspace + Paperwork

I love using post-its to keep organized. I also tend to keep all of my paperwork in different colored folders. Examples: “upcoming events” and “potentials”; all the paper paperwork for each job is kept together with a paper clip or binder clip - that way everything is there when I am working on one project. — Maggie O’Brien

I purchased a file folder box and labeled each folder with a different category. My folders have fun floral patterns to keep things interesting and every once in awhile I purchase new folders to keep it fresh. Having a centralized location for all papers makes it easy to find receipts, medical records, manuals, warranties, etc. Most things are digital nowadays, but you will be surprised when your printed receipt or warranty comes in handy! — Jennifer Broder

I love using binders at home. I have tons of binders and clear sheets for filing; you can never have enough! here are so many categories! I also love adding the colorful tabs on them and labeling each sheet. — Bianca Serafica

How to Organize your Digital Files

I started using Google photos to organize all of my images. This enables me to delete the images from my phone and free up much-needed space! With Google Photos, you’re able to organize all of the images by albums and also locate certain photos through the ‘smart’ searching tool. Google Photos gives users free, unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels and videos up to 1080p resolution. — Claudia Kiss