With many of us working from home or just staying home more, we asked Chicagoans: How have you made your home more comfortable during the coronavirus pandemic? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“It’s been nearly impossible, but I didn’t overwhelm myself with thinking I had to do each and every room at the same time. I started small but big with my grandson’s room and his toys. I installed shelving and went as high as the ceiling would allow. Has he kept his toys on it? No, but it was a start. Baby steps. Secondly, I also took several loads of woman’s clothes to Pacific Garden Mission. ” — Marta Omarr
“We gave so many clothes and toys to local charities. The kids feel good for knowing they helped.” — Jeannette Wachewicz Valtierra
“We’ve added four pets. It hasn’t helped at all, but our house is a lot more cuddly.” — Scott Baker
“Cleaned closets, decluttered, rearranged furniture.” — Beth Johnson Gleeson
“I’ve drunk all the alcohol that was cluttering up my fridge.” — John O Shea
“I painted my home office a neutral color, changed the lighting and added sheer, modern curtains. The change from salmon-pink to a light gray made the room more peaceful and conducive to work. All clutter was removed from sight by added doors to bookcases.” — Christy Frazier
“We’ve added a baby and all the gear for the baby, so not at all. But there’s a whole lot of joy and love!” — Victoria Moore
Redid basement to make a 2nd home office. New floors and drywall, new paint and rugs, lots decluttering and reorganization. That prompted a reorg of utility room and other home office. Never would have done it without the pandemic -- it's been on our to-do list for years!
— Vintage by Kristen (@kudzuplanet) January 19, 2021
“More cluttered than ever with husband working at the dining room table, and an elliptical has been moved into the family room.” — Lisa Smith Youngdahl
“I have concentrated on cleaning areas that usually are avoided due to time constraints.” — Jo Ann Fields
“I’ve gotten rid of several things, bought a few pillows and a piece of art, rearranged, deep-cleaned. It feels good.” — Carol Ohana
“We painted walls, decluttered rooms, reassigned the purpose of rooms (e.g. we created a home gym, gave the kids their own spaces, etc.) and made the living room more inviting for us.” — Erika G Ayala
“Decluttered attic, basement and garage. Threw nothing out but gave it away to homeless and thrift stores.” — Mike Kessler
“I dispose of at least three useless things from each room that I enter, daily.” — Vickie Townsend
“With the help of my Sista friends, we have purged, discarded and donated to organizations and family friends items from the family home and my current residence. It has been a monumental ordeal.” — Dianne Baskin
“Cleaned closets, decluttered, rearranged furniture.” — Beth Johnson Gleeson
