This is Why You'll Love Katy's Organized Home

Katy Winter is a Westchester mother of three with an eye for design and home organization.

By Katy Winter April 3, 2020

When Katy Winter, a mother of three, moved to Chappaqua, she found herself constantly overwhelmed by clutter. While reorganizing her kids’ playroom, she realized that with her eye for design (she has a background in fashion marketing with stints at Adrienne Vittadini, Cole Haan, and Milly) and her simple pragmatic approach, she could help other parents organize their rooms and pantries. It wasn't long before friends were signing up and she had created a business streamlining her clients' homes and simplifying their lives. She then extended her talents into social media with a popular Instagram that inspires and motivates others to enjoy a more organized lifestyle.

Why follow Katy’s Organized Home? Who else is going to remind you to label that box you just stuffed a stray sock into? Katy is not only on it, she’s relatable, present, always coming up with new ways to be better.

Instagram | @katys_organized_home

Website | katysorganizedhome.com

What is a typical day for you?

I wake up early to eat breakfast with my middle school children. My husband handles food prep, while I help with hair and review everyone's schedules so that we are all in sync before our days begin. My 3½-year-old wakes up after the bigger kids leave and the breakfast routine begins again. We are out the door at 9am for his nursery school. I drop him off and head to a client's house to start working.

Sometimes I work one job and spend the balance of the day in the office and sometimes I have two jobs in one day or a full-day move. One of the things I love about my job is, it’s never the same. Every client is different, every house has different needs, and each job requires a bespoke approach.

My goal is to be home when my middle-schoolers get off the bus. Then I spring into parent mode to manage carpools, homework, activities, and playdates. We always eat dinner together and are super lucky that my husband is a great chef! My biggest challenge is catching up on office hours. I try to work on my writing, invoicing, and social media needs after dinner. I am so exhausted by the end of my day that I usually crash without any TV or wind-down time. It's also not unusual that I fall asleep before my children!?

What’s the best parenting advice you ever received?

My sister once told me: Parenting can be like a game of whack-a-mole. Once you get one kid’s issues resolved, the other kid pops out of the gopher hole. Parents are constantly troubleshooting. So we just roll with the punches and take one issue at a time, and I really try not to sweat the small stuff.?

What do you think is a parent’s hardest job?

To single out the hardest part of parenthood would be challenging. It brings me the most intense joy, but it’s also the hardest job around. Right now I am in the thick of middle school—these are awkward years! Life can be rough and bumpy, especially in middle school. It’s extremely hard to watch your kids suffer. We can’t protect our kids from everything. And a mother’s lioness instinct always surfaces, but it’s so important to empower your children to learn to stand up for themselves and find their own voice. Sometimes they just need us to listen and acknowledge, but don’t need us stepping in.??

What is the best thing about raising kids in the New York city area?

For my family it’s the theater! I love seeing plays, especially with my kids. And there is no theater like New York theater! We enjoy Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and local plays in Westchester.?