Organizational Ease

ShelfGenie provides a customized solution for each home

By McKenzie Watson-Fore    »    Photos by Chris Marley

For Lynn Traxler, 2021 was an incredibly difficult year. She suffered through a sudden family loss, and just a few months later, the Marshall Fire took her home. Lynn moved her family in with her father, which put her in the position of caregiving for both her children and an aging parent. When it came time to design her new kitchen, Traxler was eager to finally do something fun. She even took a friend along—but their outing wasn’t the bright spot Lynn had been hoping for. “The people who designed the kitchen cabinets were not very nice to me,” she says. “There was decision overload, for sure.” She went along with the designer’s suggestions, but when she moved into the new house, the kitchen wasn’t as functional as it could be. 

When she saw an ad for ShelfGenie on Facebook, she reached out to business owner and Louisville resident, Ben Levy, hoping for a better experience than she had with her first set of kitchen designers. This time, she wasn’t disappointed. “I really appreciate Ben,” she says. “He talked me through different options based on what I wanted to spend, and when it came time for install, it was a very quick process.”

ShelfGenie is a franchise business with around 60 owners throughout North America. The company offers innovative, glide-out drawer-based organization solutions that can be customized for kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and now closets and hobby spaces. Ben first learned about ShelfGenie when his parents used the company to update their high-rise condo kitchen in Seattle. “I got to see how much they loved it and how it really transformed their lives,” Ben says. The glide-out drawers maximize storage space and improve visibility and access. “For people who are aging in place, it makes it possible for them to stay in their kitchen,” he explains. “They can keep cooking. They can access their cabinets. They can get to their pots and pans without getting on their hands and knees.”

The shelving is made of high-quality hardwood designed to last. Multiple colors are available so customers can match the existing cabinetry. All of the manufacturing is handled by the franchise, everything is made in the United States, and the company guarantees a lifetime warranty on all products. 

For Ben, meeting with customers and working with them to arrive at solutions is one of his favorite parts of the job. “I don’t prescribe what I’m designing,” he says. Every solution is custom-designed with the customer to find a flow that fits their space and habits. Every person, family, and home is different, and ShelfGenie seeks to present a solution that fits with a client’s needs and values. “The design appointment is about learning what’s important to you and what it looks like for you to use your space,” Ben says. At the core of his work is a commitment to listening to his customers and designing solutions that are right for them. 

Kitchens are the most common place for a ShelfGenie intervention. Still, Ben has recently expanded to offer closet organization systems and custom-built-ins, such as in a mudroom or laundry room. “I love the creativity of closets,” Ben says. “There are so many possibilities.” After the initial meeting, he creates an interactive 3D model of the proposed solution, which he and the client fine-tune together. “It turns into a group effort,” he says. Because clients are so involved in the design process, they develop ownership of the new organizational system, which is critical to its long-term effectiveness. 

Tackling clutter and developing better storage can feel like insurmountable chores, but there are tools—and people—who can help. ShelfGenie is a business member of the National Organization of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO), which allows them to work closely with professional organizers, many of whom have their own organizing specialty. “Our services really complement that industry,” Ben says. “I love it when I get referrals from an organizer who knows a client can benefit from our product. For all three of us to work together is one of the biggest home runs.” 

For Lynn, ShelfGenie helped her love her kitchen again. “I can see what I have now!” she says. She uses her fancy dinner plates and decorations more now that she remembers she has them. “I love the ease of not having to crouch down. Everything’s very smooth. ShelfGenie really did a nice job. It was money well spent.” 

For more information, visit shelfgenieboulder.com.