Spaces Transformed Even with the luxury of two overlap months between leases, I began to scramble and then panic on my way to the finish line of last summer's move. After three years of thrifting, antiquing, internet orders, employee discounts, home improvement and craft projects, and, most recently, family heirlooms.... I began to panic. "Am I a hoarder??" I asked myself. As a creative type, I had definitely driven my live-in boyfriend of 1.5 years to wits end. "Every time you walk into a room, it's like you leave the aftermath of a tornado for me to pick up after you. I feel like I'm living in another person's dream," he conveyed via Gmail (in the way that those of type A persuasion tend to do). This move was supposed to be a fresh start. An attempt to accommodate our incompatibilities and find sensible solutions to our clashing lifestyles. ENTER Dan Loya - The Organizer Initially, Dan came into the picture in my hour of need. Not knowing what else to do, I'd done a quick Google search for professional organizers within Philadelphia. And after several calls, I landed on Dan and the rest is history. Not only was he highly qualified (member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) & a masters degree in Organizational Psychology), he happened to live steps away from my new address. He also has a great appreciation for fine arts because he worked in the blue chip art industry in Los Angeles. Since I'm a young person with fairly new involvement in the art world, we hit it off right away. Well mannered, patient, sensible and extremely skilled in problem solving are the first things that come to mind when I think of our time working together. Although the list goes on.... creative, honest yet tactful and sensitive to the wants, needs and priorities of his clients are also things that come to mind. Working with Dan has been like a crash course in Life Skills. To take it even further, he has been a helpful hand, empathetic ear, voice of reason and excellent coach for behavior modification. And that is the most valuable when investing in an organizer. If you are looking to build a relationship with someone who can truly make a difference in the functionality of your living space, advise on clashing styles of cohabitation, and coach you on your decision to make the ultimate shift into a more effective way of living, physically and digitally... look no further. Dan Loya of Spaces Transformed has been a pleasure to work and lunch with. Here's to being organized! read more

I had just moved across the country and ended up having my 80 year old mother living with me which wasn't part of the plan. I was faced with trying to merge two households into a small but gorgeous space, and my living room had boxes piled high - almost reaching the 10 foot ceilings. I also had a very busy and demanding work schedule. As someone who needs to be organized and know where things are - this situation was not helping my mental health. A colleague at worked mentioned organizers, I had never heard of such a thing, but I contacted Dan. Dan is an incredibly patient, non-judgmental, get it done (sans pressure) kind of a guy. I literally felt paralyzed every time I looked at all those boxes. Dan just dove right in and helped me figure out what to keep - he told me it was like shopping for the best stuff without having to spend any money - that appealed to me. :-) I felt like my mom and I literally wouldn't fit in the space we had (my mother had been living in a house for 50 years). But, with Dan's help we got it done and found a place for everything. Every time Dan came to see me I felt 10 pounds lighter as we made consistent progress. Dan has great advice for practical things - like paperwork which I'm never sure what to do with. He was great with my mom who really can't hear and had some questions about old family letters and photos from the early 1900s. He also changed how I think about things - he made me realize (for me) too much clutter makes me feel encumbered. I now take the time to buy things I really like - even if they cost a bit more, because they are taking up physical space in my life. I finally managed to let go of things I had bought but really didn't like that much, but felt guilty because I had spent money on them. I wasn't sure what this whole organizing thing was about, but I highly recommend it if you want to make your home more functional. Dan has so many suggestions that helped me, and he's a lovely person to spend some time with - you won't regret it, it's money well spent! read more

"At first I thought Dan was going to tell me what to throw away and what to keep, but then I quickly realized that decisions were solely mine based on what was important to me. Dan was VERY patient in helping me to de-clutter my space. I never felt rushed or pressured in the organization process. Dan allowed me ample time to make determinations as to what I should keep, give or throw away. "Whatever works best for you" was the phrase Dan used throughout the organizing process, reminding me that my bedroom should be functional according to my needs. Dan helped me to recognize ways to optimize my limited storage space. He also had great recommendations for products within my budget that would help me stay organized. After we finished, I was proud of how my bedroom looked and felt sense of calm. In the end, I am so happy with the finished product and very much enjoyed working with Dan!" read more

Let me tell you something Dan is the organizing man! I was so overwhelmed and felt so much anxiety about organizing my house that my plan was to hire an organizer help them initially and leave them to do the brunt of the work. I am so glad I stayed hands on during the whole process. Dan was super flexible with scheduling, very professional and personable, and a great teacher. I learned so many techniques on organizing I felt empowered to take on some of the organizing on my own in between sessions. Dan felt like my teammate and accountability partner for plowing through what seemed to be a daunting task. He even helped me get rid of an unnerving house pest! When we were done I literally felt mentally clear and spiritually lighter. If you are looking to get organized I would highly recommend you get Dan. read more

I started working from home a year and half ago. I had set-up a spare room as my home office but found myself always working in the living room because my office quickly became the room of endless piles of paperwork to review. After working with Dan, we created a few key systems to get my office working for me! There was no more piles of paper on the floor, I could see my desk, and actually locate important documents that I had filed away. Dan also helped me with a few other problem areas. We reorganized my pantry and I'm happy to say its still organized and de-cluttered. Same with my spice cabinet. I had several of the same kinds of spices that I had bought because I wasn't sure what was in my spice cabinet. We also tackled my 5 year olds bedroom. Dan helped engage my kiddo in the process so it was fun for him. Dan helped him identify the things in his room that were important to him and they were able to find everything (books, artwork, toys, etc) a place. Thanks Dan and Spaces Transformed!! read more

I decided to read all of the reviews before committing to permanency what I already knew I would write. Every review here is more than accurate except to say that Dan saved me! I'm sure everyone who has used his services feel as I do. I moved from an enormous 5plus bedroom house after a divorce to a very small 3 bedroom row-home. I was working full time and had recently lost my mother. I had no ones help and was truly alone in this all consuming endeavor. I don't even recall how I thought to look up an "organizer". But, thank heavens I did! To say that Dan is a savior would be an understatement, a lack of acclamation of his services. He is, in my opinion, no less than a paragon of perfection in his field. I say this because in many respects, he truly saved me...at a time when I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what was upon me and absolutely no time to complete what needed to be accomplished. Dan not only calmed me in every sense but showed me a better way to tackle life by being organized. I could certainly go through the details and minutiae of his accomplishment as it relates to his services and my move. However, it would be insufficient because he did much more than organize me and the move. He changed my perspective on the virtues of being organized. He did that without me even realizing it! I now have a neat office (he's been back to assist many times since the April move) with a mail system, neat and orderly closets, but most of all, a place for everything!! I loved shopping with him, btw, at The Container Store! Every suggestion he made turned out to be remarkably useful! I am, by nature, unorganized and it stresses me to the core. However, despite my repeated attempts through the years, to change that behavior, I have been unsuccessful. Daniel has evoked real change...an example...and I will close. My son needed to have a physical in order to try out for a sport at school. At the last minute, we found out that we could get one at CVS. In order to supplement the CVS physical, I wanted to add my son's 2016 physical from the pediatrician. In previous years, I would have entered my home office and been looking for the document for hours. Probably, I would have given up (it has happened this way many times with other things). However, this time, I entered the office and went right to my son's folder and had the 2016 document in seconds! I cannot state what that small thing did for me...not only did it save me from hours of looking for something but it showed me that I had, with Dan's help, changed my habits and literally seen and witnessed a remarkable change: A change that I NEVER, EVER thought possible! While, I never write reviews of this length, I had to this time. I hope you read it and don't hesitate to hire this genius of a man!! He's my idol!!! read more

I would recommend Dan's services to anyone! I called for his help just recently, as I had started a new job, moved after living 6 years in one place and was feeling really overwhelmed with my new job (and 2 part time jobs). I started feeling like I needed to come home to some clarity and organization which I just didn't have time for but always tried to prioritize. Dan was very patient and a wonderful coach. He taught me tons of skills and how to decrease my clutter in a way that felt mindful of my emotional attachment to things but gave me that validation/support to get rid of things that needed to go! He was also very helpful in coming up with various systems for things that previously always drove me crazy like paperwork, mail and filing systems that were previously the bane of my existence. With some clear and workable tips, I now feel that I have a system for these things and capable to uphold it on my own. In not even 10 hours working with him I was able to get rid of (donate) BAGS of clothes/shoes/misc. and create useful systems for what I have remaining. I found pricing affordable and honest and tried to think of it like getting a trainer at the gym....you could work out on your own, but when you pay for a trainer you get coached, tips and support to focus on your goals - Working with Dan felt like that to me and was well worth the fee! read more