When she was a kid, her room was a mess. 

But now that Julie Boynton is grown up, things are different. Quite different, in fact. 

The Barrington resident has built her own business that is focused on helping people organize their homes. It is called “Best Nest by Julie” and it is something she cares greatly about. 

“I think a lot of people, when they walk into their house it’s just, to them it’s a chaotic mess they just can’t get on top of. So that’s why I’m here,” Boynton said. “Whether you’re super-busy in your career and you don’t have the time, or you don’t have the energy, or you’re just overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start, I feel like sometimes all it takes is a person coming in and saying ‘Hey, let’s try this.’”

Boynton is that person. 

The Barrington native — her maiden name is Ruggieri, and she was a standout student-athlete during her days at Barrington High School — had the idea for her business shortly after she and her husband had their second child. Starting a family, she said, comes with a lot of “stuff.” Finding a proper place for those things (or deciding which items stay and which ones go), is where she found a niche.

Boynton said she finds clarity and peace in organizing things.

“It clears the mental clutter in your mind,” she said. “Everything in your house has a place. It just seems much more peaceful and calm (when everything is in its place). If you have these basic systems in place, it’s so much easier to clean up at the end of the day.”

Boynton said starting her own business has not been easy, but she has enjoyed the work. She built a website and is now focused on marketing. She has a strong social media presence.

“Not only am I focused on the stay-at-home mom and the overwhelmed mom, but a lot of my clients have lived in their houses for 20-plus years and you just accumulate all this stuff. And if you have kids… I still have stuff at my parents’ house — it just takes so much time. There’s also such an emotional component. Sometimes you just need that person to say, ‘This was very sentimental to you 15 years ago, but we’ll donate it to a great home. We can say good-bye.’”

Best Nest launched in September and she continues to navigate the unique business landscape. She quickly learned how personal it can be organizing someone’s home. 

“Some people are embarrassed to contact you,” she said. 

Boynton recently started working with local real estate offices. 

“No matter your occupation or your age, I truly believe that everyone deserves to live a life of simplicity and peace. And when you walk into your house, you want to be happy that you’re home and you want to be able to find things easily,” she said.