Organizing inspiration for the new year

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Organized Closet - from House Beautiful Storage Book

I’m an organizing nut and have been for years.  I don’t believe that being organized means you have a minimalist looking home without piles.  As long as the piles are a system that works for you, and you can easily access everything, that’s what’s important.  My husband still thinks piles = mess, but it’s the way my brain works and he’s adjusted.

With the start of the new year, and fresh resolutions in many people’s minds, I figured I wasn’t the only one looking to purge and start fresh.  So with that in mind, here are some inspiring images of organized homes, beautiful built-ins, and tidy spaces.  

Some quick suggestions for lightening the load:

 -  Join a group like “freecycle” in your area to find a good home for your unwanted (but still in good shape) items.  You’d be amazed at what people post!  Craigslist also has a free items section.

 - Donate items to Salvation Army or Goodwill

 - Hospital waiting rooms could always use an infusion of magazines

Remember the cardinal organizing rule:  get rid of the things you no longer need or use BEFORE buying new storage containers because you don’t know what you’ll need to store until you’ve completed the shedding process. 

Kids' playroom - from Cottage Living

I like this room’s use of wall space over the TV for additional storage.  Notice that the furniture is all at the kids’ scale, including the TV stand/storage piece.

I think the long bed made from two twin mattresses is a great design solution, whether it’s a big bed for one kid who likes to have sleepovers, or it could work as a guest room/den solution. The storage below the bed and on the wall takes advantage of often wasted spaces.

Entry organization - cubbies

Entry ways are always a challenge, no matter how much space you can allocate to storage. I like this example’s mix of cubby sizes and use of baskets – 1 per family member or type of goods (ex. mittens and scarves vs. sports equipment) tends to work well.  

Kitchen Pantry with Reclaimed Door - from Eat In Kitchens by Leone

A well organized pantry (and spice rack) is my idea of happiness! I love this creative use of a shallow space to create a lot of functional storage while utilizing an interesting old door to add personality to the room.

I hope these images have inspired you to add a little more organization to your life and home. 

Tags: bedroom, closet, Kitchen, organization, playroom
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