Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

Beautiful boxes, a basket, and vintage suitcase provide ample storage and keep the color story consistent. A white stand near the door keeps umbrellas contained and readily accessible. The dark wall colors (love those stripes!) help the TV and DVD player"disappear" and keep them from being eyesores.

via lonny mag

Idea for the Kitchen: An Open Cubby Unit

Little bright spots of order can be transcendent, especially if they're resolved in a stylish way :-)

photo by jen siska via sunset magazine

You can tell everything in the cubby is purposefully there. With open units like that, belongings need to be edited down for it to look that good.

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

This week's beautifully organized space of the week is the home office of interior designer Melissa Warner.

Metal locker baskets with labeled tags contain and organize her many fabric swatches. The bookcase makes use of vertical space.

On the other end of the room, closet doors covered in a bold over-scaled poppy print wallpaper make the room feel lively and hide more storage. A skirted glass-topped table provides a surface on which to lay out swatches and plans for her designs, while a Lucite chair helps keep the space looking uncluttered by taking up little visual space.

images via House Beautiful

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

An unexpected closet in the master bath with a library ladder for reaching items stored in high shelves and cabinets.

home of jill robertson via design sponge

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

This week's beautifully organized space is from the home of interior designer and fellow design blogger Erica Cook. She keeps her makeup organized in sectioned drawer trays, her jewelry in beautiful boxes, and a few select pieces out to enjoy in perfectly styled vignettes that are free of clutter -only what she uses and loves:

images via moth design

Erica once suggested to me that her and I may be style twins. I'd definitely agree. We have similar taste and seem to be drawn to the same things (case in point: I also have amethyst rocks and tiffany boxes in little vignettes).

To check out how uber stylishly this mother of five boys lives, click on over to her blog Moth Design. She shares many other gorgeous shots of her uh-mazing home.

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

A lovely workspace with fabrics neatly folded and organized by color on low easy-to-access shelves and a large bulletin board for posting swatches, patterns and plans.

via relish small pleasures via blueprint magazine

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

I thought this was so wonderfully unique I had to share:

photo from a Japanese magazine via le club du style

A drawing (not a photograph!) of each pair of shoes to identify the contents of the boxes! Beautiful!

Portable Storage Baskets

A tote basket is a beautiful solution for containing and conveniently transporting files and/or project supplies from room-to-room.

image via domino

I'm loving these hand-woven fair trade imports from Tango Zulu:

From left to right: Water Hyacinthin Honey Large, Rectangular Bolga Basket in Natural Large, Oval Bolga Basket

P.S. You can also use 'em as market totes, magazine holders, picnic baskets...there's a multitude of uses!

Beautifully Organized Space of the Week

Cookbooks organized by color on open kitchen shelving and pans hung neatly on a rail.

Stunning Storage + New Lonny

pg 24-25 from Aug/Sept 2010 issue of Lonny

The new issue of Lonny is out and as always, it's brimming with great finds, beautiful inspiration, and useful tips. Go check it out!

Easy DIY: Magnetic Organizers

I came across this DIY on Creature Comforts I thought was a genius idea (dreamed up by an 11-year old girl!) and had to share on here.

Basically the idea is to repurpose old pretty tins and make them into magnetic organizers. Perfect for keeping pens, pencils, dry-erase markers, etc. handy. It's super easy to do -see the instructions here.

A Few More Things on Jewelry Organization

I found a few more things over the weekend I couldn't resist but share. First off, how gorgeous are these gold knobs? Perfect for creating a beautifully organized display of necklaces.

gold knobs available via Hygge & West $8

Second, how cool is this jewelry organizer?

nishka's niche jewelry frames $44

Nishka creatively thought outside the box and made these hanging frames, which she sells through her Etsy shop. I love that they're a step above a simple bulletin board and pushpins. The hooks are a practical solution for neatly holding not only necklaces and hanging earrings, but also bracelets, watches, and even a few rings.

Last but not least, I also wanted to post on here an idea a reader brought up. Stephanie of Sabbe Interior Design shared that last week's posts made her think of using a deviled egg platter to organize her jewelry. What a great idea! I bet that would work beautifully!

Jewelry Organization: Part 2

In the last post, I went over several options for organizing necklaces. Today I'd like to go over a few ideas for organizing the rest of your jewelry.

Along the sames lines as the bust statues and the mannequin dress forms, you can use a mannequin hand to hold and display rings and bracelets. This is perfect for people who are visually oriented and like to have their things out where they can see 'em.

L: photo by jose picayo; R: mannequin hand with movable joints so you can position it however you want!{$30}

L: ceramic hand jewelry stand {$18}; R: glass hand jewelry stand {$14}

An egg crate {as seen below} nice enough to leave out, is great at multi-tasking. Each little divided section is the ideal size for rings or earrings.

L: anthropologie farmer's egg crate {$14}; R: via domestic adventure

via young house love {sherry's closet}

I also love the idea of using a collection of beautiful decorative dishes. These are something you could keep a look-out for on trips to flea markets.

L: via martha stewart; R: via live creating yourself

Opt for smaller cups, that way you can only fit a few pieces of jewelry in each. The larger the dish, the more tempted you'll be to fill it up with more jewelry... which can in turn result in frustrating tangles.

via live creating yourself {alaina's dressing room}

If you'd like to put your jewelry away in drawers, make use of multi-compartment containers. They make pieces easy to locate and help ensure that earrings stay in pairs. Try a clear acrylic tray

L: photo by jose picayo featuring an acrylic jewelry tray {$19.99}; R: small clear jewelry organizer {$8.99}

or an inexpensive bead organizer {which you can find at most craft stores}

or my favorite, ice cube trays! You can find these anywhere and get 'em on the cheap. You can easily fit them in most drawers and, if you have the space, you can stack them.

L: via real simple; R: via blooming designs

With bracelets, you don't have to worry as much about keeping them compartmentalized. They can easily find a home on a decorative tray. Most are large enough that they won't get lost or tangled in the bunch {if you don't clutter the tray of course!}

via lonny mag

Keep in mind that you don't have to have everything out on display or everything put away in drawers. You can do both by having out the pieces you use most frequently and stashing the rest away in drawers. Try to rotate out pieces periodically. Most of us are more likely to reach for what we see in front of us and is most easily accessible. If you find yourself not rotating a particular piece {or pieces} to wear, assess whether it might be time to let it go and make space for something you will wear.

P.S. Email me if you decide to implement any of the ideas in this or the previous post-I'd love to see some reader before and afters!

Jewelry Organization: Part 1

While a dedicated storage armoire like the one below featured in Lonny {$540.00 here} is certainly a beautiful option for neatly storing and organizing a substantial jewelry collection, in this economy, its probably more than most of us are able and willing to shell out.

images via lonny mag

If your collection is large enough and your heart is set on an armoire, you can find more affordable pieces similar to the one above. Jen of MadebyGirl recently did a post featuring these alternatives with prices ranging from $259-369. You can also try your luck at finding a used one. I found this one in my local craigslist for $100 (asking price).

You can also outfit a dresser you already own with trays and dividers. If all your drawers are full, is could be a good opportunity {since you'll be motivated with a purpose!} to edit what's in there and free up some space ;-)

L: via domino magazine; R: stacking necklace organizer {$14.99}

If you don't already own a dresser, aren't looking to bring in a new piece of furniture into your space, and/or you're visually oriented and like to have things on display because for you out-of-sight means out-of-mind, there are several options.

In regards to organizing necklaces, you can try hanging them on a rod. This isn't my favorite of options however since it can be a bit tricky removing a necklace further down the rod without making a mess.

via lobster and swan

I like the idea of hanging a few on a lamp and integrating them as part of a styled vignette.

L: via lonny magazine; R: nate berkus via glamour magazine

Busts make a beautiful display and are a great way to enjoy your favorite necklace(s) when you're not wearing them.

home of michelle adams

The only downside is that it can be a challenge finding an inexpensive one {the one below right (8" tall) is $80}. I'd keep a look out for one at a flea market.

L: via blueprint magazine; R: Artemis bust from statues.com

Along the same lines, you can do like Kelly of the Glamouri and layer them on a mannequin.

via the glamouri

Hooks are my favorite option for organizing necklaces because they can be really inexpensive and if you put just one or two necklaces on each, there's little risk of creating any tangles.

L: via half of vahm; R: photo by Frances Janisch

via this is glamorous

I love the idea of using decorative hooks. You can find pretty ones here.

L: via domino magazine; R: via grahaman and green

Anna of In Honor of Design, made her own organizer using decorative knobs. The photo below shows her end result. Read about how she did it here.

via in honor of design

If you can't or don't want to put anything on the wall, you can use a "belt and tie rack" that can be hung in your closet, or alternatively one that can hung over-the-door.

L: classico horizontal tie and belt rack {$6.99} R: closetmaid over the door rack {$9.98}

Last but not least, another great inexpensive option is to use a bulletin board, which you can have out on display or, if you like to keep things out of sight, you can keep behind curtains

L: via real simple; R: via redbook

You can find cute boards covered in fabric and/or framed on Etsy or you can get crafty and make your own!

L: via high street market; R: via instyle magazine

Up next: organizing rings, earrings, and bracelets