We used to leave our cell phone (and other) chargers out on the kitchen counter. Drove me bonkers. I finally found a solution that has made a big difference, and it was so simple! You can read about it over at A Brooklyn Limestone, as part of her Junk Drawer Overhaul series.
I’ve shown you how I’ve rearranged my dining room hutch full of white ceramics before, but I hadn’t ever shown my process. So here’s how I do it… I start with the big items first. You can’t shoehorn them in at the end anyway, and if you start with a pleasing arrangement the rest will fall into place.
Obviously I have such a hodgepodge of items that a symmetrical layout isn’t an option for me (though I do love symmetry). I work around that by making sure that the overall layout is visually balanced. For example, see that open lattice-work square in the bottom left? That gets balanced out by the votive holders on the right middle shelf and the scallops of the vintage cake stand on the top left.
I add all the little bits and bobbins that I love at the end. Admittedly they can make the arrangement a little cluttered, so I do edit them down some. Not all of my pieces made it back in, but I tend to rearrange things often so they’ll be back next time.
I love having the built-in hutch to display everything. I wasn’t so sure about it when we moved in, but I’ve since embraced it. I’m still undecided about the beadboard (paint it or leave it natural?), but I’m going to live with it for a while before I choose. It ties in the wood floors and our wood dining set, and the contrast is nice with all of the white. I’ve pinned fabric to the back many times before, so that’s always an option as well. Besides, closing the doors gives the whole thing a bit more polish. Doesn’t everything always look better behind glass?
Organizing the catch-all closet in my office was one of the tasks on my 30 Before Thirty list (item number 12).
It’s hard to tell, but one of those bookshelves was already there along the back of the closet. I put it against the right side instead and brought up one more from the basement. All of my copies of Lucky and Blueprint (along with a few other magazines and catalogs) fit along one shelf.
Winter gloves, hats, and scarves are in the pink box on top of the bookshelf. There are also hooks above the shelves to hang a few things.
I gathered my many IKEA shopping bags into one big bag (the red one), and corralled the rolls of vintage wallpaper into a big plastic container. The green and white bag holds some random decorative knickknacks.
The coats are still hung along the left wall, along with my wedding dress at the back.
The end result isn’t as pretty as my bedroom closet, but it’s so much better than it was. I didn’t spend any money either, though I would have liked to have all new, coordinating storage boxes. Some day I do plan to replace that bare light bulb, but that can wait for now.
Have you tackled any similar projects lately (or are you going to now)? It’s not fun while you’re in the middle of working, but it’s so nice when you’re done!
I had a few hours to work on the office closet while Eleanor was being watched yesterday afternoon, but it was not enough time to finish. I thought I could continue after putting Eleanor to bed, but no. She’s teething, getting five teeth at once (four of them molars), so she has been a wee bit cranky.
Still, the closet is looking so much better already from using the organizational odds and ends that I already had. Here’s a little inspiration though to check out while I continue working… How gorgeous are these Stockholm files? Lovely.
