Archive for bed
4 Tips for Bedroom Organization
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my readers asked for ideas to organize and contain bedroom clutter. Her husband’s shirts are bursting from the dresser drawers and the room is full of furniture.
The bedroom, of all places in your home should be a place where you can go to relax and find a little peace. If your bedroom is cluttered or chaotic, then it can be impossible to begin and end your day with a feeling of calm. Let’s take a looks at 4 easy tips for clearing the space and keeping things easy to find.
1. SORT through your clothing and accessories. Keep out of season clothing in storage, either under the bed or in a basement. Rotating through your clothing can be time consuming, but it allows the opportunity to get rid of clothing you don’t wear and reduces what you have in your dresser drawers.
2. THINK about placement of clothing as you return it to the drawers. Shirts go together and place them by color to make them easier to find. For example, all short sleeved blue shirts belong together. Utilize drawer organizers for socks, shirts and underwear to separate clothing. I’ve assembled a nice collection for you at Pinterest.
3. EXAMINE your room to see if you have the right furniture for the job. Some furniture is big, bulky and does not have efficient storage space. Adding big furniture to a room may not be the right solution for your space. Eliminate two bulky pieces and replace with one more efficient solution. Armoires can be incredibly versatile pieces to consider as you look at your space. I have some examples below of using furniture in new ways. The armoire for accessories is very clever and shows just how versatile certain furniture can be.
4. CLEVER spots for organizing your things do exist. Under the bed, behind the door, hooks shelf dividers can be utilized to make items easy to find.
I always like to leave you with a little inspiration to begin your project.
Source: marthastewart.com via Kristin on Pinterest
Small Space Organizing
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my readers had asked that I address organizing ideas for small spaces. My greatest piece of advice is to live within the space. This means that if you are living in a small space, you’ll have to make some sometimes difficult choices about how much you can REALLY keep. I live in a small space and just a few weeks ago I made the decision to give up my microwave. I rarely used it and the decision that I made was that the space was more important than the appliance. I like my home to look “clutter free” and so this means regularly weeding through and purging what I don’t need. Small spaces can be wonderful but they can at times take a little work and creativity.
There are some other things you can do to help organize your small space;
I love Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions. The book is packed with ideas and photos of small spaces and how to work with them. She tackles entryways, kitchens and more. I also recommend checking in on the blog, Jewel Box Home. The site is devoted to small spaces and she comes up with some lovely ideas.
Remember to use your vertical space. I have a very small kitchen, so I had my husband install wire shelving all around the top – close to the ceiling. It gives me a lot of extra storage space and I use clear bins for storage to keep it from looking too heavy and cluttered.
Get creative. Utilize the space behind doors, (or even above them). Use space under the bed and under furniture to store items that are not frequently used. I have some good under bed Savvy Finds here as well.
Take a look at your closet space. Perhaps a better design would allow you to use the space more efficiently. I’ve done a few posts on closets that can help create space. Check out my post on Smaller hangers and Spring Cleaning for some quick and inexpensive fixes.
Use hooks! Wall space is not always used to the greatest potential.
Go paperless. If you don’t have room for a full office, invest in a scanner and keep everything digital. Bills, receipts, all the paperwork currently taking up prime real estate can be scanned in and then shredded and discarded.
Here is some small space inspiration to get you started;
Source: furniture-for-small-spaces.com via Natalie on Pinterest
Source: heart-space.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest
Spring Cleaning – Tackle the Closet
Posted by: | CommentsLet’s continue along the road to spring cleaning bliss and tackle the linen closest. I did a post last year giving ideas on how to clean up and organize your closet. This year I’m going to show you some wonderful photos of organized linen closets and hopefully you’ll see something that might work for your home! Remember a few simple tips as you get started;
1. Consider only having two sets of sheets for each bed. One on the bed and one in the closet.
2. Your linen closet is not a beauty supply store. There is no need to stock up on EVERYTHING. Keep a spare soap, toothpaste or toothbrush but you don’t need 10 of everything!
3. A few spare towels are fine, 20 are probably not necessary. Weed through, find the tattered towels and use them for rags.
Here is a great example using a few of the tips I discussed in my previous post. Neat tricks like rolling towels and using bins to separate items. I love how they’ve used towel bars on the door to utilize all the space efficiently.
Source: franceslivesay.com via Jen on Pinterest
If you take a good look you’ll notice that this closet is not very deep. However, they found slender storage bins to fit the space and the whimsical way they’ve labeled them makes the closet “pop”.
Source: kristenmcashan.com via Marissa on Pinterest
Here is a great solution for an open closet. The beautiful baskets hide the contents but the open tops make it easy to see what’s inside.
Source: countryliving.com via Leslie on Pinterest
Motivation for the Week
Posted by: | CommentsI admit it – I was exhausted this morning. I wanted to complain about going through the morning routine. Make the beds, put away the dishes, wash the clothes. Then it struck me, there are thousands of moms in Japan right now that would be grateful to have their morning chores back. They’d love to have the simple pleasure of being in their own kitchen making breakfast and washing dishes. What they wouldn’t give to have a load of laundry and their own washing machine. It would be a pleasure to make their bed and scrub the floors.
I’m motivated now, what about you?
The artwork below is from group of international artists realized paintings and drawings dedicated to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The works are part of an open project called Tsunami, Des Images pour le Japon. The artist is Fanny Blanchet.
Art by Fanny Blanchet http://nynille.canalblog.com/
Get the Lowdown – Clever storage ideas
Posted by: | CommentsThere are plenty of opportunities around the home to find simple and creative storage solutions. One idea to consider is UNDER…
- Under the bed
- Under a table
- Under chairs or other furniture
Here are some ideas for what to store and where;
- Store a spare set of sheets and towels for company under the guest bed.
- Store a blanket in a cute wicker bin under a living room table or chair.
- Store wrapping paper, bow and bags in a tote under a bed. Keep a roll of tape and some scissors in there as well and you’ll have a complete and contained wrapping station.
- Use a trunk or other box under a work table for storage. Keep spare office supplies or projects out of sight but handy.
- Store toys or out of season kids clothing under their beds.
- Out of season shoes – under a bed.
I’ll be back on Friday with some Savvy Finds for under bed storage. In the meantime, here are some inspiring photos from House Beautiful and Country Living with creative storage UNDER…
Under a table with a creative cover (House Beautiful)
Under a kitchen counter (House Beautiful)
Simple basket for storing blankets under a table or counter (House Beautiful)
Beautiful under bed storage. You can also use something a simple as a plastic or wicker tote (House Beautiful)
Under the sink (Country Living)
Under the bench (Country Living)
Perfectly Savvy Finds
Posted by: | CommentsHappy Friday!
Your Savvy Finds this week feature some organizing options for your many pairs of Jimmy Choo’s, (or in my case it is more like Jimmy Chew, Clarks and Dansko). These options will work for any budget, so corral them and make it easy to find them.
First up is a cloth organizer that can hang in your closet. I am NOT a fan of using these for shoes because they get dirty and are then hard to clean. However, these are fantastic for storing accessories like scarves, purses and belts.
Next up is the over the door shoe corral. This option features a buyer beware. Make certain it is sturdy. Also, the cloth options are very difficult to clean, sometimes rip and often don’t hold shoes well. I like the option below because of how it supports the shoe facing inward.
The 3 tier holder is wonderful. It takes up very little spaces and accommodates a large number of shoes. A two thumbs up from yours truly on this find.
As we continue clockwise you’ll see a little under the bed option. I think that under bed storage for out of season shoes is a wonderful use of space. Clear shoe cubbies would also work for under the bed storage.
Next up a sleek little shoe cabinet that can discreetly store your shoes and would be easy to wipe out.
Last but not least, if you do have some high-end heels the drop front shoe box will keep your “kicks” in great shape.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Kristin
