I'm not sure why I think of these shelves as Scandinavian (wood + white? Ikea?) but I always have and that makes me happy. Built for me of gorgeous repurposed wood and cheap white bins, they hold all my past, future, and current projects, paperwork, and more...

• The hardwood shelves are so pretty and rich they always remind me of the top of a piano. The were bought for a song at Building REsources, and painfully schlepped home on buses. Not fun, but so worth it.
• I first bought just a few of the white bins from Ikea to see how I liked them- they worked and stacked great, so I trekked back on BART and the Emery-Go-Round for as many of them as I could carry. I can't seem to find these particular bins on Ikea's website, so I hope I never need more of them!
• I've tried so many different labels and stickers. Either they left residue when I needed to change them, or were discontinued when I needed more, or just annoyed me. I recently started using brown packing tape and really like it so far. It peels off cleanly, and my 60yard roll should last...forever.
• Finally, the perfect spot for all my magazines: a stack of recent Martha Stewart Livings, a stack of "vintage" Martha Stewarts bought at Community Thrift for 25cents each, and a stack of Vogues.
• The bins on the top shelf are where I stash all the larger and more plentiful things: overflowing embroidery supplies, Print Gocco and inks, etc.
• I keep a little stepladder at the ready for reaching the top shelf.
• I try to always have a couple empty bins, ready to accommodate new projects. It gives me a spot to start collecting materials before beginning, without cluttering up my work table. In theory, at least!

Images: Tess Wilson