For those of you in the rest of the country, sunglasses are a seasonal object. Here in Los Angeles, not so much. We wear sunglasses all year round. And, the likelihood is, few of them make it back into their cases.
Mine usually end up piled on some cake stands I have displayed near my front door for easy grab and go. And it's a system that works. Sorta. They inevitably get scratched. Then, this weekend, while flipping through back issues of online decor magazine Covet Garden (I love their in-depth one house tour per magazine format), this pretty display and practical storage idea from Tomi and Karim's house in Issue 7 caught my eye. Not only does it keep the glasses from jumbling together and getting scratched, it's easy to see your whole collection at a glance.
Here cup hooks hold a length of white chain made from loops large enough to fit the arm of a pair of glasses. Similar chains, usually in white, black, gold and silver, can be found at your hardware store and cut to the length you need (allow for a little slack when measuring). While you could also use ribbon, string or other flexible materials to similar effect, this lets you separate your glasses so that they don't all jumble together and scratch the lenses.
image: Kim Jeffery
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I'm so happy to see this post, I was just googling 'creative sunglasses storage' two nights ago! This is a great idea!
It's not decorative but it's handy- over the door shoe storage bag. I have a very nice closet in my bathroom. I have a shoe storage bag on the inside that holds many many things including glasses. Clear plastic so I can find whatever I'm looking for.
And someone on this site used a towel bar in the bathroom.
Ok, I think the editor has missed the more important aspect of what's demonstrated in the photo: The visual catalog of the items in this woman's accessory closet! How many times have you forgotten about the perfect pair of shoes or out-of-season bag for a transitonal-season outfit because it was tucked away, out of sight?
Happens to me all the time! I had on the cutest not quite winter and not quite spring skirt ensemble and just couldn't find the perfect shoe -- and lord knows, with 50 pairs I really ought to have something that would work. With a heavy sigh an brushed aside some clothes that were concealing my transitional shoes and VOY-OLA! there were the PERFECT pair! Had I pasted snapshot of everything in my collection, this would have been a no brainer.
And speaking of spring, this is a perfect rainy-day weekend project.
This is a great idea. But as a side note... there IS sun year round in places other than LA ;) Sun bouncing off of snow + driving = painful. Sunglasses are year round for me!
ok, i'm a child of an optometrist.. this makes me totally cringe. put those glasses in their cases! ack! and please tell me you clean them with a soft cloth and not tissue, yes?
sorry, it's in my dna to be a freak about this.
that said, agreed with urbancricket, awesome photo catalog!
The most sunglasses are sold in Seattle... my hometown. I was reading about it in the Times not so long ago. I think it's probably because of all the overcast. I lived in California for a summer, sunlight (as far as comfort is concerned, not necessarily safety) is significantly easier on the eyes than a white, overcast sky. Sounds strange, but I promise you its true.
Why does anyone need that many pairs of sunglasses? OK, a pair for bright, sunny weather, a pair for driving, a pair for cloudy, overcast but glary days and then how many more does one need? I'm not the queen of mean, but really!
While I only own 1 pair of sunglasses, I have about 11 pairs of prescription glasses; I understand the issue associated with storage and accessibility. My solution: small Ikea towl rack for less than $3 hung in my bathroom next to the vanity. Just sling the glasses on there and they hang wonderfully.
@Betty I have about 15 pairs of sunglasses. Different shades for weather conditions, yes, but also some are "dressier", some are for sports or physical activity, a pair of polarized for when I'm around water, and a few that can be pushed up on my head without getting all caught in my hair.
I have one pair of "regular" glasses and one pair of sunglasses and Abby? I can assure you that, while I live in Minnesota and it does get dark here early, there is nothing brighter than the noon sun glancing off of a landscape of freshly-fallen snow. Yeah, it gets cold. Doesn't stop it from being bright.
Seasonal? I can't be the only one wearing sunglasses in February in Chicago. Snow + Sun = BLIND.
@Betty. To me that's like asking "Why does anyone needs that many pairs of shoes?" :P