Organizational Upgrades That Will Make You Feel Like a Totally New Person
Raise your hand if you’re still using storage products that you’ve had since college… or at least, ones that look like they should be in a dorm room. (Don’t worry—I’m right there with you). They’ve done a great job at serving their purpose, but you don’t need to hold onto them forever. Sometimes even the tiniest change can have a huge impact on your home’s style, and you owe it to yourself to have an organizational system that’s as beautiful as it is functional.
Ready for some small (but still totally major) upgrades? Here are some ideas to consider.
If you use a makeup bag, try:
An acrylic cosmetics organizer
An acrylic organizer like the one above ($12.99) will look stylish and tidy on your counter or vanity, and you’ll never have to search through a packed makeup bag again. And if you own a lot of makeup, try a similar option with drawers for neatly storing all of your products in one spot.
If you use a plastic pocket shoe organizer, try:
A structured shoe rack
Those over-the-door plastic pocket organizers for shoes do come in handy, but they’re not exactly the most stylish solution. Upgrade yours with an over-the-door shoe rack that’s more structured, like the one above from The Container Store (available for $39.99). Bonus: it’ll hold way more shoes than those pockets can.
If you use plastic drawer carts, try:
Decorative storage bins
Instead of using plastic storage cabinets like those from your dorm room past, try using a cube storage cabinet decked out with stylish baskets, as seen above on IKEA. Or, if you’re looking for something that still has the same functionality as those rolling plastic carts, try a more stylish alternative like this rolling nesting bin from Pottery Barn (available for $49.99).
If you use hooks to hang your towels, try:
An over-the-door towel rack
Hooks can come in handy, but if you’d prefer your bath towels to look a little neater hanging in the bathroom, try swapping them out for an over-the-door metal towel rack, like the one above from Amazon (available for $21.99). It’s sturdier, looks sleeker, and it’s totally rental-friendly.
If you use a plastic laundry basket, try:
A divided lidded hamper
Laundry baskets may get the job done, but if you want a laundry solution that you won’t want to hide in your closet, consider investing in a lidded hamper with dividers, like this one from Pottery Barn (available for $179). It’ll look more stylish wherever you keep it in your home, and the dividers make it easier to separate clothes from the get-go. When it’s time to wash, just pull out the cloth totes from the bin—a sleeker look and an easy laundry routine.
If you use plastic underbed containers, try:
Stylish storage drawers
Those plastic lidded bins from your college bedroom have served their purpose, and you owe it to yourself to upgrade. You can DIY roll-out drawers to fit and match your bed like the ones above from Bunnings, or you can purchase drawers—or even an under bed trunk—to keep your things out of sight but still easily accessible.
If you use random bins in the pantry, try:
Matching stackable containers
Having bins in your pantry makes it easy to put mismatched containers away and keep them out of sight, out of mind, but you’ll appreciate your pantry a lot more if it’s easier to see and find exactly what you need when you need it—bonus points if it looks stylish, too. Matching, stackable containers like the ones above (as seen on The Container Store) can help you achieve exactly that.