Organizing

What’s the difference between collecting and clutter? I ask myself that question often as I’m guilty of buying multiples of (too) many things. You can avoid clutter status by putting your beautiful collections on display. Here are 16 examples of great collections—including my own tea cup collection!

What do you do with a perfectly good, sturdy piece of furniture that has potential but is a bit heavy visually on the eyes? If you’re Kim, you give it a fresh paint job and add some design details that make this piece one-of-a-kind! From Kim: I’ve long since coveted a sleek mid-century modern media credenza.

The Style Cure is all about making one room in your home more beautiful, organized and healthy. The outbox concept is a bit of a magic bullet – in one fell swoop, it will help with all three missions. Even though it’s a powerful tool, it will just take you a few minutes to get one in place, so let’s do it today… We’ll be prompting you to use the outbox throughout the Cure to help you get things decluttered and organized.

A friend of mine was recently burglarized. Their place was completely ransacked in the process and several valuables were stolen. Fortunately, a few of the most precious items were left unscathed because they were hidden away in a small storage safe disguised as a book, hidden in a pile of other hardbound copies.

As every parent of school-age children knows, they come home with a lot of paper!! Whether it’s the tenuous-but-determined pencil scratches of the letter M or the (very detailed) drop-off and pick-up instructions, these papers will pile up — and very fast — without a plan for managing them. Here’s how I try to stay on top of all the papers that follow my preschooler and my kindergartener home. Anything you know you don’t want to keep, recycle right away.

Organizing words of wisdom from a pro.

What do you do when a wood sideboard — covered in deep scratches and other marks — needs a makeover but you’re not looking to brighten it with a coat of white? You could go with a color, or you could skip straight to something dramatic and do what Suzanne did. From Suzanne: This vintage sideboard was in need of a makeover. It had many deep scratches along the top and other marks and scratches.

Mallory from Classy Clutter had been itching to make over her coat closet since she the day she moved in. She found that no one in her house, including herself, wanted to hang up their coats when they had to untangle hangers and fiddle for a spot to hang their coat. She decided it was time to remove the hangers and closet bar, and replace them with hooks and bins.

From Samantha: I chose to paint it grey. But when we put the sideboard inside, hubby looked at it and said “its too boring, too serious.” So I decided to do something different! We just love how you personalized this piece you found for free to fit into your home with your personality! Thank you Samantha!

Recently, for the first time in my life, I moved to a space with a basement. After spending so many years without one, I’ll admit that at first I was hard-pressed to figure out what should go there. Thanks to having more tools, holiday decorations, and some extra kitchen supplies, I now have that covered, but it definitely got me thinking about what I did before I had all the extra storage space.

Thinking of turning a spare closet or nook into an office or craft room? Check out these 10 examples for inspiration. TOP ROW: 1. Studio Renovation from Cardboard Sea 2. Home Office from Natalme 3. Closet Turned Home Office from A Cup of Mai 4. Tiny Closet Office from Design Addict Mom 5. Jason’s Closet Office from Apartment Therapy BOTTOM ROW: 6. Melissa’s “Cloffice” on a Budget from Shoestring Magazine via Apartment Therapy 7.

Small space dwellers have a whole set of issues that folks who live in more spacious homes could never understand. Take this one, for instance: in a perfect world, your (incredibly spacious) closet is conveniently attached to the bedroom or even the bathroom. But what do you do when your closet is in a weird place? Or you have a tiny closet? Or no closet at all? Well, you start getting creative.

For years I’ve coveted pantries, and now that I have one… it’s kind of a mess. Keeping a well-stocked pantry user-friendly is definitely a challenge, but the wisest minds online are here to help… From across the web, here are some of the best ideas for keeping your pantry organized. You’ll never spend 15 minutes digging around for the sugar ever again. Open + Industrial Perhaps the best way to keep your pantry looking its best? Make it public.

Day 15: Wednesday, January 22 Assignment: Clean and declutter your bathroom & medicine cabinets Get this done today and I guarantee you’ll be a happier camper tomorrow morning. Why spend precious moments each morning searching through an overcrowded jumble in the bathroom when they could be used to be blissfully snoozing…or sipping coffee…or how about about catching up with the posts on your favorite blog?

There’s something about the new year that puts me into declutter mode. So, it’s not surprising that Thursday morning, the New Year’s Eve hangover now thankfully a memory, there I was, donation box in hand, tossing, tossing, tossing, starting with my favorite gotta-goes, the multiple multiples.

Ready to organize those stuffed animal collections for the new year? Some parents recommend purging until you don’t need a storage solution, but some kids love their stuffies so much that they’d love to keep them all. If you agree to house a bunch of these toys, you might want an aesthetically pleasing way to store and display them. We’ve rounded up some simple and clever ideas for keeping plush toys corralled and displayed so that, hopefully, everyone is happy. 1.

The talented ladies at my local public library created a few charming book trees out of a seldom-used set of reference books, a string of lights, and an old, unreadable book. Perhaps you have similar supplies around the house? Your collection of Babysitters’ Club book would make a perky, pastel tree, while the complete works of James Patterson would create a huge and darkly dramatic tree, full of ominous titles such as 1st To Die and Cross Fire.

Renting almost guarantees you’ll be living and working around compromises, and perhaps nowhere more so than when it comes to planning a home entertainment setup. Awkward layouts can prove a challenge, especially when you can’t move or tear down walls like a home owner.

Does the sight above look familiar? With the array of mobile devices found in the average household, it’s increasingly common to keep many or all of these portable devices within arm’s reach.

My bi-fold pantry door is an eyesore. It has a fake woodgrain and blocks the left side of the shelves when it’s opened. But it’s an unusual size, so finding an off-the-shelf or salvage replacement has been impossible. I thought about converting it à la Jason’s closet-door hack, but then I stumbled upon Ashley’s attractive solution. While she didn’t have a bi-fold to begin with, her door replacement would work for just about any ugly door, including mine.

TOP ROW: 1. Stylish Wall Storage from Mamamekko 2. Doortop Stash from Make 3. Beck Marks the Spot for Secret Storage 4. Secret Storage Sofa from Ana White 5. Hidden Jewelry Box from Design Sponge BOTTOM ROW: 6. Hollow Stash Book from Vivid Please 7. Hidden Bookcase from Imgur 8. Floating Secret Drawer from Stashvault 9. DIY Hide-a-Key from Zakka Life And, if all else fails, just go buy this and stick it in your fridge: 10. Iceberg Lettuce Safe Do you have a secret hiding spot?

Who hasn’t opened their pantry or cabinets to a mess and thought — there’s not even any “real food” for dinner? Kimberly’s pantry needed a clean out and some order. If this ‘before’ photo looks familiar to you, check out what some labels and dollar bins did for her: From Kimberly: I decided I’d just take one shelf at a time one night a week and organize everything. That idea lasted until I finished the first shelf.

I love before and after projects that involve a good afternoon of organization — no paintbrush, no tools… just some motivation, a vision, and some hard work.I recently came across this mudroom makeover and thought it was a great example of how a before and after doesn’t have to be a super-expensive or super-involved affair. It’s encouraging to see how little changes can have a big impact!

When Michelle found these old tool chests at a fairground in Norman, Oklahoma, she immediately envisioned a way to restore them to their former glory and put them to good use. With a great deal of work and some serious elbow grease, they became what she calls her “keeper of treasures.”For some interiors the rustic industrial look might have worked, but the edges were sharp, the piece was covered in grime, and rust had overtaken the original finish.

Emily of Namely Original is a crafty college student who’s never short on clever DIY’s and always excited to share them. This time she’s taken some boxes headed for the landfill and turned them into organizational bins cute enough to put on display.This is certainly one of those crafts that begs the question “Why didn’t I think of this?

I know what you’re thinking. Oh man, aren’t there enough things in this world to clean? Now we have to tidy up our Pinterest boards? I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it’s worth your time, but I spent an hour doing some work on mine the other day, and it felt kind of good. I use Pinterest A LOT these days, so the pins build up quickly. The more current and relevant the boards are, and easy to navigate, the more useful it is as a tool.

People always think of the new year as the perfect time to clean out closets, but professional organizer and declutterer Nicole Anzia of Washington DC-based Neatnik prefers to do it after Labor Day. “I always think of fall as a new beginning. Summer is over, kids are back at school and everyone else resumes a “normal” schedule in September. Plus, the weather is about to turn crisp, so what better time to clean out your closets?

Jill’s entry from the garage had been a thorn in her side for months. Though the checkerboard floor was a great feature, the paneled walls were dark and dated; certainly not the warm welcome home she craved. In addition to a brighter color, Jill knew she wanted to add what she calls a “landing pad” for shoes, coats, bags, etc — a spot other than her kitchen table!

For those of us who don’t have much closet space (let alone garages, attics, or basements!) where oh where are we supposed to store our luggage? Sure, there are some decent soft-sided suitcases out there, but many of the most durable suitcases are not exactly beautiful and they have hard sides and take up some serious space. One solution comes from the folks over at the blog In Decent Order who screwed in hooks high up on the wall of a large closet to hang their luggage from.

The image above is of the Danny that the world knows. Calm, cool, organized…let’s just say, Martha-like in his homemaking skills. Well, here is proof that everybody has a spot in their home that could use a little attention.

I may have a bit of a scarf addiction. With practically nonexistent closet space, they were taking over the hooks on my bedroom door. Not only was it an eyesore, it was impossible to grab a coat or scarf without creating an avalanche of accessories. This weekend, I found a solution that was quick, inexpensive, and visually interesting. Check out the after, after the jump!My bedroom is a square with this little nook large enough to accommodate the open door.

This hallway closet needs some serious assistance! Being the only closet in our apartment other than our bedroom closet, I need to utilize every inch of space here. And, as you can see in this before photo, there is all sorts of wasted space that can be reclaimed with a little reorganization.When we moved into this apartment, the hallway closet was set up as seen in the “before” photo above — a few high shelves positioned over the clothes bar with wasted space underneath.

A small desk in the dormer window of my bedroom has never really been used properly. The desktop has always been a catch-all for books, clothes, and papers at the end of the day. And the drawer, well, the drawer was even worse. I finally set aside some time to give the area some attention, and it paid off:Now, instead of sitting on the floor at the coffee table, I have an inviting and functional nook to use for work.

I’m not a particularly organized person … except when it comes to my bookshelves, which are arranged in a perfectly logical, consistent way (although it’s logical only to myself). If you have a sizable book collection, it’s worth taking the time to organize them so that you can find whatever you’re looking for. Let’s take a look at some of the best methods to choose from.

A great solution to making the most out of any closet space is investing in a closet system that will carve out a spot for all your clothes and accessories.

Artwork hung too high may be the worst thing in the world my biggest design pet peeve. If you’re questioning the height of your artwork, sticking to the principle of “better too low than too high” will probably serve you well. But is there such a thing as too low?Well, that of course depends on who it’s with, where it’s placed, and how that place is used.Visually, I think low hung art can almost always work as long as it’s in a group.

Somewhere in between random grouping and borderline clutter lies the art form of layering. It’s the decor equivalent to tousled hair: seemingly effortless. While the beauty of layering is in the unique combination of objects— making it impossible to come up with a one-size-fits-all formula— there are a few tips that may help you master the look:• Start big.

We recently came across this inexpensive bathroom makeover on our Apartment Therapy SF flickr Pool. Marie and her husband Aaron moved into their Menlo Park apartment about a year and a half ago. While their initial decorating tended toward neutral colors and traditional furnishings, Marie felt a need to brighten things up by making her bathroom a bit fresher and younger. See Marie’s less than $50 makeover after the jump.

David tells us his DIY platform bed project isn’t yet complete, but we think he’s done such a spectacular job with his bed/storage to this point, we wanted to go ahead and share what’s he’s completed thus far… The bed frame is a platform filled in with sheet-rock compound. “…there’s a few things left to do to the bed before it’s complete.

While you may have thought dryer sheets have little use beyond the laundry room, there are actually a surprising number of ways they can be used around the home. In fact, they’re phenomenal static reducers, excellent polishers, and perfect for scrubbing grime away from windshields and pans that have spent a day too long in the sink.If you use dryer sheets to keep your clothes lovely-smelling and static-free, don’t throw them away.