These Designer-Approved Organizing Brands Could Not Be More Perfect for Small Spaces

published Jun 13, 2021
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Credit: Rikki Snyder

The Small/Cool Experience is a shoppable online home design showcase and social event full of decorating tips and tricks from your favorite designers. Check out the whole virtual experience online and at @apartmenttherapy on Instagram from June 11-13. Thank you to our sponsors BEHR® Paint, Genesis G70, LUMAS, Overstock, Tuft & Needle, Chasing Paper, and Interior Define for making this experience possible.

When it comes to small spaces, organization is the ultimate name of the game. Finding a spot to store knick knacks and small hideaways instantly eliminates clutter, which in turn gives your home a fresh, clean look (and can even make it feel more spacious!). But, admittedly, there will always be those things lying around the house that you just don’t know where to stash, be it pairs of shoes, toys, books, or all of the above. There’s also a fine line between stylish and affordable organizing options — you want something that hits on both, especially if they’re going to be on display.

Enter designer Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, whose “Biophilic Beauty” themed room from our 2021 Small/Cool Experience comes packed with easy organizing solutions that also look easy on the eyes. Coming in at just 120 square feet, her mediative space manages to feel both effortlessly calming and functional, largely thanks to a few key space-saving pieces. And the good news? You can get the looks to style in your own home. Check out two of Bailey-Babenzien’s favorite organizing brands and start a shopping bag, ASAP.

Open Spaces

Beloved clutter-eliminator Open Spaces hit the nail on the head with this versatile three-tier piece. “They label this as a shoe rack, but it’s so much more,” says Bailey-Babenzien, who actually uses the product in her own New York City apartment. “It’s super multi-functional. Because of the way it’s treated and coated, it could be used in a bathroom, a hallway, a kid’s room — anywhere really.”

You’ll find the designer’s at-home version filled with her daughter’s toys, but in the Small/Cool space it boasts plenty of storage for slippers, books, and extra bins. “It works because it’s suitable to store quite a few things, but without intruding too much on the space,” she adds.

Yamazaki Home

Bailey-Babenzien also tapped this Japan-based brand for a few of her Small/Cool storage solutions, including a leaning ladder — genius for skinny, vertical storage in any room.

“I love this ladder because it could be used for throws and blankets, if you use this space for a guest room,” says Bailey-Babenzien. Or, she recommends stacking magazines and books on the rungs in a study, plus towel storage in your bathroom. Not to mention, it looks ultra cool and modern. (One for every room, please.)

Take one more decorating cue from the design pro, who shares two words of advice: “Have fun.” Enough said!