Dresser In The Entry

If you have the room, using a dresser in an entry is a great way to maximize easy access storage. The lower drawers hold kids' shoes, the middle hold totes and backpacks, the top holds smaller things like wallet, keys, sunglasses, gum, tissue packs, etc.

This dresser from Ikea looks great. Love the contrast of the high gloss white drawers and wood frame. And yes the plant has since been repotted in the red vessel!

Inexpensive But Cool Window Hardware

bedroom windows before

bedroom windows after

The windows in the bedroom of this rental are screaming for long flowing curtains. We wanted one long rod but those can be pricey. Instead, I suggested black steel pipe bought at a local hardware store for about $60. The rings make opening and closing the curtains easier than if the curtains were just hung on the rod itself.

Black steel pipes come 8' and 10' lengths in varying widths plus varying length nipples (what the small lengths are called) to fit just about any space. The 8' rods can be cut and threaded where you buy them.

I've seen them used in many ways but most impressed by these amazing wall units like here and here.

How To Arrange Your Bookshelves

Going thru my photos, I found these from the wall opposite the shelves from this library that I haven't shared before. So let's take this time to talk about how to arrange your books.

Some people arrange their books by how they look best, others categorize by subject. If you have a smaller collection, arrange by look. Those with a lot of books and actually go back and reference them, categorize into subjects that make sense to you, then arrange them on the shelf until they look best.

I say subjects that make sense to you because each collection is different; some clients see fiction, non-fiction, art. Others see local author fiction, foreign fiction, mystery fiction, non-fiction science, non-fiction true-crime... you get the point. There's no right or wrong.

Pull the books down cleaning as you go; vacuum the spines, and wipe with a damp cloth (but not the cloth bound ones, vacuum those completely). Wipe down all the shelves with a damp cloth, then get books back on the shelves arranging until they look as best. The final step is to add decorative accessories.

How do you arrange your books?

What Should I Carry In My Wallet?

Click here to watch this great video from DailyCandy. Alexa von Tobel from LearnVest.com tells us what you should carry in your wallet. I need to put a pic of my cat in mine....

A Man Should Have His Own Closet

hall closet before

now the husband's closet

Before, this closet was the 'garage' holding some of the husband's clothes but mostly misc things. This husband and wife were sharing a larger walk-in closet, but I think it's important each person have their own space for non-shared items like clothes. He's quite tall so reaching the top rod and high shelves are no problem. The top rod holds work clothes and the lower for casual clothes.

The wife's closet is almost finished, she getting some new canvas storage boxes and a rug. I'll show you pics when it's all done... For more details on this project, check out my Flickr.

Organized Girls' Clothes Closet

girl's closet before

girl's closet after

This closet, from the same client in the past few posts, is shared by a newborn and a 2 1/2 yr old. The main goal here was for the toddler to get dressed by herself so we placed things according to use; toddler's clothes on lower rod, baby's on top. She had all the bins, hangers, etc. The rug wasn't quite right in the girls' bedroom but looks so great in here.

Two rows of hooks were installed and will eventually be labeled to make putting thing back more fun; back-pack, tomorrow's outfit, rain jacket, etc. Art will be installed above the hooks and on the back wall above the backpack, possibly framed drawings.

Styled Bookshelves

bookshelves before

left bookshelf after

right bookshelf after

girl's bookshelf after

These bookshelves are from the same apartment in the previous posts. She has some really pretty things and I couldn't resist doing a quick re-styling to make it all look super fab.

The clock on the left side will eventually be hung once she finds the perfect spot. The frames without pics will quickly be filled with some great family shots. Click on images to enlarge.

Organized Desk Drawers

before

after: notebook drawer

stationery drawer

center drawer

This is the gorgeous desk of same client as the last post. With the exception of the bottom side drawers which are file drawers, none of the drawers had a specific purpose, they were just filled with 'things'.

Now each drawer has a specific category: center for business cards, tape, stapler, pens, etc; 1 for notebooks; 1 for stationery; 1 for phones, ipads + cords (not pictured), 1 for cameras (not pictured).

We're continuing to add to the drawers as we organize the rest of the apt so we'll see if we need anything else as we go, but so far we've simply reused containers she already had.

What I Did Today: Organized a Linen Closet

before

after

This client recently moved into a 2 bedroom apartment with her husband and 2 small children. The apartment is beautiful and all the closets have great shelving but having great closets doesn't make you organized. She wants to make the space more functional and I want to make sure the insides look as great as the rest of the apartment.

For the linen closet, she did a pretty good job categorizing and has plenty of nice storage bins, but I wanted to take it a little further and make it more functional.

The large striped tote is now in the master bathroom holding extra toilet paper and we plan on getting something similar for the kids' bathroom. We edited down the rest, sorted by category, moved a few shelves, and reused existing containers to put it all back. Things least often used are on the top shelves (which she can reach either way). And there's still room to add more.

For more info, check out my flickr.

UPDATE: Just realized I spelled toddler wrong on the label, it has been corrected!

Safety First!

Mounting a television isn't always an option, but if you have children running around, securing your tv is a must (your furniture too). Sanus Systems Anti-Tip Strap seems to have very good reviews online. It screws into existing holes in the back of the tv then to the table it's on and if you want, to the wall.

I don't have a television so I can't tell you I've used it but have any of you? Any other recommendations?

Blog Love: Manhattan Nest

(image courtesy of manhattan nest)

I just had to show you what Daniel over at Manhattan Nest did to his bathroom. Any bathroom can be fabulous. And just about every bathroom I encounter needs a bigger medicine cabinet. Especially love the art. Click here for the full post and to more more pics.