Beautiful and clever small closet ideas

In older homes and small apartments it's hard to find great storage and closet space solutions. Don't let the words wardrobe and armoire scare you though! There are some seriously great designs to choose from that give you the storage you need.

via bhg

There are simple, modern, sleek ones that let you close all the doors and not notice any clutter. Most of these have great options for how you can stack and shelve things as well!

We have a very, very small linen closet in our home that could really benefit from a treatment like this.
via Pinterest 

 We've all seen the closet-turned-home office - I still like finding a good one!
via Pinterest via Modern Home Decor

via CasaSugar

Don't neglect small accessories - they need a designated place too. Having these guys piled up in a corner or shelf can really make or break the feeling of chaos.  Clear acrylic boxes or no-frills baskets are a good way to organize small items if you don't have a drawer.

Your walls are your best friends when you live small.  Hang as much up as you can and save precious surface, drawer, and rail space for items that can't go on walls.

via Pinterest via Place of My Taste

via marthastewart

A simple traditional look with more storage necessities than you could ask for! Although this lacks hanging space it can be a great addition to a small closet, or a place to organize craft supplies.

Must Haves for My Desk

It doesn't matter how many times I clean off my desk and try to remove the clutter, there are always some desk must haves that stick around. Here are a few of my essentials to keep me going:

via annixen

A cute pencil/pen holder is a must have. I need easy access to write or sketch out my thoughts and something simple like this is a perfect match for my desk. 

via letterlovedesigns on etsy

Although I love sticky notes, sometimes the clutter of sticky notes everywhere gets on my last nerves! Having on spot to jot all my notes down is much easier for me, especially when I can close the notebook for the day and have a pretty cover to look at!

via jasminedowling 

With most of my schedule and events kept in google calendar it's not as necessary for me to have a place to write down what I need to do on a calendar but I love having one to look at just as a reference. I think sometime's I'd be lost if I didn't have a calendar staring at me!

via pinterest

And last but not least, I need something pretty to look at! Since I spend most of my days at my desk, I need it to be a spot that I love to be at. Sometimes it's a picture, a plant, or even something as simple as a fun lamp. Anything to make me smile while I'm in the middle of working. I always have pictures of the pups in my life on pretty gold frames on my desk. You never know where your inspiration will come from.

via Lonny

The desk itself matters too.  I like a lot of clear surface space.

via Lonny

What are your must-haves for your desk?

Make the most of a snow day with some of these projects

Four great ideas of things you can do to change your decor while your stuck inside (since we are snowed in with over a foot of snow here and it's still coming down!). Might as well have fun - and if you're like me I can only watch so much TV before I need to get up and do something!

1. Rearrange your furniture:

via BHG

I get so excited rearranging my furniture.  It is really refreshing and can make old things seem new again. It takes some trial and error to get things just right, and don't forget that you can "shop" furniture from the rest of your house!

2. Clean out your drawers:

via bhg

In your kitchen, bathroom, pantry, bedroom, and more! Clean out those drawers by creating three boxes: throw away, give away, keep. Sort your items and when you get to the keep, figure out if you have any good trays, shoe boxes, or containers laying around that would keep the items corralled.  It looks like the drawer above is using small jelly roll pans, which is really clever.

3. Make that gallery wall you've dreaming about

I like Design Crush's tutorial, but there are a lot of great ideas and step by step instructions online i you just search for something like "create your own gallery wall."  Even i you don't have all the art you want to use yet, gallery walls can be flexible and expand over time, or you can at least decide where you want it and start composing it in kraft paper.

4. Style Your Bookshelves

2 images via DesignSponge

You will be surprised how many compliments you get when you thoughtfully arrange your shelves.  Thinking of a bookcase or set of shelves as a composition really lets you show off your favorite accessories and books while also serving a purpose. I'm not going to lie, it's not always easy to strike that perfect balance, and you'll likely always be making little tweaks.  I would start by pulling a few images that I really like to use as a guide.  Next, collect the items that will be on the shelves.  You may have to omit some items or add some along the way.  You will want items with a variety of heights and widths.  Other than that, a lot of the process is just "feel."  Step back from the shelves from time to time to make sure you are happy with how your "composition" is taking shape.

How To: A Kitchen Pegboard Wall Organizer

As I promised a couple of weeks ago, here is a fairly-easy DIY (and very inexpensive) that can save you at least one cabinet's worth of space. For tiny kitchens, like mine - our pan and utensil organizer is a lifesaver. It can also look good and blend into your existing kitchen aesthetic with a couple of coats of paint.

The pegboard - finished!
(I apologize for the weird look of the photos - our camera is on the fritz)

We simply didn't have enough cabinet space to hold all of our pots and pans, and our kitchen only had one very small drawer in it. We purchased a baker's cart, (our's is from Ikea), which definitely helped the situation, but we still needed more storage options if we wanted easy access and organization of our most commonly used kitchen wares. I thought pegboard would be the perfect solution (Julia Child made the idea famous), and figured above the baker's rack would be the perfect spot.

First, I wanted to see how other people had implemented a pegboard into their kitchen so I could get some tips and words of wisdom.

The below proved to be valuable resources:
• Apartment Therapy "How To: Make a Pegboard Wall Organizer"
• DIY Network "How to Install a Pegboard" (gives thorough directions on how to measure, frame, and install the board).

The Price break-down:
• Pegboard: $17.48 (We also had it cut to size - most home improvement stores provide this service
• Framing wood: Scraps leftover from a previous project
• 32 piece assorted pegboard hooks: $3.87
• Tool rack: $2.97 (See where I used it for holding measuring cups)
• Anchors: $1.98
• Screws: $1.18
• Paint: (Leftover high gloss and flat paint (I mixed them to create a finish more durable than flat, but less shiny than gloss) from when I painted the kitchen.

Also note, we did this without a drill, but it is definitely easier to use a drill than drive the screws by hand.

We started out with 2 pieces of wood to "frame" the pegboard, and a piece of white pegboard cut to the desired size. The purpose of putting the "frame" behind the pegboard is to create enough space between the wall and the pegboard to insert the various hooks. I painted the wood and the pegboard with leftover paint from when I painted the kitchen. I wanted the pegboard to blend in with the wall.

From this side angle you can see how the frame creates enough space between the wall and the pegboard.

Chris has much more patience with measuring and prep work, and is better with math, so he did the measuring to attach the frame to the pegboard. We chose to attach the frame to the pegboard, than mount it to the wall, but it might be easier to mount the frame to the wall, and then mount the pegboard to the frame.

Chris also carefully measured where to put in anchor screws so the screws in the frame would line up.

Then tighten the screws into the anchors!

Now comes the fun part - getting to arrange pots, pans, and other utensils on the pegboard!

A variety of hooks

My package of hook assortments also came with hook locks - the black piece you see over the hook, which I didn't know about, but they are great at keeping the hook from falling out when you take a pan down.

I was lucky that the bottom of our baker's cart's shelves were slatted, and our pot and pan lids fit perfectly in them!

The magnetic knife strip I actually found on the curb in someone's giveaway pile.  I simply purchased screws long enough to go through the knife strip, pegboard, height of the frame, and then into the wall - and now have easy access to my knives.

What do you think?  Would you ever consider a pegboard organizer in your kitchen?  Do you currently have one?

Pale and Interesting - a home with calm and simplicity

There's nothing like moving to a smaller dwelling (which I recently did), to encourage one to purge excess stuff from the home. These photos give a taste of how serene it is to ditch the stuff and go minimalist, but with a rustic twist.

I love worn leather club chairs

that dresser is gorgeous - it definitely doesn't need accessorizing. Same with the chair.

*love that chair - a piece of art in itself

What do you think?  Do you purge your home on a regular basis? Every now and then? Never?

via Pale and Interesting

Cute ideas for small bathroom storage

BHG had a really nice gallery of bathroom storage solutions, and I wanted to share with you my favs. As an apartment dweller my bathrooms have always been small - and you have to find space in them that would go overlooked in a larger bath.

I've always loved the look of "real furniture" in the bathroom


This cart on wheels is a good idea anywhere in the bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc.



I've never noticed these slide out shelves for the inside of cabinets but they're genius!


via Better Homes and Gardens

Getting your home ready for show - or just for yourself

So, Better Homes and Gardens let me know about some potentially handy idea galleries to help people sell their homes during tough times - and I thought some of their points were worth sharing with you guys. Did I mention they're low-cost?

Corral the landing zones

All that stuff that you usually find plopped down right inside your back door -- everything from shopping bags to hockey sticks to shoes to umbrellas to gardening gloves to backpacks? It all has to be corralled and stored so potential buyers don't get frightened. And if you see a trouble spot, fix it with a built-in storage bench with a cushion, or a row of pegs. In fact, if you deal with all that stuff the right way, buyers will go away thinking your house has built-in clutter control. Have just enough of your day-to-day stuff organized on mudroom pegs and shelves to show that real people live there -- and hide the rest away.

Go for the Odd Number

After you've edited your accessories to the bare bones, show them off the right way. Most interior decorators will tell you that odd-numbered groupings can be very effective. When organizing vignettes of accessories, vary the shape, color, and size and don't line them up. For example: Hang a large landscape above a table where there's a lamp and a plant, or group a collection of candles of three different heights on the mantel. Less really is more. A few well-chosen items -- one pillow on the couch, three well-framed prints on the wall -- show off your good taste without overwhelming the potential buyer.

Enhance with Woodwork

Architectural woodwork not only adds character, it disguises imperfections in old walls. Use simple woodwork, such as beaded-board paneling and corner rosettes, to dress up walls.

New Knobs, Pulls, and Light Fixtures

As with new faucets, these easily installed off-the-shelf items boost style and have a big impact with relatively little cost and time.

Edit your bookcases

As lovely as bookcases are -- especially if they're architecturally attractive and built in -- they're a turnoff if they're too stuffed with books or a catch-all for clutter. Edit your bookshelves so that they feel just a little bit empty. Stack books in interesting patterns and accessorize lightly.


Here are the galleries so you can see all the ideas:

Low Cost Updates That Add Value: Shows photos of cost-cutting tips to give your home character without exceeding your remodeling budget.

Remodeling Projects that Pay Off. Provides photos of remodeling projects that are almost guaranteed to increase your home’s value.

Making the Sale Before They Walk in the Door. Demonstrates how to improve your home’s curb appeal.

Staging Tricks from the Pros. Identifies tricks that home-staging professionals use and that you can adopt to sell your home more quickly.

Spring clearing! What are your plans for your house?

I don't like to say "spring cleaning," because it could scare some people. So lets call it "spring clearing"! The first days of spring are so wonderful because of the freshness it lends the air. We all open the windows and just feel the need to lighten up! Well, I suggest riding that motivated feeling and taking the opportunity to clear out your home to be as fresh as the air!

Over the next couple weeks I will be posting a clear up guide for each room of your home. First I thought I'd open it up by asking you what you'd like to accomplish in your home this spring. I look forward to hear your plans!!


Some inspiration to get you motivate :)










images via Apartment Therapy