This month's first guest participating in the How I Organize series is Jean of Flower Hill Design Company, whose design aesthetic I love. She gives us a peek inside her home and shares with us her beautifully organized entry:
My design dilemma was that I had an entryway closet that blocked my front door from my living room space. It was small, cramped, dark and not functional. Living a busy life style, I needed organization that allowed me to keep the daily essentials within reach, without having a space that looked cluttered and unorganized.
My solution was to remove the old entryway closet, opening the front door to the living room and allowing more light to fill the space. I designed a built-in closet in another area of the home that not only had space for in season coats and shoes, but incorporated cubbies to hold the day to day essentials that were ready to "grab and go". Items include my handbag, keys, and accessories like sunglasses or lipgloss. It also needed to provide storage for transient things like my son's school papers that need to be referred to in the short term, incoming mail, a place to store my laptop when not in use, and some basic office supplies (i.e. a pen for a quick note, tape, notepad, etc...). I painted a mural on the interior of the closet. By treating the closet design like another area of my home (not just a storage space) it keeps me motivated to keeps things looking pretty.
There is a hanging rod for in season coats. Beneath the hanging rod there are two shelves which is ample storage for our in season shoes. An upper shelf holds baskets for hats, gloves, and scarves. The cubbies hold my handbag, accessories, laptop, and basic files to hold paperwork that needs to be referred to but is not quite necessary to be filed away in the office filing cabinet. An urn holds pens for quick notes (either notes to the teacher or a grocery shopping list). Simple DIY storage boxes made from shirt boxes hold some basic office supplies like tape and a stapler.
Everything has it's place. The cubbies make everyday essentials easy to find. It makes a busy lifestyle and constantly being on the go so much easier. Having a designated space for everyday essentials keep my countertops clutter free.
