Two recent finds for stylish organization:
byAMT Leather Strap Large Basket
Perfect for holding current reading material like books and magazines and stylish enough to integrate into the decor of a space. Can't decide which one I like best!
organizing with baskets
Beautifully Organized: Magazines
A good tip for magazines that are current reading material is to store them wherever you tend to do most of your reading. Here, a basket next to the sofa makes them easily accessible, perfect for reading while lounging:
You could follow the same idea and place a basket or rack next to or under your nightstand if you read in bed.
Or near your desk if you tend to do your reading there:
Maybe you have a desk that has built-in storage, like the one shown above right (lucky!). Since chances are you don't, you could consider creating your own storage using display shelves. A magazine wall like this one shown below would be perfect for an office or breakfast nook:
In a later post I'll go over ideas for storing larger collections of back issues saved for future reference, so stay tuned for that!
image credits: 1 -via plantation design, 2- anthology, 3 -cupcakes and cashmere, 4 -found via pinterest, 5-lonny, 6- made by girl
Beautifully Organized: Patterned Storage
I'm always on the lookout for storage options that aren't just functional, but stylish as well. Below is a round-up of patterned pieces that have caught my eye:
1-dvf square dot rectangular tray, 2- teal ikat storage bucket, 3- pink and navy ikat storage bin, 4- black and white patterned bone boxes, 5- yellow and white zig zag strapping baskets with lid, 6- orange and white chevron fabric basket, 7- black and white striped photo box, 8- multi colored chevron round covered boxes
Stylish Storage: Silver Painted Baskets
Check out this beautiful entryway from the home of Catherine of The Life Styled:
She uses pretty baskets to stylishly store and keep shoes and dog toys out-of-sight.
They're actually a fairly easy DIY project with a total cost per basket of less than $35. Learn how to make your own here!
image credits: 1- sarah yates, 2-johnny miller
How Maggie Organizes Her Bathroom Cabinet
The How I Organize series, which gives us a peek at how others organize their homes, is back! I've got some fabulous participants lined up. First up is my friend and Seattle-based interior decorator, Maggie of Maggie Rose Interiors (who just launched a new e-book!). She shares with us today how she organizes her bathroom cabinet:
Our apartment has no under-sink storage, but it came with a generously sized cupboard in the corner near the door. It's not the prettiest thing to look at, but it holds a LOT of stuff! It's nice to have everything at eye-level instead of getting down on your knees on the bathroom floor to dig stuff out from under the sink.
The top shelf (out of my reach!) holds infrequently used items like beach towels, a small tub for soaking, and back-up bulk kleenex. The next shelf holds back-up toilet paper (we keep 3 rolls in a glass vase near the toilet so guests don't have to scrounge), once-in-a-while beauty and health products, travel supplies in a shoebox, and our first aid kit (blue bin on the right). The third shelf from the top holds towels (holds up to four plus our two in rotation), hand towels, cleaner, and the heavy kitty litter box - I wish there was a better place to stash that, but the litter box is in the bathroom, so it makes sense. The bottom shelf is the most frequently used and easiest to reach. I have a basket for everyday items (hairdryer, etc), occasional items (feminine products, curling iron), and the basket on the right holds all the washcloths. It's not uber-glamorous but it IS uber-functional and I can find everything quickly. Maybe someday I'll get around to painting or wall-papering the inside, but for now, it does its job!
Baskets as Storage Solution for Throws
A great place to keep living room throws and blankets is in a woven basket. Baskets are portable, so they can move wherever needed and they add beautiful texture in a room:
image credits: 1-domino, 2-via pinterest, 3-via pinterest, 4-via the little green notebook, 5- via living room ideas, 6-domino
Entryway Solution: Basket for Shoes & Slippers
Sometimes inevitably shoes end up in the entryway. If you don't have a closet to hide them behind, a solution for keeping it from looking too messy, is to have a beautiful basket for them:
If you have a no shoes in the house rule, you can also fill the basket with slippers to encourage guests to remove their shoes upon entering.
image credits: 1- the marion house book, 2- the elegant abode via decor8
How Megan Organizes Her Magazines
This week's guest participating in the 'How I Organize' series is the beautiful Megan of Honey We're Home. She gives us a look at how she keeps her magazines and catalogs in order:
One of the things that can quickly get out of control at my house is the major influx of magazines and catalogs. As soon as I receive them, I immediately sort through the ones I want to keep, donate the rest, and put the ones I want to read in a big basket near my bed since I like to read before I go to sleep. After I've had a chance to read through my favorite mags, I like to keep them for future reference and store them in inexpensive Ikea magazine holders in my office. Keeping the magazine holders all white keeps the space looking clean and fresh!
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
This week's beautifully organized space is from the home of interior designer Amy Meier. Since she and her husband eat most of their meals on their patio dining table, Amy used the "dining area" of her small apartment to create a fully functioning office for her design business.
A large Ikea bookcase provides easy access to fabric samples and papers carefully organized into a mix of woven and wire baskets, bins, and fabric covered binders. A magnet board next to her metal desk serves as a place for Amy to post pictures and paint and fabric samples that inspire her projects.
A trio of white shelves and a three pocket file holder take advantage of wall space and provide a place to hold a multitude of items including fabric covered albums, leather boxes, and sketchbooks.
All photos by King Au for Better Homes and Gardens
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
Beautiful boxes, a basket, and vintage suitcase provide ample storage and keep the color story consistent. A white stand near the door keeps umbrellas contained and readily accessible. The dark wall colors (love those stripes!) help the TV and DVD player"disappear" and keep them from being eyesores.
via lonny mag
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
This week's beautifully organized space of the week is the home office of interior designer Melissa Warner.
Metal locker baskets with labeled tags contain and organize her many fabric swatches. The bookcase makes use of vertical space.
On the other end of the room, closet doors covered in a bold over-scaled poppy print wallpaper make the room feel lively and hide more storage. A skirted glass-topped table provides a surface on which to lay out swatches and plans for her designs, while a Lucite chair helps keep the space looking uncluttered by taking up little visual space.
images via House Beautiful
Portable Storage Baskets
A tote basket is a beautiful solution for containing and conveniently transporting files and/or project supplies from room-to-room.
image via domino
I'm loving these hand-woven fair trade imports from Tango Zulu:
From left to right: Water Hyacinthin Honey Large, Rectangular Bolga Basket in Natural Large, Oval Bolga Basket
From left to right: Water Hyacinthin Honey Large, Rectangular Bolga Basket in Natural Large, Oval Bolga Basket P.S. You can also use 'em as market totes, magazine holders, picnic baskets...there's a multitude of uses!