One Awesome Bench

Today's Agenda:  Enjoying this chilly day inside with the sun beaming into our home.  Organizing, etc. today.  Feels good to play catch up.

I was trolling 1st Dibs this morning -- it really does goes well with a cup of coffee! -- and I found the most awesome bench.

It's the perfect amount of vintage, clean lines, cool storage, narrow, pretty wood.

Let's take a closer look.

 

 
Perfect for an entryway or amazing dressing room.   

Neither of which I have. {Sigh.}  But I have designed an awesome entryway or dressing room in my head with this as the centerpiece if anyone is in need of this :)! 

Happy Tuesday!  Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. 

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Plan for a fun, productive week next week!  Hopefully on the agenda is finishing up decorating an apartment in NYC, wrapping up place cards and ceremony programs, creating these and attending two weddings!  Good thing I have something to look forward to given that the Olympics will be over...

I have been working on an apartment in Manhattan where it is essentially a "soup to nuts" project -- everything from purchasing appliances, dishes, etc. to organizing closets to finding the perfect pillows for the couch.  A couple weekends ago I went up and among other things worked on organizing the closets.

I'm not sure what we did before The Container Store {maybe we were just unorganized??!} but there is nothing like strolling the aisles there and looking at all the products they have and thinking how could that wall mounted whatever revolutionize my life {in my corporate law life in Manhattan I used to roam the aisles and enjoy the peace and organization of The Container Store!! Not joking...}.  In this specific case shelf organizers and shoe bins revolutionized this closet.

Here is the before.

Not too bad.  We had already tossed out a ton of those dry cleaning hangers and replaced them with wood hangers and the clothes had already been edited so we didn't need to go through that step.  What we did need to do was to create a functional closet.  Where if one shirt was taken out of the pile, the whole pile didn't come with it.  And where you could easily find the mate to your favorite black heels as you are running out the door to work.

After a trip to the Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond and purchasing the following:

Shelf Organizers

Shoe Bins

Flocked Hangers

Friction Trouser Hanger

Friction Skirt Hanger

Here is the after!

 

Much better!  I first took clothes out of the closet by groups -- sweaters, then dresses, etc. -- and rehung everything on the appropriate hangers -- ones that fit in the space and the clothes didn't fall off of.  Then I grouped the folded clothes by category -- beach tank tops, going out shirts, cool graphic Ts, long sleeve plain Ts, etc.  And then went to town on the shoes -- these bins are fantastic since they fit the space just perfectly and are clear so don't clutter or distract from the clothes.  There are no lids on these boxes so no need to pull a box out of a massive stack and then have to put it all back together -- you just grab the shoes you want and go.

Just like it makes a huge difference to have the right black shoes to wear with that black dress {okay black shoes are okay with that black dress, but not "it"}, I think it makes a huge difference to have the right accouterments to outfit your closet in a way that makes it easy to use.  While some closets  really may require a whole Elfa installation others just need a cohesive set of hangers and a way to divide the clothes in a usable way.  

Flea Market Finds

Today's Agenda:  Trip to the Washington Monument with my dad...and cleaning up this fantastic server cart I scored Sunday at the Georgetown Flea Market.

I am working on a home office project right now and we are in the midst of the fun sourcing stage!  I included a rolling storage cart in the project as a place to keep the printer, paper cutter and other odd-sized accoutrement.  I thought getting everything off of the desk but placed in a convenient space where you could still have easy access and see all of your stuff was really important.  Also it's another surface to use for projects -- can put invitations together on it or stamp menu cards and then roll it to another part of the room or house.  Obviously this isn't a typical home office but one for a fantastic wedding/event planning guru so the items we are dealing with involve more embossing powder and glitter than files and staples.  Which is pretty fun!

So, I had found Flytta for this purpose.  She's sturdy, is on wheels, indestructible surface.  And not a bad price. 

But when I found this server (see below) on Sunday, I knew it was perfect for the space. I was also able to negotiate the price down from $195 to $130 and it is in really good condition.  Wheels still work, just needs to have the dust cleaned off.

I can't wait to see how it will look in the room!!  The anchor colors in the room will be white and black with light blue/teal and flame orange accent colors.  The desk, chair and shelving are all very streamlined and modern.  Okay, here's a sneak peek at the desk and chair we are using.

Then we'll add back in some more interesting and vintage touches.  We've already picked up some old frames of different finishes and sizes at the Raleigh Flea Market.  We have a Chippendale chair painted flame orange with a subtle gray/taupe zebra patterned fabric for the chair pad. 

And these cute knobs on the doors to the "built-in" shelving.

And we are using this wallpaper (it's my favorite wallpaper!) on one of the walls which I'm psyched about!

Can't wait to show you the final product -- which I should be able to in early January!

Oh, yeah -- here was one more find I found on Sunday!  It will be perfect on the desk (which is a great 68" size) for pins and tacks...and perfect for daydreaming about strolling through the streets of Paris! 

 

Friday's Organizing Item

Today's Agenda:  Playing catch up a little bit.  This includes fun things like my first day of my real estate class and my first day of pilates, and not-so-fun things like finally filing my rebate for my new phone. 

One thing to catch up on is to finish my post for Friday's Organizing Item...I thought about Friday's organizing item on Friday but just couldn't get to it.  So, here is my organizing item, a couple days later...

Introducing the Lillholmen!  Yes, from Ikea.  Yes, a lifesaver.  When we moved into our home one of my goals was to have a way that we could manage our clothes.  Two problems really -- quantity (my issue) and a place to hang them after work (Aaron's issue and my issue too).  So I installed over-the-door hooks, hooks in the bathroom and also these little farfugnuggen (sp?) looking things.  What I didn't realize they would be great for is hanging laundry to dry --- it's perfect for this and if you don't get to putting away the laundry for a couple of days it's at least not laying on the couch or all over the chair in our bedroom.  And they are fairly inconspicuous when nothing is hanging on them. 

Friday's Organizing Item

It's a good thing I'm blogging and not doing a radio show this morning since my voice is a little groggy and weak this a.m. after lots of singing to Keith Urban at last night's concert! It was just like singing in the car -- you can sing at the top of your lungs and no one can hear you!

This week's organizing item is another shelf-like item with a fun name. The flybrary shelf! I think it's great since it doesn't take up a lot of space and can be mounted at any height depending on what you're using it for.

Here's a pic --




And a few thoughtful uses:

*Hang low at a child's height (and can move it up as they get taller and can transition well with their room decor as they grow up!) and they can easily choose the bedtime book they want you to read to them (and they can practice putting it away too!)

*Put in a Kitchen at counter height for your favorite cookbooks (or for novels to disappear into with a glass of wine while waiting for the lasagna to finish up)

*Next to a desk for your key reference books (or a place for today's WSJ or this month's magazines)

*At your bedside for the perfect bedtime reading (it also adds a little decoration -- you could even just put books of the same vibrant color on the shelf to create an accent -- and saves space if you don't have room for a side table or two)

*As a towel rack in the bathroom or in the kitchen for your teatowels or dish clothes (easy to pull towels off and they would stay on securely).

Storage Solutions: Baby Clothes

Today's Agenda: Helping a friend think about creative storage solutions for baby clothes you want to keep out of sight, but close at hand for the next one. {These solutions also can work for toddler, teen or adult clothes or for storing off-season clothes!}

Option 1:

This is a beautiful, ideal, peaceful solution but for many people just not workable. You'd have to hire a professional folder from the Gap to come in and maintain this. There has to be another solution.

Option 2:
An easy solution is to just throw the clothes in a box, put them behind a door and call it a day.

Two reasons this may not be the best idea -- (1) bugs and (2) there are so many other more stylish, creative options out there why not try a couple and see how they work.

Let's focus on what the storage solution has to provide first. Our needs are (in no particular order): (1) Sealed closure, to keep out bugs; (2) Space for label, to mark season and size; (3) Soft outside, just in case a little one does get to them, or easy to store out of their reach; (4) style/blends in with the room's decor; (5) use of minimal space.

Here are just a few ideas:

Option 3:


This Reisenthel Storage Box can be set on a shelf that is hung high on the wall, away from the kids, or stacked in a closet on the floor or a shelf in the closet. {The Lack shelf from Ikea is a good option because you don't need brackets if you are trying to keep a minimalist look and there are some sizes that are pretty deep and it now comes in a variety of colors -- Yellow shelf with the black/white/gray would be a nice combo.} Determine what size box you need to create the look you want -- storing clothes in smaller boxes makes it easier to get to what you need. Label each box in the space provided using a label maker and keep the look nice and neat. These boxes are stable but soft, just in case the kids do get into them. Several designs to create a design element in the room. Two other great features (1) zips shut -- NOT just a lid and (2) folds up easily when not in use.

Ikea has their own version that comes in some good kids' room colors.

Or, try this/this option for a more neutral look. These also stack really nicely. If the kids are old enough you could have them draw on these with markers for that original art/graffiti look.

Option 4:

Paint a chalkboard wall in the room you are storing these in (playroom, child's bedroom). Hang any color combination of these or these on one side of the wall from floor to ceiling/along the wall/ just along the ceiling and floor -- whatever configuartion works in the space {these are hung individually so it's easy to make a configuration work in most spaces}. Between the chalkboard (or colored accent wall), the configurated storage, and maybe a couple rods with clips to hang original artwork, the wall will look purposeful and not just like you are trying to stow away items. Store toys in the bottom ones that a little one can reach (or clothes you currently use) and baby clothes in the top ones. For easy access, organize the baby clothes by season and size and roll up like items in freezer gallon size Ziplock bags and use a Sharpie to label what size and season is in each bag. {Or you can use the vacuum seal bags to get more clothes in each bin, esp. winter clothes and blankets, etc., and really keep the bugs out.}

Option 5:

Put baby clothes in these inexpensive, soft-sided, durable storage containers. They come in the size shown or a more rectangular size designed to fit under the bed and they also come in black. You'd want to have an extra closet to put these in to keep away from the kids. Since they are larger, they wouldn't work well on a shelf like the Reisenthel storage containers. They do zip shut and are easy to pull out and carry which is a huge plus (and easy for moving as well!). To keep things organized inside of them I would again organize the baby clothes by season and size and roll up like items in freezer gallon size Ziplock bags or vacuum seal bags and use a Sharpie to label what size and season is in each bag. If you wanted to store clothes for the current or next rotation of clothes, you could use this as an insert to place inside the bag and roll up each outfit in a compartment for easy access in a conveniently located closet.


Option 6:


If you don't care about having covered storage and want to take a more decorative/flexible approach, just place the clothes in the plastic storage bags as described above and put them in decorative boxes or baskets. Repetition looks great so grab at least three to store on a shelf. Here is one cute option. {The milk reference is a little odd but you get the idea of the vintage-looking crate.}

Option 7:

Use these, put clothes in Ziplock bags as described above, behind the clear, open area tape a picture of wrapping paper that has a design complimentary to a design in the room. Lots of fun choices of wrapping paper! These are also nice enough boxes to keep out in the room on a shelf. Or include wrapping paper that coordinates with your (the parents) room or a guest room and simply stack them in there.

Option 8:
You can always get a bunch of Bankers Boxes, cover with fabric or wallpaper that matches the design of the baby's room, put clothes in marked Ziplock bags, label the contents of the box on the back of each box, place them on a shelf or strategically in the room and, voila, instant storage.