195 Organized "Dream Home" Tour

Call me a bit crazy, but I decided it would be fun to create the ultimate organized dream home.  Have you ever done anything so silly? 


I get asked a lot about where I find my inspiration, or where my crazy ideas come from.  Well, typically, I sit and gaze at dreamy space, and then try my best to get creative and replicate them on my budget.  Or take note of the space itself and ask, "What makes it so pleasing?" and "What makes it so functional?"

So I thought it would be loads of fun {what better way to spend a quiet Friday morning?}, to gather some of my favorite inspirational photos from each space in a home, to try and get those organizational gears spinning.

Individual cubbies for each person to stash their belongings would be so dreamy.  Never loose hats, mittens, backpacks or a random shoe again because everything will have it's place!

For a more realistic sized entry, a pretty painted bookcase paired with pails is another great way to give every family member a "place" for their outdoor gear.

A divided tray is a great way to keep entryway clutter organized and easy to find when heading out the door in a jiff!

Clear storage is great for quick visual inventory!  Tiered racks work wonders so nothing gets lost in the back of the cabinet!  Same with a rotating lazy Susan, quickly give it a spin to find just what you are looking for!

Use the back of a cabinet door to keep menu planning and couponing clutter out of site.

Maximize storage by utilizing the back of cabinets with over the door organizers.

Never dig through a cold freezer again!  Everything is corralled in a labeled basket for quick grab and go cooking!

Save precious counter real estate by keeping items in a knife block inside of a drawer.

Save your back by storing larger backing items and pots and pans inside a lazy Susan cabinet.  Just spin and grab vs. digging through deep cabinets to get the pot from the way back!

Line drawers and use dividers to keep utensils from mixing and piling.  Only keep the essentials and what you have room to store.

Pretty media boxes are a great way to keep any living room clutter at bay.  No matter what is inside {photos, movies, small family games like cards and dice, etc...}, they always look tidy on a shelf!

I love the idea of keeping games right at a family room table, so you can just take one out and play right there, keeping the chances of losing pieces randomly around the house to a minimum.

Storage ottomans are also a family's best storage friend in the living room, since they can hide anything from small toys to gaming supplies, then close up and keep it all out of site and doubling as a foot rest or coffee table.

I love the addition of standard bookcases to a bath to hold everything from towels to toiletries and cleaning supplies to a basket of extra toilet paper.

I have always wanted to line the back of a medicine cabinet.  How could you not just be happy each morning you opened it up and saw that?  Love the clips for the toothbrushes and razor also!

I love the use of standard corbels as shelving dividers and again, you can't go wrong utilizing every door for extra storage!

Linens are bundled together and storage space is gained by adding simple wire shelves.

For me, laundry is one of my least favorite tasks.  So if I am going to have to do it, I would love the space to be fun and colorful and organized!

Small bowls to empty pockets in and decorative containers for laundry soaps make it so much more pleasing to the eye!

A single cleaning caddy to tote around the house is much easier than keeping different cleaning supplies under every single sink or up on shelves.

With a utility closet as neat and pretty as this, I would be motivated to even keep my closets looking in tip top shape!

A nice pretty chair, paper sorters and organizers and even a hook for your handbag.  No excuse not to be productive in this perfect place!

Expandable files are fantastic for receipts, coupons and larger ones are great for warranty/manuals and filing day to day paperwork.

Common kitchen items usually double as fantastic office supply storage.  And binders are also a no fail way to keep household documents in orderly fashion.

Use mail trays to quickly sort mail throughout the week and set 15 minutes aside each weekend to go through each tray and get it ready for the next week.

Keeping a stationary holder on your desk will mean you will be more likely to send out a thank you or just let someone know you are thinking of them.

I love the little labels on the scrapbook paper sorters.  Silly smart!

Proof once again that a door makes fantastic storage!  Especially when space is limited!

Uniform storage boxes and clear containers are great for a combined office/craft space.

Lots of bedside storage!

Double hooks for belts and scarves!

Keep jewelry on display so it actually is worn.

Paint the insides of your closets so they look like a room.  Use hangers that are uniform and only keep essential clothing pieces that can be mixed and matched to achieve endless looks.

Drawer dividers are great for socks, undergarments and belts!

Extend the life of pretty footwear by keeping shoes stored in clear shoe boxes.

A finished floor, storage cubbies and drawers, lots of wall storage and a counter work space.  Oh my, it doesn't get better than this!

Heavy duty shelving paired with storage bins and hooks is a great way to remember to grab those green bags when going to the grocery store, and gives you a place to stock bulk items when you return!


OK, so if that doesn't inspire you, I really don't know what will.  I haven't felt this inspired in awhile.  Going room by room and seeing so many spaces that shine.  All sorts of new ideas swimming.  I am itching to go cover a box with pretty paper.  And organize under the bathroom sink.  And do some extra decluttering and simplifying.  Any "Ah Ha" moments today?

How about you?  Who's organizing this weekend?  What organizing inspiration have you found, that you have already implemented and LOVE? 

All images found on BHG.com.

125 My Boot Storage "Ah Ha" Moment

One of the very best reasons to live in the tundra, is to acquire tundra gear.  You know, hats, mittens, snow pants, bulky jackets and boots.  It's awesome.  Sensing my sarcasm?

Anyone who has to deal with the cold weather gear, knows what I am talking about.  And storing it all in a pretty way isn't the easiest thing to do.  Sure, we use our coat closet for the coats and snow pants.  But our coat closet is in our kitchen.  And because it's placed above our stairs to the lower level, it's only a half closet with zero room for boots.

So boots would be placed in piles by our front entry... {sorry, these first couple of pictures were actually taken in the summer months so the mess that our winter gear created is not present, I am sure your imaginations are spot on}

When we put up our tree, we moved the white table out for awhile.  Once the tree came down and we brought the table back in, I had a moment.  One of those fabulous "Ah Ha!" moments.  The kind where you can't focus on anything else until you test out your idea.

We had an old leather storage bench in our guest bedroom that we used to stash away linens {you can see that here}.

I knew that the leather bench would fit under the white table perfectly, since it lived there once before long ago.  But what I was really hoping was that our large boot tray that was living in the garage {it was too big for our entry once our shoe cabinet came in}, would actually conveniently fit inside the bench.  Yes, yes it did!

So I spent $2 at Home Depot on some River Stone...

Popped that fantastic tray inside the bench:

Dumped in the rocks {the rocks keep the boots up off of the tray so the snow can melt down}:

And placed our boots inside!  {My kids were at school while this was taking place, with their winter boots on, so I used mine with a couple other pairs, just to share the example}.

The tray itself actually perfectly holds my boots along with my three boy's winter boots {for a total of four pairs}.  My hubs giant boots live on a shelf in the garage, since he really only uses them for shoveling.

Then, the best part, shutting the lid, keeping those boots concealed and sliding it under the table!

Who you have know that the bench was full of boots?  Me either!  That's the best part!

The kid's don't mind this either as it's better than previous options.  We used to keep the green tray in the garage and tried keeping the boots out there too but that meant the kids taking them through the whole house and then the boots would freeze overnight, so that didn't last long.   Sometimes being tidy and organized comes with the discipline of putting things away.  I like the fact that the clutter is now concealed since our area is so small and it's also open to our living room/dining room/kitchen.

Update: Some readers have questioned the wet combined with lack of air issue.  Although the bench is not airtight, I am still planning on popping a box of baking soda inside and cracking the lid overnight. 

Wanna see how absolutely TINY our entryway is?

No coat closet.  Barely any entry.  It's been a challenge to troubleshoot through the small space, but now that we have the shoe cabinet and concealed boot storage, I am content!

The basket on the wall is currently being used for hats and mittens:

It's not the prettiest display, but in the warmer months, we will use it to keep track of other things, like our library books or magazines, so it always has a purpose.  It was just too easy to keep hats and mittens there in for the colder months.  And because it's not lined, it's easy to find what we are looking for, and allows better air flow for drying.

How about a before and after of the switcharoo?

It seems like every year when I pack up the holiday decor, I am given a fresh perspective on a space.  I love that.  And I was so excited when my brain pieced together a boot tray with a storage bench.  And that it actually worked!!

Have you recently had a design or storage epiphany that left you grinning big?  What about winter gear storage.  It's a pretty common question I receive, so what ways are you keeping all of that bulky business organized and concealed?