Nesting

Well it has been another really busy week and what's sure to be another busy weekend is rapidly approaching. And since Saara is on break, with a lot going on in her life, I will share a few more of the happenings with the new apartment. First of all, I am posting a photo of the work of art that I came home to this evening. (Thank you, thank you, Craig the carpenter, I feel that you are owed my first born.) I am sorry that I do not have a "before" of this space, but imagine an oddly shaped, total waste of space, closet. And here is the after!!

Just look at the cut-out he created for the vacuum cubby!!! Ahh, it's the little things.


Next up, are the carpets to be cleaned first thing in the morning. I debated whether or not to replace them but as this is a rental apartment, I decided the expense was completely unjustifiable. Soo, I called up a great little company, Ultra Guard (if you don't have this carpet/stain remover, you must order yourself a bottle online immediately!)

and scheduled an appointment to clean my carpets. Here is the 10 year old oatmeal colored berber carpet as is (with George of course modeling):

No, that is NOT a shadow, that is dirt, silt, debris! eeewww! Check back on Saturday, and I'll post the afters. Let's see just how well Ultra Guard cleans carpets!


Lastly, a little kitchen improvement... Slug has been after me to stop leaving the kitchen cabinet doors open. I've never had this habit before but our cabinetry was missing knobs, and it was so difficult to pry open the doors, that I started just leaving them open!. Cabinets sans knobs here:

Soo.. after shopping around a bit to find knobs that were cheap enough (again, hard to justify spending money on a rental!) we selected these $9.99/box knobs by Thomas O'brien for Target.


And, after sweet talking my husband and supervisor George into helping...

We completed the not-so-difficult, but somewhat-time-consuming task of measuring,drilling, and screwing in the new knobs into our kitchen cabinetry!


and wha-la, kitchen function is vastly improved!

Space Miracles

So Slug (the husband), George (the dog) and I recently moved into a tiny beach cottage a stone's throw from the beach. And I have to admit that while moving is NOT fun, I do love a fresh start, a new set of spaces to conquer, and the opportunity for a fresh color palette - watch for purple and gray living room/studio space to come!

The challenge this week... how to make a 44" x 62" closet function for a 28 yr. old man and a 29 yr. old woman with busy careers and not a lot of time for house-keeping.

Step 1: PURGE and EMPTY the closet so work could begin. I am proud to say that I ridded myself of 2 full boxes of clothing that I had not worn in at least 1 year.

Step 2: Work with Craig the carpenter, to build floor to ceiling cubbies, and create adequate hanging space for clothing. He was able to give us an additional 6' of hanging space by adding double hanging bars in addition to the shelf space!

If you do not have access to a great carpenter, who can help you build in organization, Saara blogged about some great free standing closet organization solutions from Ikea, The Container Store, etc.

Step 3: Cover your ears for power mitre sawing and air nailer working double time to get the MDF boards and hanging bars into place.

Step 4: Well Step 4 would really be to sand, prime and paint the MDF partitions... However, until that day comes, Step 4 was putting the closet back together again.

Professional organizers say the best strategy for effective organization is putting like things together. For example, I have all pants hanging together in one of the partitions, all skirts in another, etc.

The cubbies were a great place to keep purses, belts, shoes, sweaters, etc. organized and accessible. I was even able to get a space for my husband's shirts that need to go to the dry cleaner and a laundry bin.

The space is still small and has to stay organized to work efficiently, but we are really happy to discover that we could make the space work for the both of us without sacrificing our wardrobes or our sanity! Is your closet working for you??

An Orderly Bath

I'm heading into my bathroom tomorrow, and I'm not leaving until I've created some order in there...

I just learned something handy! Did you know that most cosmetic products have a use-within-this-many-months-once-openned symbol? Check out the back of your hair products, foundations, etc...you will likely see an image of an opened jar with a number and an M.

Alright, so all the old stuff has been retired. Probably a good idea to start labeling the bottom of all new products with the month/year so you won't have to guess the age of your cosmetics in the future...

Time to make things presentable - and findable! Small boxes are great for keeping things tidy in your drawers. If you can't find any individual containers, head to the kitchen aisle and grab a silverware insert. It should do the trick just as well...

Another repurposed kitchen item - try a hanging three-tiered basket to hold shower goodies. Perfect for small jars, toys and loofahs...

Keep make-up brushes clean, organized and easily accessible by storing them in a pretty glass or vase. Pretty vases and lidded jars are great for cotton balls and swabs too.

This Ikea vase is really inexpensive - only $2.50! - and a nice modern shape. It could hold your brushes, but it just so happens to be the EXACT length for cotton swabs to lie in it...perfect!

Kitchen Clean Up

Ready to tidy up another easily messed-up space? I feel like I am constantly battling the clutter in my kitchen. Hopefully installing some of these products will help to manage my - or more appropriately, my husband's ;) - mess. These are designed to function!

This is the only idea that I'm including because it looks nice. Martha Stewart says to store wood and stainless utensils separately to keep things organized. Personally, I think it just looks tidier than when they're all mixed together.

I really like these simple, stainless spice containers. They have magnetic bottoms so you can stick them all over one side of your fridge, or add a piece of metal to the inside of a cupboard or pantry door and have them hang out of sight...

This is slightly over-the-top, but Ikea sells these battery powered drawer lights. Not really an organizer, but it is helping you find things hidden deep in that drawer. And that makes your kitchen more functional right?

~For the upper cupboards~

A turntable is a great idea to hold your bottles of sauces, vinegars and oils. I love the idea of not having to pull out five things to get that one bottle in the back...

These wire stackers seem like such a great idea - especially for small kitchens! They give almost double the shelf space for dishes or even canned goods...

~For the bottom half~

If you've got those large pot and pan drawers you can start storing plates and bowls with these organizers from Ikea. Storing dishes in lower drawers are great when your kids are starting to get food for themselves but can't reach the uppers quite yet...

Hopefully we're all moving away from using plastic bags, but for those few still hanging around, this contraption keeps them from overtaking an entire cupboard...

Keeping your baking items vertical will help make things neater and more easily accessible...

I already have one of these lids racks. Just attach it to the cupboard door and you'll never be searching in the darkness for the right size...

Get busy organizing!! All of these products are available at Ikea and/or the Container Store.

Cleaning the Clutter

Leave it to those design-consious Europeans and their typically smaller spaces to come up with stylish yet functional organizers! While scouring a Swedish interior design website, and the infamous Swedish Ikea, I found some great ways to clean-up and set some order to your entryways and closets.

~ENTRY~

If you've got to have some exposed hat/coat/key racks, these solid oak and walnut versions are pleasant to look at...

Shoes and boots and sandals, oh my! Keeping your many pairs at bay is so much work, and easily make a nice entry look chaotic and dirty. Ikea has great and affordable shoe storage solutions. These would look really great if they were added to a mudroom, and could be made to look built-in...

Again cute for a mudroom (or kids room!) these various sized dot knobs come in several colors and can be arranged into different patterns. I think a couple packages of these arranged in an interesting way would look nice when not in use and are functional too...

~CLOSET~

I want to get my hands on some of these boxes! Storing shoes is a pain and we all know it. They're either all piled into tippy heaps, or in their original boxes and you have to guess which shoes are where. These clear boxes can be stored neatly on top of each other, they keep pairs together, AND you can see into them which makes finding the right shoes so much faster...

Scarves and ties are another messy closet culprit. I have one of these ringed scarf hangers from Ikea and love it, and I'm quite sure this tie organizer would be appreciated by any man...

Welcome Two Thousand & Ten!

What is it about January that makes you want to start fresh? We're feeling the new year nudge to clean and create well-organized living spaces. And of course, we are excited to share our tips and inspirations with you.

Check back for well-designed home organization suggestions, we're working on a slew of ideas for all the rooms in your home. But for tonight, here's a (small) taste of fun designs to help organize your life in 2010...

Happy New Year from GEORGE!