There's something about the beginning of a new year that makes us all want to try and get our stuff together so when the theme for this month's Better Homes and Garden's (BHG at Walmart) post was organization, it totally made sense.
Our home does not have many closets. Older homes rarely do. It had two 3 foot by 3 foot closets when we moved in and that was it. I have since built two more but we still lack closet storage. One day I am going to turn our attic into usable space and it will be rows and rows of shelves. But until then, I have to get creative when it comes to storing things in our tiny house.
Being obsessed with home decor and being somewhat of a hoarder creates a problem. I have a lot of random things that don't really have a specific place. Vases, candles, cloth napkins, hardware, serving trays, sea shells, candlesticks, and all sorts of miscellaneous decor items that I normally had in totes stored in the garage (which was a pain to search through, by the way).
When I went to visit the Better Homes and Gardens headquarters a couple of years ago, I fell in love with their prop room. Rows and rows of everything you could ever want for a photo shoot. It was glorious! It sparked an idea that I could have a mini prop area somewhere in my home.
Fast forward to several months ago and I finally got around to hanging five 6 foot shelves on my office wall. Most of the boxes and baskets I already had, but I needed a few more things.
I ordered some metal bins and they were the perfect touch!
These bins are part of the Better Homes and Gardens collection at Walmart. They are so handy!
I had already bought some for use in my laundry room and knew they were awesome. I bought the large ones again even thought the smaller ones would have fit on the shelves better. I just love how much stuff they hold! And the big ones only hang over the edge of the shelves about ½ inch so it isn't a big deal.
Along with the things I use to style shoots with, I also store winter hats, gloves and scarves in one of the bins. I store my camera gear, my projector with speakers, craft paints, my kids artwork waiting to be put in their scrapbooks, flower pots, vegetable seeds, electrical and charging cords, receipts and other paper work that need to be filed, and every other small random thing that would otherwise be scattered all over the house causing clutter.
Sneak peek of my "new" vintage rug!!!
How do you keep clutter under control? What is your best organization tip? I would love to hear! I am going from room to room this month and trying to get everything in its place.
For more organizational ideas visit these other BHG blogs: Monica Wants It, Ask Anna, Designing, Dining, and Diapers, Dukes and Duchesses, Refresh Restyle, I Heart Naptime, Fox Hollow Cottage, Today's Creative Life, A Night Owl Blog
This post sponsored by Better Homes and Gardens products at Walmart. All opinions and projects ideas are my own. Catch up with the BHG Live Better on Facebook,Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.
Clutter under control - I can't stand clutter and I've been downsizing our stuff for sometime. I keep a giveaway box in our breezeway for things we no longer need or want, these items are donated to a local resale shop every month. Which means I don't really have clutter anymore. When the kids were little I used bins and crates for their stuff, loved that system. My husband has a hobby that involves many small pieces of stuff so we use an old dresser to organize all of it. My first home was a 1917 wooden house and there were few closets - I believe it's because back in those days they only purchased what they needed which didn't leave much room for clutter, our culture has changed dramatically. Living in a home with history is neat and sometimes a challenge, your cabinet looks awesome and I love how you make things work.
I had a friend say once that for everything you bring into your home you should get rid of something. We have a monthly trip to the thrift store as well donating items we no longer need. We add things to the trunk of our van all month. And I agree, we have become such consumers! I am guilty of buying things I don't "need". Some days I am thankful to have a tiny home because it forces me to constantly par down.
Wow! Great ideas that are trendy, inexpensive, quality .
Thank you for all of your tips and suggestions.
Those galvanized storage bins are right up my alley! I'm not into plastic if I can help it and need something pest proof for my pantry.
I LOVE this! Who knew stacking a bunch of boxes and bins on shelves could be so cute? Super cute <3.
Anna
I love this look--the mix of shapes, colors, textures, and a touch of green. I'll bet, subconsciously, it helps you remember which bin things are stored in. Looks great against the white wall and shelves. Great solution. In answer to your question, I don't. Period. I need all the help I can get. I, too, am a hoarder, but this year, as I continue cleaning and organizing, I am trying to be a snob and not cling to cheap, dollar store items that people have given to us over the years. I look at things and ask, am I saving this because it is beautiful and well made, because I'm sentimental about it, or out of guilt--just because it was a gift. A voice in the back of my head is telling me that no one is going to come to my house and do an inventory to see if I still have all the gifts they ever gave me. I think about what a burden this will all be to my son, someday. I also am trying to identify and describe all the things I have that I feel really do have real value or sentimental value, and taking photos and keeping lists of them. When you have to clean out an older person's house and you don't know if the thing you're looking at is a family heirloom that's been handed down for generations, a yard sale find, or a cheap store bought item it makes it hard to know what to part with. My suggestion is to keep some kind of a list somewhere of the stuff that's really special. If the stuff in a box is just cheap stuff that can be discarded when I'm gone, I label it as such.
Oh I love the idea of photos and a list. That is genius! I fall victim to holding onto things out of guilt too. When we spent all summer and fall purging I had to keep reminding myself the same thing!
I love the combination of baskets, bins, and boxes on the shelves and the color and texture combinations look so good. I can't wait until I can put shelves on my walls again. Looking at this makes me want to even more.
Your home is so beautiful! I love how you tackled your storage problem. It looks so nice and neat.
I'm planning on tackling our built-in bookcases in our loft, as well as our walk-in attic. I'm seeing lots of ideas and items from this collection that I could use to organize those spaces.
OH I would love to have a prop room!
I love those bins - they are perfect in so many rooms of the home. Nice!
I'm loving all those bins for organization!! They look so great together!
Love those metal bins!
The baskets look great! Thanks so much for joining us at Merry Monday! Pinned and Shared!