Set up your space: Weed out the magazines and books that no longer interest you, then file away magazine clippings in binders with clear plastic sleeves. It helps to give the binders themes that make sense to you. Take on your piles a little at a time while sipping cocoa or watching movies, and by spring you will have a beautifully organized system in place, making it easier to maintain from there on out.
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Reform inc. SaveEmail 10. Do you know how you will find it when you need it? Storing related boxes together can make retrieving items much easier — holiday boxes together, summer gear together etc. Clearly label each box and bin. And if you have a large storage space, consider making a storage map that shows what is in each storage zone.
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Scott Sanders LLC SaveEmail 4. Display a beach-themed vintage collection. This collection of antique sand pails looks charming displayed on a leaning white ladder, and it’s easily switched out come fall. Choosing an object to collect can make visiting those summer flea markets and antiques fairs more fun, so why not come up with your own item to collect? Enamel pitchers, blue glass bottles, toy boats, seaside-themed art … the options are limitless.
Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC. SaveEmail 2. Replace the books (or plates) in your cabinet with seaside treasures. If you have a bookcase or glass-front cabinet filled with china you rarely use, consider clearing it all out to make way for an airier summer collection. Place a few large shells or pieces of driftwood inside to get the arrangement started, then continue to fill in with your own seaside finds as the season goes on.
Danielle Sykes SaveEmail The adjacent dining room holds two more industrial touches. The shelving unit once served as the employee mailboxes in a train station; today it’s a wine and glass rack. “We bought this in Nebraska at a farm auction,” says Danforth. “No one could believe we wanted it, and the farmers were curious about what we planned to do with it.”
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Faith Towers Media SaveEmail The couple installed a secret passageway leading to a second tower hidden behind a bookshelf in the bedroom that was used by their oldest daughter when she lived here. They were inspired by the hidden passageway in The House of the Seven Gables in nearby Salem and thought it would be an amusing addition.
Martins Camisuli Architects SaveEmail Echoing the cupboard doors, the open kitchen shelves are made of reclaimed floorboards. The decorative antique brackets were picked up by the owners at a flea market in France.
Kelli Kaufer Designs SaveEmail 3. Choose open shelving where possible. Open shelving creates interest in the space as well as saves money. Using salvaged wood or painted planks from your local hardware store for shelving is a cost-effective and functional option to display everyday dishes (items that don’t spend enough time on the shelf to accumulate dust).
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Build a storage wall. Admittedly, this idea will take a lot more thought and initial outlay than most of the others here, but once the wall is built, you’ll have it for life. We’re talking about a dedicated storage wall with jigsaw-puzzle-style cubbyholes to hold your ceramics, books, photos and other collections.
Give mismatched accessories a cohesive look. Wondering what to do with the random assortment of vases, bowls and other trinkets unearthed from your attic? Assuming none are too valuable, try unifying the collection with a coat of white paint. When you are finished, group the items together in one spot (on a bookcase, for instance) rather than scattered throughout the room for the most impact.
8. Don’t forget about your bathroom. Shallow shelves inset into the wall could be just the thing for a collection, and the bathroom could be an ideal place to put it. These bottles are filled with sand collected from travels all over the world. What could you display to bring back memories of your globetrotting adventures?
EtsySave to IdeabookEmail Photo Primitive Wooden Wall Shelf with Mason Jar by Midwestern Treasures - $30 This piece provides shelf space and hooks for hanging items, but the addition of the Mason jar gives it the perfect dose of charm!
Grandiflora HomeSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Metal Wall Basket - $33.95 I recently used metal wall baskets similar to these for storing my son's Lego instructions. It just goes to show how something so simple can be a clever way to maximize space and get rid of clutter.
Home Decorators CollectionSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Harmon Wall Shelf with Hooks - $39 Talk about chippy charm! This darling wall shelf not only has hooks for hanging items, but cubby boxes that are perfect for dropping off the mail, keys and the random assortment of things that wind up in your kids' pockets.
Ballard DesignsSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Renee Shelf - $139 These hanging shelves have such a wonderful vintage feel to them. The crisscross pattern on the sides adds so much charm and character.
EtsySave to IdeabookEmail Photo Vintage Cubby Hole Shadow Box by Sir Gunnison's Farm - $37 This vintage shelf would make a great shadow box display. You could create a grid of small mementos, like your favorite rubber stamps, mineral rocks or vintage bottles.
20. Mudroom shelving. Mudroom shelves don’t need to be for jackets and school bags during the summer — clear them off to make room for colorful towels, beach bags and baskets for sunscreen and shades.
Nagwa Seif Interior DesignSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Minimize visual clutter. When it comes to paper storage, the easiest thing is to sort it all into matching containers. Woven baskets and bins along with simple white magazine files or kraft paper photo boxes are versatile pieces that can handle almost anything you have. Get a label maker if you don't like your handwriting, and stick on a fresh label each time you make a new bin or file.
IKEASave to IdeabookEmail Photo Billy/Benno Bookcase Combination - $179.96 6. Know when to save and when to splurge. Stay on budget while still enjoying a few splurges by learning where you can cut corners. You can always customize basic pieces like white shelving from Ikea by covering the area behind the shelves with fabric or paint.
Lucy CallSave to IdeabookEmail Photo The stepbrothers found this old ladder outside an antiques store, and Kamp had the idea to use it as a shelf to balance out the low profile of the other living room furnishings. They simply closed the ladder shut and leaned it against the wall, creating shelves on each rung for book display.
Art pieces collected over the years are displayed here in a low bookshelf in the hallway. Ballantyne says of the couple's sizable book collection, "How should I put it? All the books have been read."
Use an old ladder as a hanging shelf.
The key to turning old stuff into new, useful stuff is often clever disguises. These old crates plus paint and some cute paper backing equals pretty, one-of-kind shelving for about $25.
Marlene Wangenheim AKBD, CAPS, Allied Member ASIDSave to IdeabookEmail Photo 5. Edge molding. Moldings can be added to almost every part of a cabinet or shelf. This homeowner or designer added molding to the outside edge of the shelving, known as an edge molding. Decorative molding on open shelving not only adds a new design feature, but it can also add a structural element. Some shelving, depending on the span (anything over 36 inches) can bow from weight if it isn't supported correctly. Applying an edge molding to the outside edge of the shelf can prevent sagging.
IKEASave to IdeabookEmail Photo Ekby Tony/Ekby Stilig Wall Shelf - $36.99 These simple wall shelves from Ikea are a great, quick option for adding storage to the kitchen.
Tyler Morris WoodworkingSave to IdeabookEmail Photo Shelf Brackets - $18 Cottage kitchens tend to be on the small side. Open yours up by replacing some of the upper cabinets with open shelving. Simple wooden brackets like these can be painted to match your wall color.
Style Secret: Open Shelving Not so long ago, kitchens didn't have the banks of upper cabinetry that are standard now. What they had instead was shelving, home to stacks of plates and bowls, canisters of dry goods and baskets of edibles. And in cottage interiors, not much changes in the translation, although nowadays the look is as much decorative as it is utilitarian. Hot tip: Open shelves are not for the chronically disorganized, so you'll have to keep clutter in check (and commit to a little extra dusting). Dishware that hews to a similar look and palette, such as ironstone, creamware or basic white porcelain, is ideal for cohesiveness.
EtsySave to IdeabookEmail Photo Antique Late 1800s Wooden Letterpress Drawer by Hoof & Antler - $45 Finally, letterpress drawers are popping up all over the place, and for good reason. They have a wonderful authenticity and are often worn and well-used. They make great storage and display pieces. And they always look like they have a story to tell.
Rustic wooden wall shelf primitive handmade of reclaimed old wood - $39.95 Honoring modest living and the moment, wabi-sabi finds beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. Wabi-sabi things have history, like these bottles and this wood.
For my coffee station.
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