Storage
Easy Clean Make short work of cleaning by storing items in easy-to-transport caddies in a central location. To avoid sticky puddles of detergent or drips of bleach on shelves, place bottles in inexpensive plastic baskets or on top of plastic plant trays. Use a pegboard system to hold sewing-repair gear as well as ironing essentials.
On-the-Go Filing Need an easy system for organizing mail and paper work? Create a swift filing center that's as easy to maintain as it is to create. Start with a dish drainer and outfit the slots with pretty file folders. Use the utensil holders to house pens and other organization supplies. A clearly labeled, out-in-the-open filing system like this one is a simple way to keep track of daily incoming papers. You don't even have to open a drawer or a lid -- just tuck in the papers. And the portability of the center makes it easy to take the system to where you are -- be it at the kitchen table or on the couch in front of the TV.
Message Center For a done-in-an-evening message center, hang a bulletin board above a desk and use it to post upcoming events and important phone numbers. Flex your creative muscle and create your own board by piecing together a series of squares. Pair fabric-covered cork tiles with painted pegboard tiles, adding a dry-erase tile and chalkboard-painted tile to the mix if desired. Suspend containers from the pegboard to keep office supplies within arm's reach.
Daily Dish Designate 30 minutes to organize the jumbled mess of dish cleaning supplies under the sink. Outfit the space with a two-tier wire rollout rack. Give your back a break by storing small items, such as sponges and scrubbing brushes, on the top level and tall items, such as dish soap and hand soap, on the bottom.
Organized Craft Time If you struggle to find a tidy home for sewing essentials, consider adding a stock kitchen cabinet with rolling shelves to a home office. Paint a piece of pegboard the same color as the wall and suspend it above the cabinet to hold thread and other crafting odds and ends. When all of the pieces you need for a crafts project are located in one place, organization experts agree you're more likely start a project as well as complete it.
Computer Armoire Make room for a computer station in your family's main gathering area with an office armoire. The piece is ideal for storing computer manuals and reference books, and all the clutter disappears when the doors are closed. Line the inside of the doors with favorite photos so when the unit is open for business, you're still putting on a show.
Out-of-the-Way Storage Tuck decorative baskets or bags under a console table to fashion neat, easy-to-access storage for throw blankets and magazines. Use the baskets as a measured reminder for reading materials -- as soon as the basket is full, it's time to edit and create room for incoming issues. -Jessica Brinkert Holtam
Vintage Verve The best way to avoid losing mail is to designate a single spot as a mail catchall, but no one said you had to use an ordinary tray. Serve up a whimsical and elegant in-box by topping a ceramic platter with a silver food dome. The dome acts as a paperweight, keeping a lid on papers until you're ready to look at them. Need a place to hang your keys? Press vintage drawer pulls into service as hooks.
Perfect for any room!
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