Making Your Storage Oh So Pretty

After reading my last post then a friend of mine sent me some more great storage ideas from Better Homes and Gardens. So many of these are perfect for those with a very small house. My friend and I actually used to be roommates in a 800 square foot house or so. She thought of some great ways to make use of the smallest spaces.

Something like this would work great in a kitchen with less than ample room. I actually saw those mugs at Home Goods a few months ago.


I love this little Vegetable Bin that they have re purposed for a bedside table with lots of storage.


This is so practical for our home since my boys and husband love to park their shoes by the front door. My husband wears size 13 though, not sure they would fit in these cute little spots.


Not so much storage as just a pretty thing to see when you walk in to this room.


This kind of storage is great for those things that you need fast but don't want to see, like keys, cell phones, mail and flashlights. It is also perfect for CD or DVD storage


Another beautiful way to showcase your favorite photos and other small items.


I really need something like this to store all of the artsy stuff I have acquired.

Think Things Through

I have been wanting to go back to Ikea for weeks now to purchase some storage solutions for my sons closet. I had, what I thought was the perfect solution in mind. Ikea sells these large recycling bins with lids that are stackable but because of how they are shaped you can still access them when stacked.


Ikea

As I stood in my sons room today, looking at his closet that was vomiting into the room, I started thinking a little more. What I actually need is something like the above picture, but also some shelves to go along with it. So I pulled up one my favorite stores, The Land of Nod. I have yet to actually buy anything from them because of the *$$$* of everything, but they have some great ideas. This is what I found.


The Land Of Nod

Unfortunately this outfit would cost around $300 and that would hurt worse than looking at the mess. So I was thinking, keep the ikea bins and add some kind of shelving above it for the same great storage, but about a 1/4 of the price.

What I am learning is to really think about how you want each space to function and what needs to go there before you rush out to buy your storage items. A Rubbermaid container is not always the best solution. It may be that you spend just a little more time and money to get it right, but... you get it right, and that is priceless.

Need Eye Friendly Storage...

Well I'm super excited about another idea that I plan on stealing from The Lettered Cottage

They recently did a very awesome makeover on a room in Virginia Beach for little $$. I want to take their idea of the bookcases to put in our family room for games, pictures, books and all that stuff that I don't want in my garage or sitting in the middle of the floor. As they mention on the segment, they just put a little crown moulding around the top to give it a custom look, and all the rest of it is purchased from Ikea. So check out what they did and stay tuned to see the same cool storage in our family room!

The Lettered Cottage