Sometimes I take pictures of things I hope to blog about and then I stumble upon them again months later. This is one of those days! I am pretty sure these were all taken after I did my giant whole house purge.
As I shared with my kids' shared bedroom, there are no fancy organizing systems here, just simple paired down cabinets full of organized bins or baskets.
In this post I will share a few of my organized spaces as well as how we use them.
We don't have a lot of extra storage so I try to be smart with how we use the space. Instead of using up a shelf in a closet for extra towels, in our primary bathroom, I use a towel rod behind the door for extra towels for Brent and I. Upstairs we have just enough towels for guests (usually the grandparents!) and then the extras are stored in a bin in our storage shed. One could argue that we don't even need these extra towels but I figure we have them when some of ours need to get replaced.
Brent and I each get one tiny drawer in our bathroom along with under the sink storage. I try to be creative in keeping just my daily use items organized in this small space. I also used a cabinet door organizer to hold larger items that are still easy to access - mouth wash, hair spray, lotion, and my brush.
I also once saw someone store all their bathroom trash cans under the sink. I liked the idea of hiding the trash away so it was a goal of mine to make enough room in the cabinet to hold the trash. Everything else is in clear bins and the white box has cleaning supplies.
I used an old sheet to put a curtain in at the vanity. We used to have a giant basket here. But with the curtain we can now store a lot more hidden away! Since we don't have a garage and our shed is up the hill from our house, my husband stores some of his tools here. Basically he was wanting more space to store stuff, so this was a marital compromise to give him more room for his stuff! And as you can see, we have still yet to paint the walls after tearing down the cabinets that were here. :)
My husband's work from home set up is still in our bedroom and I imagine will be indefinitely as the current work dynamics have changed. He doesn't work from home very often anymore but it still gets used periodically. At the time of these photos, our youngest was also taking one of his naps in the pack in play. Lots of real life - making things work around here!
I am working on more open surfaces that feels less cluttered and also keeps little hands from grabbing things! My nightstand got streamlined with my night time routine items and my most worn jewelry.
I really tried to downsize my closet. It can be hard in these baby years as I have cycled through different clothes for pregnancy and breastfeeding. I even downsized a few handbags and a diaper bag. The nice purses are always hard for me to let go of as they are still in great condition and often feel nostalgic. But just like everything else, style or needs change, and so I would rather just have a few things that I truly love and use often. The Bogg Bag was my Mother's Day gift this year. While I love it, it is really big to store! But I managed to make it work, storing some of my smaller bags inside. (If you aren't familiar, it is basically a giant beach bag but stiff so it stands up. You can just hose it off it if gets dirty. It is a great giant mom bag if you are into that sort of thing!)
The paper bag holds toys I am saving for gifts or toys that go into "holding" before I eventually donate!
On top of the fireplace is usually our junk holding place. Clothes get piled up along with things that need to get put away. Instead of adding more decor, I like having a little space for everyday piles. Then when it all gets put away, a beautiful empty space is left!
I have accumulated more maxi dresses the past few years and they would always hang in front of my shoes. I started hanging them like pants - folded over on a hanger and I suddenly was gifted so much more room! It is amazing how a simple organizational change can make such a big difference.
In our living room, the cabinets and shelves started to feel too cluttered. The kids like to store their toys and paper creations here so things seemed to always pile up. So I downsized some of the items to just the lamp, frame, our TV stuff, and a diffuser.
I also layered our old white rug with a decorative one from the nursery. It has made a big difference in making the room feel more stylish without having to purchase a new large rug. We did replace the nursery rug - I can usually find a 9x7 rug I like at HomeGoods for around $50 that works well in our bedrooms.
Even the porch got a little decluttering. I put away the tile mat and wreath for the summer for a clean and simple look. Come fall, we will be back to filling in cozy and welcoming spaces.
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