Smart Storage
We all know how to purge those old clothes, frayed linens, and 1980s-era sunscreen from our home’s assorted closets. But how to make storage spaces extraordinary—to make the simple act of opening the closet door elicit a sigh of contented joy—is another level altogether. With these clever projects for three different closets, you’ll find that taking yours to the next level isn’t as hard as you thought.
Neat Sheets
Stacks of sheets make it easy for anyone to beg off when it comes to making up fresh beds. Keep the stacks neat with decorative brackets attached to the shelves. Pick up some mending plates (check any hardware department), and mount them on the shelf’s front edge. With paint or a permanent marker, label each stack to coordinate with the proper bedroom.
Guest List
Get guest-ready with a hospitality basket filled with all the things you might scramble for when relatives call with last-minute plans to visit your house. Add a set of linens, some spare toiletries, even some bottled water—drop in a few snacks right before they arrive—and you’ll be calm, collected, and prepared when they show up on your doorstep. A shipping tag with a special message of welcome adds charm.
Relief Jars
Clear out the clutter in your drawers and medicine cabinet with these repurposed kitchen canisters. Create easy labels using white electrical tape and a permanent marker. The “ouch” jar holds first-aid supplies such as adhesive bandages and antibiotic ointment. Over-the-counter cures for everyday pains are found in the “ache” jar. The “calm” jar is filled with soothing bath salts.
Tab Tapes
Twill tape in various colors keeps bath linens grouped together (and makes them easy to hang). Sort your family’s linens into a set for each member (a washcloth, hand towel, and bath towel). Cut 6-inch-long pieces of twill tape for each piece in the set, assigning a color to each person. Create a loop from each length, align the cut edges, and stitch (either by hand or with a sewing machine) the loop centered just inside the edge of each linen piece. For easy hanging, attach the loop to a shorter side of the towel and the hand towel.
Makeshift Mudroom
Do you find your coats, shoes, and keys piled haphazardly about? Or, have trouble finding them at all? Those of us lacking a marvelous mudroom can make our own by transforming a small closet into our go-to spot for everything we wear or carry in the door. Assign all the odds and ends that simply cannot live elsewhere to bins and crates on the upper shelf. Designate a large basket for the closet floor—it can hold hats, gloves, shoes, your yoga mat, water bottle, and more. Finally, shop the home-improvement store for hook sash lifts (you’ve probably seen them on your windows). If you want, paint them a fun color, then mount three, spacing them evenly on the inside of the closet door. Use these handy hooks for keys, scarves, and other easy-to-lose items.
Stacks of sheets make it easy for anyone to beg off when it comes to making up fresh beds. Keep the stacks neat with decorative brackets attached to the shelves. Pick up some mending plates (check any hardware department), and mount them on the shelf’s front edge. With paint or a permanent marker, label each stack to coordinate with the proper bedroom.
Guest List
Get guest-ready with a hospitality basket filled with all the things you might scramble for when relatives call with last-minute plans to visit your house. Add a set of linens, some spare toiletries, even some bottled water—drop in a few snacks right before they arrive—and you’ll be calm, collected, and prepared when they show up on your doorstep. A shipping tag with a special message of welcome adds charm.
Relief Jars
Clear out the clutter in your drawers and medicine cabinet with these repurposed kitchen canisters. Create easy labels using white electrical tape and a permanent marker. The “ouch” jar holds first-aid supplies such as adhesive bandages and antibiotic ointment. Over-the-counter cures for everyday pains are found in the “ache” jar. The “calm” jar is filled with soothing bath salts.
Tab Tapes
Twill tape in various colors keeps bath linens grouped together (and makes them easy to hang). Sort your family’s linens into a set for each member (a washcloth, hand towel, and bath towel). Cut 6-inch-long pieces of twill tape for each piece in the set, assigning a color to each person. Create a loop from each length, align the cut edges, and stitch (either by hand or with a sewing machine) the loop centered just inside the edge of each linen piece. For easy hanging, attach the loop to a shorter side of the towel and the hand towel.
Makeshift Mudroom
Do you find your coats, shoes, and keys piled haphazardly about? Or, have trouble finding them at all? Those of us lacking a marvelous mudroom can make our own by transforming a small closet into our go-to spot for everything we wear or carry in the door. Assign all the odds and ends that simply cannot live elsewhere to bins and crates on the upper shelf. Designate a large basket for the closet floor—it can hold hats, gloves, shoes, your yoga mat, water bottle, and more. Finally, shop the home-improvement store for hook sash lifts (you’ve probably seen them on your windows). If you want, paint them a fun color, then mount three, spacing them evenly on the inside of the closet door. Use these handy hooks for keys, scarves, and other easy-to-lose items.
