Easy Organizing Solutions for Every Room | Midwest Living
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Easy Organizing Solutions for Every Room

Organizing the clutter of our lives doesn't mean relying on boring boxes. Think out of the box for clever ways to store necessities throughout your home.
  • Magnetic appeal

    Use a sheet metal insert to turn the inside of a cabinet door into a convenient storage space with magnetic hooks, containers and clips. 

  • Buckets of fun

    Layer on some bright contact paper and hang a bucket from a door hook for bathroom organization.

  • Egg carton storage

    Organizing solutions don't come much cheaper than an egg carton! Use the egg side for small items such as pins, thumb tacks, staples and batteries. The larger side holds scissors and pencils. 

  • Organized fun

    Built-ins organize a lakehouse mudroom, meaning there is less work to find what you need to have fun.

  • Standing tall

    A cake stand or two plates glued to a candlestick elevate tiny bottles and tubes on a bathroom counter.

  • Garden calendar

    Ribbon makes an attractive—and easy—way to organize your garden plans. Each ribbon represents a month; use clothespins to attach seed packets or other reminders of what to do. 

  • Canned goods

    Cans and paint add clever storage. Clean and spray-paint cans in coordinating colors. Arrange them geometrically or whimsically, attaching each to the wall with a single screw through the bottom or with heavy-duty wall-mounting tape.

  • Storage under stairs

    Do you have an awkwardly-shaped closet or empty space under your steps? Think about redesigning that area with storage drawers to make the best use of space.

  • Stylish crates

    Add drawer pulls to inexpensive wooden crates to make them easier to pull out from shelves. 

  • Pot pizzazz

    Revitalize terra-cotta flowerpots with a coat of bright paint and some rub-on accents. We used scrapbooking stickers to add playful patterns to our containers.

  • Tool time

    Keep tools at your fingertips with a garage storage system.

  • Open a door

    Prop a weathered door against the wall and you've got an instant backdrop for hanging items. The doorknob holds a purse. Add hooks for shawls, chunky necklaces, etc.

  • Store it on a door

    Forget one hook. Hang a shoe holder and you've got dozens of pockets. Clear plastic makes it easy to find what you need, but fabric gives a sleeker look.

  • Stylish storage

    A mailbox wearing a bright coat of paint and funky contact paper hangs at the back door as a perfect spot for outgoing mail and car keys.

     

  • Feeding Fido

    A window seat does double duty when it contains storage under the cushions. The depth makes it a good spot for large quantities or bulky items. Here, big bags of dog food are easy to access at dinnertime.

  • On the wall

    Pretty is as pretty does. Mount chair and baseboard molding to the wall to fashion shallow ledges for your favorite platters and serving ware.

  • Get a system

    Organize the clutter of gift-wrapping with poles mounted between shelving units. Take out a shelf, insert expandable curtain rods, and you've got a wrapping station.

  • Sweet finds

    Clear cookie jars are repurposed as supply holders. Tea bags, ice cream scoops, or whatever you use on a regular basis comes out of a drawer and into the light.

  • Little helpers

    Eggcups are perfect for holding handfuls of odds and ends, such as paper clips, thumbtacks, rubber bands and stamps. Antique versions add interest to your work-a-day world.

  • Great crate

    A little wooden box mounted to the back of an entertainment center door provides a perch for multiple remotes.

  • Pegboard

    Pegboard moves out of the garage. Mount it on beaded board, frame it with curvy molding, and unify it with a coat of paint. Add hooks and rods to organize sewing, cooking or crafting supplies.

  • Post a message

    Four magnetic chalkboards hang in a row to form a family command post. Artwork, invites, to-do lists -- they are front and center here. A door painted with magnetic chalkboard paint and hung on the wall would work, too.

  • Hanging around

    Transfer kitchen-organizing kits to the crafts room. These stainless-steel rods and hanging baskets corral scrapbooking supplies.

  • Fill a nook

    A basket on wheels takes advantage of this nook. Here, a door hinges shut to hide the bags of recyclables. Cute containers would eliminate the need for concealment.

  • Under foot

    A bench on wheels in the bedroom expands storage. Anything not needed this season stows out of sight, including several pairs of shoes.

  • Gadgets to go

    Dedicate a drawer at the entry to organizing all the electronics you need as well as their chargers. Drawer dividers keep it easy to grab and go.

  • Under a shelf

    Nail the lids of shapely jars to the underside of a cabinet, fill the jar with little necessities, and you've got instant access.

  • Drawers of possibilites

    A coat of paint, four casters and a rope handle transformed an old drawer into underbed storage.

  • Library style

    Card catalog-style drawers stow DVDs and CDs out of sight.

  • Hardworking hub

    This tiny office and its adjoining cupboard have it all: pegboard or hanging items, whiteboard and chalkboard for notes, clearly labeled recycling containers as well as neatly stowed cleaning supplies. Scrap booking papers and colorful office supplies add punch.
  • Clean it up

    Label bins in pullout cupboard to ease recycling duties.

  • Out-of-sight storage

    Overhead cubbies in a mudroom organize seasonal equipment while adding clean lines to the look.

  • Artsy storage

    Underbed storage makes it easy for kids to get their toys and supplies. Chalkboard paint lets you customize labels in a snap.

  • Entertaining supplies

    Baskets on pegboards keep entertaining supplies at the ready. Hooks also hold outdoor lighting that might not be able to withstand stormy seasons.

  • Hook 'em

    Wall hooks are versatile tools. Here they hold clearly labeled buckets of goodies for play and chores. 

  • Different angles

    Pullout shelves, some at a slant, make finding family diversions simple.

  • Sporty solution

    Active families have tons of stuff, so they need tons of storage. This wall is dedicated to a system that stows it all.

  • Island organization

    Add a hanging shelf to your kitchen island for easy-to-reach storage of spices, utensils and measuring spoons. 

  • Basket solutions

    Baskets add not only style but convenient storage in just about every room of your house. In the kitchen, try a shallow basket for storing cooking oils and spices. Put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil on the bottom for easy cleanup. 

    See more ideas for basket storage 

  • Creative cans

    Make attractive storage containers from soup cans, coffee tins and other containers. Just attach decorative paper with spray adhesive or double-stick tape. Corral pens, pencils, scissors and other supplies. Change out the paper seasonally if you like!

  • Door storage

    The backs of cabinet doors are great spaces to add shelving. Here, sturdy, shallow caddies organize small supplies that would get lost in a jumble inside the cabinet. 

  • Ladder display

    A vintage ladder adds stylish towel storage in this bath. 

  • Desktop organizer

    This flea-market find—a sugar mold—makes a perfect workspace organizer. It's deep enough to store scissors, a hole punch and other office necessities.

  • Basket solutions

    Baskets add not only style but convenient storage in just about every room of your house. In the kitchen, try a shallow basket for storing cooking oils and spices. Put a cookie sheet or aluminum foil on the bottom for easy cleanup. 

    See more ideas for basket storage 

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