Announcing the winner of the Sorting with Style giveaway and some organization inspiration

The winner of the Sort with Style giveaway is Kate Cunningham, chosen by a random draw. Kate - congrats! Thanks to all who entered. I'm hosting another giveaway right now - for a gorgeous Stella & Dot necklace. Enter here.

Below is some delish organization eyecandy...

1., 2. Apartment Therapy  3., 4.  IHeart Organizing, 5. Real Simple, 6. IHeart Organizing

A winter's day refuge: the home library

As the days get colder and gloomier, we naturally spend more time inside. Sometimes a rainy or snowy day is just the excuse you need to cozy up and spend the day with a new or well-loved book.

via House of Fifty

That's one comfy looking loveseat. I'm sure I could read there all afternoon.

via Little Green Notebook

Talk about book storage!

via Loft Life Mag

If I ever have the space, creating a little reading nook like this will be a top priority!

via Maree Homer

via Marie Claire Maison

Check out how they've even extended the bookcase on the sides. Definitely making the best use of space here.

via Poppytalk Handmade on Pinterest

via Apartment Therapy

I've been reading a lot lately that if you have "ugly" books, to cover them in plain white paper to create a nicer looking shelf. I don't know how I feel about this. Something about it to me seems too forced, but I've never seen it in person. Has anyone tried this?

via Ballard

dreamy

via Sweet Home Style

Squeeze the most out of an otherwise unusable wall space by running low shelf units along the bottom.

via Sweet Home Style

Do you have a dedicated home library, are your books spread out throughout the house, or have you carved out a space for books in another room?

Calling all neat freaks! (or those aspiring to be)

So, this week I have been scouring the DC area for apartments.  After living in NYC for 3 years I figured every other city would seem inexpensive and abounding in square footage.  I was wrong.  The apartments in DC are less expensive, and slightly larger, but I guess I had my hopes up too high.  That's okay though, because a smaller space forces me to be more creative with how I store, organize, and edit my belongings.  If there's one thing I love - it's solving an organization/space issue beautifully, functionally, and inexpensively.

So the next month or so I might be throwing a lot of organization sales and ideas your way as I'm figuring our how to keep all my belongings in my new, down-sized apartment.

If you have any ideas let me know!  All these goodies are from the fab. sale site Beyond the Rack.  You have to be a member, but it's free and fast to sign up - just click here.

 canisters, $10.99

 I always use a folding dish rack like this, that way after I put away the dishes I can stow the rack under the sink and clear off counter space - important in small kitchens.  bamboo dish rack - $9.99

We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and hanging baskets will keep them from taking up valuable counter space. $5.99

Once I know our exact kitchen dimensions we'll definitely get a kitchen trolley.  They're cute and super useful. $59.99

I think city homes especially should be no-shoes indoors. One treads on pretty nasty stuff walking the city streets...it also keeps your floors cleaner. $17.99

 

In my opinion you can't have too many bins, baskets, and boxes.  $7.99

shoe tree $49.99

hamper $19.99

I've never seen one of these before. It's a boot storage shelf. Good idea if you have a lot of knee-high boots. $44.99

sweater shelf $9.99

metal cabinet shelves and racks - especially those that roll out - maximize your cabinet space. $21.99 - $74.99

If any of these call to the neat freak in you head over to the sale at Beyond the Rack.  Here's the free/fast sign up link.

Fabulous, classy kitchens

These kitchens are elegant and functional, a quality that I think could make my cooking taste decent....

via Pinterest

via Trad Home

check out the arm chair in the kitchen!  Do you like this look?

Stunning...the floor, the tiles...the jumbo baskets...

check out the light fixture....spoons!

An interesting loft minimalist kitchen

Interesting layout - great use of rugs...

5 images above via Schibsted Forlag

Great for Spring cleaning: Big sale on organizing basics - bins, storage, etc...

at Ideeli of course! If you're not a member, you need to be to shop. But fear not, click the link below and you'll become a member, pronto. (It's free and fast)

www.ideeli.com/invite/decorology

This sale seems to be selling out quicker than most so hurry!

ps* I just noticed there's another similar sale at another discount/sale site - Beyond the Rack (again, you need a membership but it's free and quick)

A most pretty little space

I've yet to loose my sense of wonder at beautiful interiors, but even more so when the space is small! As some of you know, I work from home, and live small, so I'm always on the look out for great small spaces that serve as both live and work space. I think this apartment, owned by a jewelry designer who works as well as lives in it, is just one such example


I think the light colors used consistently lends an openness to the space

Collections are kept in neat groupings

Her desk/workspace is behind the couch in the living room


Lovely desk details...

Jess's Tips for working from home:

1. Make the space work for you:
Jess says her kitchen was begging for an island, so she placed a large table there that doubles as a jewelry assembly station by day and a dining room and kitchen prep table after hours.

2. Dress for work:
Jess puts on a nice outfit with shoes when she's working. As for her space, she uses overhead lights during business hours, while pharmacy lamps atop cabinets and bookcases create a homey glow in the evenings. (I like this idea, however, living on a farm with muddy dogs means I only dress nicely for meetings or going out)

3. Separate storage:
To avoid seeing a stack of business receipts when she's looking for a recipe, Jess keeps her office supplies completely separate from her personal items. Each day her assistant wheels out a cart with the jewelry supplies and it's tucked away at night. (I think this is really important, to have all of your work supplies put away at the end of the day - however, I think I would rent a separate office space or get a bigger apartment before hiring an assistant - but that's me..)

via Rue Magazine