Beautifully Organized and Functional Spaces

Get ideas for the problem areas in your home from these wonderfully organized spaces.

Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and we may make money from these affiliate links.

June 26, 2015

Related To:

Shop This Look

Photo By: Stacey Brandford

Photo By: Alex Deringer and Courtney Cox; 2 Ivy Lane

Photo By: Photography by Rachael Boling

Photo By: Jonathan Allen

Photo By: codyulrich.com

Photo By: The Container Store

Photo By: Melissa George, Polished Habitat

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Kelli Wilson

Photo By: Stacey Brandford Photography

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Photo By: John Merkl

Photo By: John Granen

Photo By: Melissa George, Polished Habitat

Photo By: Jeff Herr

Photo By: Haydee Letonja

Photo By: Rethink Design Studio

Make It Beautiful

Create a closet that is not only functional but is beautiful! You'll naturally want to maintain a space that's lovely to look at more than you will want to keep up an unattractive one. Get inspired by these dream closets >>

From: Sarah Richardson

Shoe Storage, Solved

Clean up your closet and keep your footwear in tip-top shape with uniform shoe storage containers. Label each box with a snapshot of the enclosed pair, and store special-occasion shoes on the top shelf. Get more clever shoe storage ideas >>

No More Nightstand Woes

Any designer will tell you that selecting a nightstand with interior storage is the best way to keep the top clear of clutter. But if you fall in love with a bedside table that doesn't have as much stowaway space as you need, "use decorative storage boxes to keep small items organized," says designer Linda McDougal. "And there are certain things you should always plan to keep on top of the nightstand: a lamp, a coaster for a glass of water and a couple of books."

Make the Bed

Treat your bed as the sanctuary it is by positioning it for use every day. If you spend three minutes each morning to tuck and fold, you'll develop a habit of keeping order in the room, which may translate into motivation for picking up the pile of clothes on the floor.

From: Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects

Create a Reading Nook

Rescue your reading chair from clothes and magazines by adding proper organization to a bedroom's reading nook. Next to a comfortable chair, place a side table with drawers and/or shelves to keep piles of books off the floor. Keep one shelf for library books and another for your permanent collections. To promote an uncluttered feeling, make sure you have fewer books than fit the space.

From: Tiffany Brooks

Stylish Storage

Gone are the days of hiding storage containers under beds or in closets. Make organization a breeze by incorporating stylish bins in with your decor. In this Paige Morse bathroom, an African basket provides a chic spot to deposit wet towels. See more gorgeous storage containers you won't be embarrassed to leave out >>

From: Paige Morse

The Drawers Have It

Keep laundry supplies and clothes waiting to be ironed and mended neatly tucked away in storage drawers adjacent to your washer and dryer.

Don't Forget About the Doors

Another overlooked storage spot is the back of the doors in your laundry room. Look for storage solutions that were designed for closets as a starting point. While the unit in the photo above works great for supplies, you could also use things like over-the-door shoe storage for small supplies. Even simple hooks mounted on the door would provide some additional space to hang laundry bags or hangers for drying delicate items.

Keep It Logical

Linen closets can get overwhelmed with "stuff." Ask yourself where you use your linens and let your answer govern what goes into your linen closet. A good rule of thumb: you only need two sets of sheets per bed. Toss or donate the rest. Get more storage and organization secrets >>

Closet Within a Closet

Plastic storage drawers can add tons of organization to any space. In a linen closet, use them to corral wash clothes and hand towels. The sturdy drawers also help piles of bath towels stay neat and upright on each side.

Be Neat from the Start

Combat a rumpled and over-stuffed linen closet by folding neatly as soon as items come out of the dryer. Learn the easy way to fold a fitted sheet >>

Contain Kid Clutter

Take advantage of a wide closet by manipulating shelving to accomodate smaller clothes. Add in a workspace that can be closed behind closet doors.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Labels for Toys

Let the kids know exactly where to put their toys to make clean up a breeze.

Make an Everyday Rule

If you don't use an appliance or tool in your kitchen every day, remove it from your countertops. Only pull it out when you need it.

From: Sarah Richardson

A Well-Stocked Pantry

Organize your pantry items by category. Keep vegetables, grains, fruits, condiments and baking items with each other. Check out more solutions for a picture-perfect pantry >>

Keep an Open Mind

For a clean, contemporary look, consider installing open shelving in your kitchen. Because of its constant visibility, open shelving will encourage you to keep your kitchen items tidy and organized.

Under Glass

If you're not quite ready to go completely open, consider using glass-door shelving to keep your shelves under control and free of dust.

Do Double Duty

Room dividing shelves neatly separate one area from another, but also provide storage.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Craft Room De-Cluttered

No designated craft room? No problem! An over-the-door organizer is a great, small-space solution for storing gift wrap, tissue paper, riboon and more. See more of this beautifully organized craft room from HGTV Magazine >>

From: HGTV Magazine

De-Junk the Junk Drawer

Use clear Lucite organizers to keep that catchall drawer under control. Learn how to de-clutter your junk drawer here >>

Eliminate Piles of Paper

Is your home office drowning in paper clutter? Clean it up with these tips from professional organizer, Vicki Norris:

1: Create an area within your Work Center for papers that need immediate action.

2: Store paper associated with clients or ongoing projects in an area that is easily accessible and within your view.

3: Establish a permanent filing system for papers you will reference, but not on a regular basis.

4: Toss, shred or recycle papers you no longer need or use. Get more office organization tips >>

Clear the Entryway

The entryway brings the outside in — along with boots, umbrellas and overcoats. Plan storage for outerwear and foul weather gear near the front door for an organized home. Get 9 more tips for organizing the entryway >>

Repurposed

Use items from around the house to help you organize. For example, transform an old file cabinet into a storage bin for large yard tools. Add casters to the bottom to make it mobile for busy outdoor days.

Beautify Your Bookshelves

To create a striking display, arrange books in small groups rather than simply filling every shelf end to end. Remove their jackets, then gather books with different heights and thicknesses in similar colors and pair them with sculptural bookends. Learn how to style your bookshelves like the pros >>

From: Rethink Design Studio

Think Upwards

Use the height in your home to your advantage: Pile books high on tower shelves to use otherwise unused space.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Beautifully Organized and Functional Spaces

Related To:

Shop This Look

Make It Beautiful

Shoe Storage, Solved

No More Nightstand Woes

Make the Bed

Create a Reading Nook

Stylish Storage

The Drawers Have It

Don't Forget About the Doors

Keep It Logical

Closet Within a Closet

Be Neat from the Start

Contain Kid Clutter

Labels for Toys

Make an Everyday Rule

A Well-Stocked Pantry

Keep an Open Mind

Under Glass

Do Double Duty

Craft Room De-Cluttered

De-Junk the Junk Drawer

Eliminate Piles of Paper

Clear the Entryway

Repurposed

Beautify Your Bookshelves

Think Upwards

Get Organized With the Help of These Websites

33 Beautiful Spaces From 'Outgrown' 33 Photos

More Organizing Videos 8 Videos

60 Organizers for a Picture-Perfect Pantry 60 Photos

15 Clever Small Space Tips From Design Bloggers 18 Photos

40 Clever Ways to Clean Up and Organize Your Laundry Room 40 Photos

Related Pages