Store Nearly Everything In The House, from the workbench
After so many people demanded to know more about the way we organize everything from our bills to our receipts, we realized that our recent post about seven plain things that make our lives easier simply scratched the surface. So we are back to share more peeks into the systems and habits that we rely on to keep everything in its place (so we can find things at a moment’s notice, and keep our house tidy fairly much on auto-pilot). So without further ado, here is how we store, stash and stockpile simply about everything in our house.
We have mentioned our little Hands-on mudroom in the corner of our den (a padded storage bench and coat rack from Target instantly create a convenient spot to hang jackets, bags, and leashes so they do not pile up elsewhere). But we have not revealed what we store inside the bench. Why our paperwork of course! From medical records to tax info and even momentos from our childhood (old drawings and report cards), it is all filed away in distinct folders labeled for straightforward identification (we use two of those tiered upright folder stands so everything is straightforward to see and nothing can slip out and get lost). No one would ever guess that seemingly spare corner of the room is truly a large paper hub. We also have a safety deposit box at our local bank where we securely store all of our essential paperwork and info (a small safe can simply be carried off in a break in). Cannot be too careful these days!
And once we learned about the virtues of storage ottomans, we could not assist but introduce a padded bench to our dining area too. In there we store all of the paper statements and bills that we have paid (in folders labeled with each company’s name- again corralled in tiered upright folder holders) so we can easily find whatever we need for taxes or to prove that we paid something (we pay bills online, but we write our confirmation number and the date that we paid ’em on all of our paper invoices for straightforward reference).
As for receipts, I have worked for a while to come up with a system that truly works for me. I used to try to store them by category in an expandable plastic accordion folder, but they seemed to multiply and I felt like I was devoting ten hours a week to putting them in their designated spots (plus certain categories were bulging while others were virtually empty). Then I picked up two white boxes from Ikea for my desk (they were so affordable and I knew I could use them for something). I chose I would simply try slipping receipts into one of them. No more sorting by about ten categories, and no more pile of receipts hanging over me. I simply empty my purse when I get home each night and toss them into the box. Straightforward as pie. And finding an old receipt is not too hard since they are fairly much stacked chronologically, so I spend way less time sorting them up front, and can still find something in in a few minutes when I need to on the back end. Update: check out how we use the other box and hide all the wires in our office right here.
Meanwhile, the white metal tins (also from Ikea) are where we store Burger’s food and his t-r-e-a-t-s (cannot say the word or he goes crazy). They are low-cost little airtight containers, but they still look clean and neat on my white desk. We even have a mini measuring cup in the larger bin which stores the food for straightforward scoopage. Oh and many people think it is funny that we store our pooch stuff in the den, but it is in fact where his food and water bowls are (we trained him in the den back when the floor was linoleum and he’s been eating and drinking in there ever since) so it truly works well for us.
Oh and as for mail, we sort/pay/file everything right away so there is not “spot” devoted to storing the mail (for fear that it will pile up and create a especially large job down the line). We highly recommend the do it now approach to mail as it seems to truly keep the clutter to a minimum.
As for the garbage/recycling/compost situation, we took the opportunity to majorly organize everything after the kitchen reno and we are so glad that our sink cabinet is nearly exclusively devoted to those three functions (recyclables in a plastic bin on the left, compost in an air-tight container that we empty out back into our compost bins every few days, and garbage in a small pail on the right). It is so plain and efficient that even our little niece and nephew know where to put their banana peels!
But if there are not many cleaning products under the sink (simply some Ecover dishwasher tablets, a bottle of Veggie-Wash, and a few old Swiffer dusters), where do we keep the cleaning goods you ask? Why in our rolling caddy in our Hands-on laundry nook of course! Our wonderful wheely friend from Target (for $17!) ensures that there is plenty of room for dishtowels (folded neatly in a basket) and a few green cleaning products (many of them multitask which means we no longer need to store a million bottles of glass cleaner, granite spray, stainless steel scrub, etc). Hooray for extra storage space instead of a slew of rarely-used products and potions!
We walk the line between adoring open storage (our linen closet is doorless, we have a glass cabinet in the kitchen, we have open shelving in the dining area) and coveting concealed storage (ottomans, bins and baskets abound!) but when it comes to toilet paper we are all about showing our guests where to find it (TP anxiety should not carry over from public restrooms to our house). For our half bathroom we in fact took a roll of toilet paper into Target to find a tall glass cylinder vase to store a few rolls out in the open…
… and in the bathroom we have a little TP pyramid in plain sight thanks to the fact that we took out the door to the linen closet for more of that crisp open storage that we crave.
We also chose to make use of the weird old towel bar in the bathtub with a little construction project. So we snagged a shower caddy that is meant to be slipped over the shower head and two metal closet hooks from Target and used them to hook the caddy over the bar. Presto, a place for all of our shower stuff (and our razors no longer get all rusty like they did when they hung right under the shower nozzle).
Spare change is like poison ivy. Before you know it, it is everywhere. In the couch, on the counter, in the junk drawer, in the laundry basket. That is why we have one single solitary place for pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and the occasional Sacajawea dollar coin. Right in this cute little metallic bird piggy bank that we picked up from West Elm a while back. It is located out in the open in our living room so it is straightforward to drop things in when we are coming or going. And whenever we notice that it is getting full we roll those babies, slide through the bank, and go out to dinner and a movie (with moolah to spare). Gotta enjoy free date night! It is the ultimate reward for keeping our change in check.
A while back I shared my little jewelry sorting secret: a ceramic egg crate that I snagged at the container store about five years ago (it can even be seen in my old NYC apartment video). It is the ideal way to keep everything visible yet organized behind our curtain closet doors, which is key for a grab and go girl like me.
And we cannot talk about our boxes and bins without mentioning the other storage systems that we have going on in our kitchen. There is a lot more than meets the eye (which is also the case in our den, and even our guest bedroom). Like this metal filing cabinet that I picked up for $5 at a thrift store. In the kitchen it became a strong place to stash spoons and spices (check out the details here), and we enjoy the moody color and the vintage appeal that it adds to the room.
Of course we also have our low-cost-o glass jars for cereal storage, which totally come in handy for for straightforward access and extra room in the cabinets (they free up some major space where two boxes of cereal would otherwise live). Plus they are strong visual reminders to restock when we are running low on corn flakes or granola.
We also use our kitchen for more than simply food-related storage. After the renovation we brought in tons of space that came in handy for a little cabinet devoted to all of my decorative accessories (which we dubbed The Decor Store- read more about it here). Nothing beats shopping your own house to freshen up a bookcase or dining table (and keeping every candlestick, vase, and other accessory on hand in the same spot is especially convenient).
Oh yeah and we also keep all of our tools in the kitchen. Betcha did not see that one coming. Even our installer thought we were crazy when I told him the cabinet base to the left of the stove would be solely devoted to screwdrivers, paint rollers, nails, anchors, sandpaper and other home improvement essentials. But it truly works for us and everything is especially organized thanks to four whole drawers of deliciously organized gadgets and gizmos. Yummy.
And even with our tools in the kitch, we still have some empty space (which we have heard is a good thing in Feng Shui- something about allowing room for strong things to come into your life). Whatever it may mean, we truly appreciate the fact that we still have room to grow, and we do not feel like we are bursting at the seams like we did before our kitchen reno. Here is our corner lazy susan with absolutely nothing on the bottom. And the top shelf is where we store a bowl that is too big for our cabinets and a basket full of light bulbs (removing the packaging and stashing them in a basket or bowl is so much more space efficient- and they still say the wattage on the bulb or the base so they are straightforward to sift through).
I like to trade out the things in the center of our dining table from time to time, but lately I have been digging a tray full of stuff that we in fact use to set the table. We keep the plates in the kitchen since they get loaded up with food in there, but having a few utensils, cups, bowls, and even some pleasant fabric napkins out on the table reminds us to take our time and have a pleasant meal whenever we sit down (even if it is simply frozen pizza night).
And where do we keep the remotes? In this white shell box ($8 at TJ Maxx) right in front of the tube. It is roomy sufficient to accomodate all three remotes and it makes finding them a snap (and cleaning up for company no longer means stuffing them into the couch cushions or under the sofa). We also slipped two woven baskets into the bottom shelves of our media stand for Netflix movies, lotion, pads pens, and other things that are pleasant to have on hand in the TV room. Simply by adding those two baskets we have a lot more storage space that makes cleaning up and finding things especially straightforward (which is consistently a plus when you are trying to watch 24).
But there is even more hidden storage in the den. The two square leather ottomans that we use in lieu of a coffee table also serve as a place to stash board games and paint decks. You might wonder why an whole cube is devoted to color swatches. Well, lets simply say I cannot get sufficient, and it certainly comes in handy when our clients say that their adjoining kitchen is Pistachio by Benjamin Moore or White Feather by Behr (since we have nearly every paint deck known to man, it is straightforward to track down nearly any color). And look how fairly they are!
In the third bedroom we also have another storage ottoman secretly housing all the extra linens for the daybed in that room (plus a pleasant cozy blanket). Keeping the bedding that correlates to that bed right in the room truly makes things straightforward (and it frees up more space in the linen closet to boot).
When it comes to our cards and gift wrap, I in fact created a little wrapping paper/card writing station in our third bedroom a while back. John thought it was sort of a silly thing that I’d never use but I am in there all the time! It is so pleasant to know that I have a plethora of fairly cards to choose from, and they are all organized by occasion in one big box so I am never caught empty handed at the last minute.
Keeping all of our wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags and ribbons at the ready not only makes gift giving straightforward, it in fact makes it lively (and it saves us money since it encourages us to use what we have instead of constantly losing and replacing things). Sticking some gift wrap in a personalized planter is an straightforward way to keep it handy (and it is straightforward on the eyes too).
But although we enjoy to stash things in benches, baskets, ottomans, boxes, glass canisters, metal tins, planters and even egg crates… we still think some things look lovely naked. Like this fairly stack of magazines that we keep on the hearth with a metal bull on top for a bit of a lively. Sometimes embracing what you have (and grouping like objects) is a strong way to visually integrate and organize things that you simply do not have a place to hide.
So there you have it. Our house in a nutshell… or a bin/box/basket. How do you folks organize you receipts? Your jewelry? Your spices? Your bills? Your toilet paper? Do tell!
Note: For anyone wondering why we are revealing all this info about our house, not only do we have an alarm, we also have a safety deposit box at the bank with all of our essential info, so we are especially sure that our house is especially secure! Cannot be too careful these days!
