‘Our Favorite Things’ – Organizer Edition

‘Our Favorite Things’ – Organizer Edition

Tis the season to give the gift… of organization!
Maybe you have a friend or family member who could benefit from a well-placed organizer or maybe it is time to give yourself the gift of a better organized space. Below is a list of a few of our favorite organizing products, just in time for the holiday giving season. Click on an image to view more details. 

Metal Shelf Riser (2 pc)

Shelf risers help you create a second shelf within your cabinets to maximize your storage. Both the height and width are customizable to fit your needs. These are fantastic for upper cabinets or pantries that do not offer the option to add additional shelves. Consider a shelf riser for your juice glasses/coffee mugs, canned goods, boxed tea, vitamins & medications, pet treats & supplements… the possibilities are vast. This is one of our favorites as it offers both adjustable width and height. It is shown as two stacked as an option for taller needs, but functions very well as single units in upper cabinets. 

Bamboo Lazy Susan

 

Lazy Susan organizers are extremely versatile. We love this one for several reasons. It is made of a renewable resource and offers a fairly low profile. It rotates smoothly and the upper level can take some weight as the supports are bamboo instead of plastic. Lastly, the size is ideal for upper cabinets! These are ideal for your spices and supplements/medications. Instead of having to dig through to find what you need, just turn the lazy susan. We love to put items in alphabetical order (i.e. Adobe, Allspice, Basil, Cloves….) for easy collection.

 

Drawer Organizing Trays

These handy clear organizer trays are extremely versatile and can be used in the bathroom, kitchen, office, craft space, etc… With various sizes, you’ll find the right combination to puzzle together a custom organizer for your space. Separate your things by like item and then contain together (i.e. lipsticks, nail care, etc..) Rubber feet make sure your trays stay where you put them when opening and closing drawers.

Expanding Silverware Tray

 

This expanding silverware and utensil tray made of renewable bamboo is both attractive and durable. With easy reach for your butter knives, forks, and spoons, it also includes spaces for those ‘other’ lesser-used items like soup spoons and serving spoons. In addition, the expanding sides allow for additional utensils to maximize your storage to custom fit your kitchen drawers.

 

Narrow Knife Tray

Wide Knife Tray

If you don’t like the look of a knife block on your counters OR if you’re storing knives openly in a drawer, consider a knife tray. These safely store your knives in a drawer while keeping them organized and easy to access. We love these bamboo trays and you’ll find there are many configurations and sizes to accommodate the drawer you need to fit.

Rolling Utility Cart

Do you have a space that just doesn’t have enough storage? How about a bathroom with a pedestal sink with no storage? This metal rolling cart with extra storage pouches is the perfect solution! If your family needs extra storage in that powder room for a daughter who needs extra space to get ready – she can utilize this rolling cart to hold all the necessary products. Best of all – it can be rolled into a closet or a bedroom for storage when guests are over.  Do you craft but don’t have a designated space for your art or craft supplies? This is the solution! So versatile and can easily move from space to space yet is small enough to tuck into a corner or closet when not in use.

Mobile Shelving

These mobile shelving units are perfect for a mudroom, laundry room, garage, or any other space where you need more storage. This product also offers shelf liners to keep smaller items or items with feet from falling through. Metal shelving with casters are available in many sizes and styles. The locking casters allow you to move the unit to access additional space or simply to clean below/behind it. Consider these in a laundry room for supplies or even to store the oversized Costco quantities of paper towels. In a garage, they may hold gardening supplies or tools, and in a pantry, they may hold small appliances. The best feature of these shelves is the customization. The shelf height can be set in increments to the height desired. Heavier items should be placed on the bottom. If you have heavy boxes or cases of water, consider putting those on the bottom. Then the shelves higher can be placed closer together. At eye level put smaller items that will be easier to see. If needed, there are vendors that sell additional shelves if you find you’re in need. We often purchase taller units and then add a shelf or two to maximize the space. Most homes don’t take advantage of the vertical space and these help you maximize it.

With any organizing tool you select, it is important to know what you want to store. These tools are extremely useful, but like anything can become clutter if not put into use and designated for a purpose.  Follow us for more tips on sorting and organizing your spaces.

Happy Holidays and Happy Organizing!

 

*Natural Order LLC may receive a commission from products featured on their site.

Maximize Your Office Closet Space

Maximize Your Office Closet Space

So many homes have what I call ‘the builder special’.  This closet has a single wire shelf and rod, hung at approximately 72-78″ high.  This is fantastic if you are 6’+ and wear a lot of dresses that require storage.  If you are not in this demographic, however, your space is most likely wasted and/or underutilized.

With respect to offices or spaces that are not bedrooms, I often find that the best way to add organization and utility to a closet is by adding shelves. You may do this by simply adding a free-standing shelf unit.  To measure, be sure to take into consideration any support brackets that are below your existing shelf/rod.  The height of the shelving unit must be able to push to the back of the closet.  If you go with an adjustable shelving unit, you may put the top shelf at a height to allow you to slip it under the existing shelf/rod.  Something like free-standing wire shelf below from Amazon with a height of 54″ will fit under any shelf at that height.  You simply need to adjust the top shelf down to a lower height to accommodate whatever you want to store there.  With these units, shelves can be moved to any height you need. Consider purchasing extra shelves to add to those provided to give you more flexibility.  In addition, shelf liners are available for most sizes of freestanding shelves.  If you plan to store items that are smaller or oddly shaped, consider shelf liners, at least for those shelves. (see link below)

If your closet is 72″ wide, consider purchasing one 36″ wide unit and a 30″ or even 24″ wide unit to fill the space.  Take into account any base molding that may impact the width of your closet.

     

Another option is to remove the existing shelf/rod and install a wall-mounted system.  This will allow for maximum flexibility but does take some time and basic carpentry skills.  ClosetMaid has some kits that may be installed.  The kit below from Amazon offers 48″ wide shelves that are braced by brackets that insert into vertical supports.
This kit is 80″ tall and all shelves are adjustable.  I highly recommend adding additional brackets and shelves to customize your storage for your needs.  Place the heaviest items on the bottom and the lighter items on higher shelves.  Based on the size, adjust your shelves to just accommodate the height of the tallest item on that shelf. Consider containing smaller items such as tape, boxes of paper clips, or sticky notes in bins.  If you wish, you can further customize by selecting each component of the shelves that best fit your space.  For example, the top rail and the shelves could be purchased in 6′ lengths (or a 4′ and adding a 2′).

Another product that I love and use often is FreedomRail. This is available from www.OrganizedLiving.com.  Similar systems are available at Lowes and Home Depot, however, I like the extreme flexibility and copious options with FreedomRail.   When designing storage for an office space, take into consideration the items that will be stored. Do you want to move a filing cabinet into the space?  Will you store office supplies? Books?   Consider this when selecting your storage.  Wire shelving is fine when storing boxes or containers.  It doesn’t work as well with books or smaller items that might easily fall through or tip over.   Below is an example of the FreedomRail system with wood shelves.

Office Closet Design using the FreedomRail line from OrganiziedLiving.com

 

Ultimately, no matter the solution you put into place, you should first consider what and how you want to store the items in your closet.  Pull out everything and put items into categories (i.e. copy paper, general office supplies, resource materials, etc…).  Then determine how you want to store them.  Lastly, determine the spacing of the shelving needed.

I offer virtual custom closet consultations utilizing FreedomRail and a 10% discount to clients on their purchase of a FreedomRail system.  These systems ship directly to you and are extremely easy to install.  To schedule your consultation, email Darci@NaturalOrderLLC.com.

Consolidate Errands

Do you find that you have items everywhere that need to go somewhere else?  If you don’t already have a container (basket, Rubbermaid, etc…) get one.   Set it by your back door, or if you don’t have space, place it in your garage.

Now, take all the items that need to be returned (library books, purchases that didn’t work out and need to be returned, borrowed items) and put them in that container.

Note:  For any items that need to be returned, tape the receipt to the item or put it in a bag with the item.

Look at your calendar and mark down errand days (or block out an hour here and there).  Now move the container into your vehicle and you’re ready to make all your stops.