Table of contents for Fall - Winter 2015 in Storage

ENTER NOW! Win storage products daily and reclaim your home’s style and organization. Find more information: BHG.com/WinStorage MINI BUT MIGHTY Take charge of your cramped quarters with our no-fail strategies at BHG.com/SmallSpaceStorage. This free downloadable handbook packed with tips will help transform your small kitchen, tiny bedroom, narrow bath, and other pint-size areas into hardworking, functional spaces. LET IT GO How long can you safely keep cosmetics? Will you ever need those binders filled with photo negatives? Do pillows have expiration dates? Our guidelines at BHG.com/StoreNoMore tell you when to say good-bye to these items and many others. SIMPLE STORAGE HACKS Boost your organizational efforts by upcycling items you already own. Visit BHG.com/OrganizationHacks to learn how to turn pants hangers into crafts storage, convert an office file folder into a…

What takes place behind the scenes is often the key to keeping busy family spaces in check. In this picturesque living room, one cleverly designed wall plays the leading role in maintaining order. By making use of concealed storage, display space, and plenty of smart organizing ideas, the wall gives the room functionality with style to spare. To set this room’s main multitasking wall in motion, freestanding stock base cabinets are flanked by basic unfinished bookcases. Decorative crown molding gives the illusion of builtins. Open shelving provides landing spots for books, binders, and accessories, while frosted-glass doors added to the central cabinets keep more-functional belongings out of sight. The real showstopper in the room is between the bookcases. Painted blue and adorned with custom artwork, two rolling panels read as…

Attics present unique design challenges, most notably slanted ceilings, ventilation obstructions, and awkward layouts. But with careful planning and thoughtful design choices, they offer living space you can claim without adding on. This once-empty attic embraced its limitations and worked with the existing footprint to become a relaxing master suite full of smart storage solutions. Built-ins form the backbone of this space. They substitute for freestanding furniture pieces and offer a cohesive design element. Pitched ceilings prevent the built-ins from extending all the way up the walls, but the smaller, shorter scale helps the space feel open and creates natural spots for decorative items to shine. In the sleeping area, cabinets frame a large window and create ample room to stash bedding. A window seat piled with pillows is a…

SPACE-SAVING TIP Hanging heavy purses can lead to misshapen handles. Instead, leave the hooks to lighter purses and retain the shape of bigger bags by stuffing them with clothes that don’t crease, like T-shirts, sweatshirts, or leggings.…

KEY [T] To the Trade These items or services are not available to the general public. Contact a design professional for help. [P] Paint Color Because of the magazine printing process, paint colors depicted on our pages might vary slightly from manufacturers’ colors. Use paint color names or numbers, when provided, as a starting point. To get the exact color you see in the magazine, take the page to a paint retailer for matching. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS King Au; Edmund Barr; Gordon Beall; Kim Cornelison; Jason Donnelly; Colleen Duffley; Emily J. Followill; Michael Garland; Tria Giovan; Jay Graham; John Granen; Bob Greenspan; Philip Harvey; Hopkins Associates; Michael Jensen; Sandra Johnson; Scott Little; Andy Lyons; Scott McDonald, Hedrich-Blessing; Alise O’Brien; Michael Partenio; Cameron Sadeghpour; James Salomon; Greg Scheidemann; Shaun Sullivan; James Yochum…

BUSTED! No wonder we struggled to find props while preparing for photo shoots! Turn to page 8 to see how we dealt with our overflowing storage space. Here’s our dirty little secret: We aren’t perfect! Although we produce a magazine packed with organizing insights, Team Storage sometimes falls short of its ideals. After years of dumping supplies in a shared 12×16-foot storage space, we couldn’t stand the chaos any longer. Time to take a dose of our own medicine! Utilizing the six-step SIMPLE method advocated by frequent contributor and professional organizer Kathy Jenkins, we tackled our clutter item by item, zone by zone. Six months in, we can still see the floor. So we’re counting this one as a win! Beyond truth-telling, this issue explores ways to tap into your…

Whether you’re passionate about sewing, scrapbooking, or sculpting, creativity is often messy. The fabric bundles, paper piles, and assorted bric-a-brac aren’t everyday clutter—they’re potential works of art. At least that’s what you’ve been telling yourself and your family for years. In order to keep your supplies, tools, and in-progress projects from taking over your home, set boundaries and decide how much space you’re willing to give to a craft or hobby. “Don’t let your supplies drive your decision,” professional organizer Kathy Jenkins says. “Your space must come first.” Although this initial decision can be tough, shared spaces (a dining area that moonlights as a sewing room) or portable solutions (wheeled caddies, project bags) can let you flex some creative muscles even if your home doesn’t accommodate a dedicated room. GET…

STEP ONE empty it FOR A FRESH START, PULL OUT EVERYTHING—EVEN THE SHELVES AND BRACKETS. 1 ASK FOR HELP This is the one part of a pantry purge where kids can pitch in. Get them to move everything (and we do mean everything) from the pantry onto a nearby section of countertop or a table. 2 CLEAN UP The last time you wiped down your pantry shelves was probably when you moved in, so now is a good time to give the shelves, walls, and floor a once-over to remove dust, cobwebs, and wayward Cheerios. And if you’ve been meaning to pretty up the pantry, roll on a fresh coat of paint and apply liner paper to the shelves. 3 FIND FOOD ELSEWHERE Walk through your home and examine all…

Like the Trojan horse of organizing, this kitchen packs surprises at every turn. Sneaky storage ideas infiltrate the room, benefiting both culinary and personal gear. The result is an open floor plan with generous rewards in efficiency and comfort. Planning the right space for every item was the overarching mantra while designing this kitchen. Storage is not about bulky cabinets crowding a big room, but rather smart built-ins spread around the space. Base cabinets along the room’s perimeters are fitted with deep drawers and integrated organizers. Floating open shelves that stretch along upper walls capture attention with their decorative beauty and encourage streamlined cooking and living. Specialty cabinetry is the focus of the functional zones. Custom tower cabinets define the end of the primary cooking area on one end and…

Before its redesign, this bedroom was like most others: a space for playing and sleeping that was in a constant state of disarray. But thanks to smart organizing solutions appropriate for the preschooler who lives here, this bright and cheery room is now a tidy spot for resting, doing arts and crafts, and getting ready for the day. Ready-to-assemble cubbies with 12-inch-square openings are the basic storage components deployed throughout the room. Two shelving units flank the colorful daybed (which boasts trundle-level storage of its own). The dozen compartments keep toys, books, and stuffed animals organized in open areas and within labeled fabric bins. Atop the shelves, galvanized metal baskets hold dress-up essentials and display-worthy toys. An eight-cubby unit across the room takes the place of a traditional dresser, keeping…

Talk about multitasking! This utility room—originally an enclosed porch—combines a laundry, bath, mudroom, and family communication station in calm, collected style. Laundry facilities are packed into a corridor that’s less than 6 feet wide, creating a step-saving area for washday. Smart accessories let you tackle soiled clothes as soon as they come through the back door. Open shelves hold supplies in plain view so there’s no question where to find stain remover or detergents. Capping the washer and dryer with a solid-surfacing countertop creates a convenient place for folding. A rod stretches across its expanse, supplying hanging space for freshly ironed clothes. The uppermost cabinets accommodate a host of fix-it supplies, batteries, and bulk-shopping extras. A pretty but practical bath is a few steps beyond the laundry area. Offering privacy…

To find the perfect office in suburban Chicago’s North Shore, interior designer Andrea Goldman looked out her bedroom window. Where many would have seen a sharply pitched garage roof, Andrea saw potential. She and her husband, David, transformed the angular area above their garage into a dream work space. Here’s how a busy mom zkeeps it all under control, in her own words. What’s the biggest advantage of working from home? The flexibility is priceless. I can work odd hours, popping in and out of my office as needed but still be accessible to family. What storage solutions do you consider indispensable to the space? The room wouldn’t function smoothly without the built-ins. The deep drawers and cabinets hold my wallpaper, wood, tile, and stone samples, and the shelves house…

Because she has more shoes than guests, interior designer Elizabeth Barnette opted to give up a second powder room in order to add 5 feet to her master closet. “It’s my dressing room,” she says. “And I want it to be pretty and have everything I need at my fingertips.” Elizabeth’s shoes and purses make a design statement on a wall of open shelving, while deep drawers below corral nightwear and sports clothes. The builtin vanity combines practicality—drawers and shelves for makeup, hair tools, and undergarments—with the elegance of antique accompaniments. GROOMING GRACE Primp like a pro with interior designer Elizabeth Barnette’s recommendations: • Go high. Make full use of your closet’s height —from floor to ceiling. Use a stepladder to reach high shelves. • Layer the lighting. Good overall…

MONEY-SAVING TIP When choosing casters, remember two key words: large and locking. The larger the wheel, the easier a cart rolls. A locking caster can be activated with your foot and prevent the cart from unexpectedly moving while in use. Invest in a higher quality caster for longer wear and less future maintenance.…

MONEY-SAVING TIP Look around the home for items you already own to outfit a go-to hosting caddy. Canning jars, vintage food canisters, and bath organizers arranged in a repurposed bucket hold silverware to quickly move from the kitchen countertop to the serving table.…

MONEY-SAVING TIP No closet? No problem. A rolling clothes rack outfitted with baskets, hooks, and a hanging shoe organizer takes this area from a disorganized drop zone to a carefully contained corner. Add a stool with underseat storage as a spot to sit and stash off-season items.…

• Take inventory. To know what you need, you need to know what you have. After identifying items to discard or donate, make an itemized list of everything that has to reside in your closet. Then you can determine how much space to delegate for short and long hanging items, and whether you need drawers, shelves, or both. • Do the math. Plan your hanging storage around the lengths of your clothes. Use these vertical measurements as a guide. • Women’s shirts: 36–40 inches long • Men’s blazers and shirts; women’s skirts: 38–42 inches long • Women’s long dresses and coats: 60–70 inches long • Women’s cocktail dresses and pants hung by cuffs: 48–50 inches long • Pants folded over hanger: 20–25 inches long • Plan for various-height shoes. There’s…