Organize Hall Closets

Whether you have one or many hall closets they often become dumping grounds for all sorts of household items. Here are some helpful tips to get organized:

•  Identify the use for the closet: Is it for coats, shoes, games, bedding and sheets or towels?
• Empty your closet and thoroughly clean the interior, dust hard to reach spaces and mop the floor. Remove all existing shelving, patch and repaint the walls. Think about lighting, is there lighting in the closet currently? Do you want to add lighting?
• Sort items from the closet into piles. 1. Toss 2. Donate 3. Sell and 4. Keep. Once you have decided what you will be keeping begin sorting into piles. Seasonal, games, jackets, towels, bedding etc.
• Identify what type of storage you need. Do you need hanging space, shelf space, bins, or other types of storage?
• Measure the space, think about what type of storage system would provide flexibility and best uses.
• Use a custom closet organizer, these can be purchased at Target, The Container Store or Ikea. Install a hanger bar to hang jackets and install shelves at the bottom of the closet rather than up high. This creates easy accessibility. Seasonal items can be stored up high.
• Use hangers, tote bins, hooks, storage boxes or shelves to organize items. Label everything so that everyone puts things back in their proper places.
• Always remember to put seasonal items up high and things that you use the most close at hand. Storage can change through the seasons rotate winter gloves and rain boots with sun hats and flip flops. 

Once you clear your closet, evaluate what color you might paint the inside of the closet.

Consider adding stripes or wall paper on the interior, since it is such a small space this can be very inexpensive.

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Or what about adding a bright accent color such as the green below?

Use the back of the door to add hooks to store handbags, hats and scarves.



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Use coat hooks rather than hangers to hang jackets in closet.

Lower shelves can roll out for easy access. Also, notice the metal trays

at the bottom of the closet to store wet shoes, so brilliant!

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Love the labeled baskets at the top of the closet.

What a great way to store leather boots.

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The small space under stairs can often be misused or wasted space,

add a small closet and install long horizontal shelves to maximize the storage space.

(In tall narrow closets think vertical rather than horizontal storage.)

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Use a drapery panel rather than a typical closet door to add interest and soften a hallway closet.

Also remember that decorative baskets are more appealing to the eye in hall closets.

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Here are two perfectly organized all purpose hall closets with cleaning and office supplies.

Even a small closet can be purposeful when organized properly.

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Hang brooms on the back of the closet door to keep them from cluttering the entire closet.

A hall closet is a great place to add a paper towel dispenser.

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I hope this gave you some inspiration to start Spring cleaning and organize the clutter in your home. I highly suggest adding lighting to the interior of the closet, it can make a world of difference when you are searching for matching gloves. Ikea has some great inexpensive puck lights for this specific purpose. Here are a few other resources I have found to be the most useful for storage and organizational systems: The Container Store, See Jane Work, Storables, West Elm and Pottery Barn (all baskets are currently 20% off).

Have a great weekend and as always thanks for stopping by!

Planning A Trip...

I am so excited to announce that I am planning a trip to Europe this Spring. I can't stop thinking about all of the places I want to go! I know we will be going to: London, Paris, Bordeaux, Barcelona, Rome, Naples and Venice!

I imagine Paris looks somewhat like this right now...

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I would love to hear about all of your favorite places to visit, so post a comment or send a quick email! I can't wait to get some great design inspiration and improve my photography skills while I am there. I love taking photographs of architecture while traveling and using it as easy, affordable and personalized artwork in my interior design projects.

Cheers,

Inspiring Design: Nuvrei Patisserie & Cafe

I was so excited to see the latest blog post from Bright DesignLab on Friday! This creative design firm is located in Portland, Oregon, they do interior design, graphic design, architectural photography as well as have a retail shop with furniture and accessories for the home. They just recently finished the interior design of Nuvrei Patisserie & Cafe in the Pearl District on 10th & Flanders. When I lived in Portland I used to walk down 10th Street and smell the aroma of fresh croissants. It was coming from a window below street level (seen at bottom of the photo below). I was so excited to learn that Nuvrei now has a retail location!

Here is how the wonderfully talented designers at Bright DesignLab describe the space: "We decided to keep the palette simple and work with the natural characteristics of the space (brick walls, wood ceiling) and used those textures to contrast with some of the more modern elements. To bring in some of the French flair (which Nuvrei is known for), we selected the Marais chair in a bright yellow - which is a classic french industrial design, and industrial inspired pendants."

The bakery is so inviting from the exterior...

The exterior signage is genius! What a terrific way to bring customers to the entrance.

Love the design details!

The original brick walls are paired with stainless, steel, wood and glass to create a space that is full of rustic charm and modern touches.

The simple straightforward design of this newspaper hanger is gorgeous.

The yellow was a great choice for this space.

The yellow chairs balance nicely with the open shelving above the bussing station.

The Marais chairs, industrial pendants and the carrera marble-top tables were the perfect choice to give a "French Industrial" look. The yellow is so sunny and inviting, they will be sure to brighten any cloudy day in the NW!

Do you see the yellow arrows on the floor? This is a great way to show people

which way the traffic is meant to flow. They also mimic the arrow at the front entrance.

Clean, crisp and modern display case fits the design perfectly.

The smooth glass is a high contrast to the rough wood planks on the bottom of the case.

The croissants speak for themselves, they look so delicious!

All photos courtesy of Bright Design Lab.

I hope you enjoyed this design as much as I did. I think that a simple interior design can go along way. I have always thought that overly designed spaces often become outdated quickly. The simple design of Nuvrei Patisserie is elegant and classic, I am certain they will be serving croissants for a long time to come!