Storage Ideas For Tricky Spaces

Organizing a shelf sounds quite simple, doesn’t it? But look around almost any living space, and one can see that putting books and objects on a shelf can be quite challenging.

Having beautiful, organized shelves is usually free or can be done on a very strict budget, and organized shelves take much less time to maintain than the time spent constantly searching for your favorite items.

Here’s how to get started.
Choose one space to tackle first
Work with a grouping of shelves (for example, the shelves underneath your television) so your final display will appear cohesive, but if that feels too overwhelming, feel free to begin with just one shelf.

Assess your needs
What do you use this space or shelving for? One of the major mistakes homeowners make with organization is that they don’t store things where they will use them. For example, if you read in the bedroom, that is where your bookshelves should be. Otherwise, you’ll either rarely get your books out or (more commonly) rarely put them away.

Commit to a thorough cleaning
Do you have more items than shelf space? If so, you may have to make some hard decisions about what you want to keep and/or display. Items you use in that area should stay, but otherwise begin by getting rid of the good to make room for the best.

Arrange your items where they will be most useful, then go for beauty
Go through your “keep” pile and decide what needs to go where, or what decor or items would look best or be most useful on what particular shelf or area. Put those things in the places that you’ve chosen and see how you like it. This may take a bit of time, but once you find what works, you’re done for good!

Mix and match
Place cherished, worn items with new items on the same shelf to create contrasts. Try to mix colors and heights of items to create the most impact.

Most importantly, have fun! If you don’t like the looks of things, you can always modify it. And don’t be afraid to change up your design as you or your family’s needs change. No matter how beautiful it looks, open shelving and storage doesn’t make sense when it doesn’t work for you.