Tips for Making Home Storage and Organization Pretty

There is never a better time than right now to get organized. So let’s talk tips for making home storage and organization pretty. Because we all know, storage can sometimes be boring, so we might as well make it look fabulous!

How do you make things look organized?

Getting organized can be daunting, especially in small spaces that really need storage solutions. And frankly, when things are neat and organized, they are bound to look better.

The key to making things look organized (and lovely) is to have a designated spot for them. We have all heard the phrase “a place for everything and everything in its place”. There is massive truth to this.

Storage needs not only, easy access, but a sense of order as well.  When things can easily be put in their proper place, it is more likely that will actually happen. Today we will discuss many ways to make storage space organized and pretty.

Easy ways for making home storage pretty

A great way to making storage pretty is to adopt the classic home organizing tips and just make them stylish. These are my favorite ways to make any home storage look pretty and more efficient.

• Alphabetize
• Color code
• Separate with drawer dividers
• Make it pretty with paint
• Add style and pattern with wallpaper
• Use baskets and pretty stackable bins
• Choose vintage storage options so items look decorative
• Put like items together so they look neater and more like a collection
• Declutter

How can I make my closet prettier?

The best way to make a closet feel prettier is to decorate it. Walls can be painted or wallpapered, and shelves do not just have to be white. Accessories can also be added to make it feel decorated.

Look at it as a room, not just a storage space, and make decorative choices. There are so many creative solutions available. Look beyond just using clear storage containers.

Allow me to share a few spaces in my home as case studies.

Problem: A linen closet needs a makeover

In the upstairs hallway of our current home is a good sized hall closet. I’m assuming it was built as a utility and linen closet, and offers a pass through to another walk-in closet lined in cedar for out of season clothing.

When we purchased the home, I was happy to see that this space had been wallpapered! It was probably used as a place to iron and put items away. The house was built in 1957 and the wallpaper looked to be from that era. It also was in excellent condition.

The space featured; open shelving, a few drawers on the bottom, a sloped ceiling, great floor space for a closet, hardwood floors, and a small cupboard with no shelves.

Solution: Paint and some small changes make a big difference

It was decided that the original wallpaper would be staying, as I really liked it. I chose a paint color from the wallpaper that would make it pop, and painted the open shelves a pretty shade of green.

Painting your existing shelves is a great option to make the space feel more special.

After painting, I replaced the hardware with pretty glass pulls that have vintage style.

It was so great to have extra space in the closet that was big enough to accommodate a piece of furniture.

If you are lucky enough to have extra square footage in a closet, adding a piece of furniture can really make it seem like a room. The bare wall on one side was perfect for a vintage cabinet I had. The extra storage made the entire room feel less like a closet.

I decided to reserve the open shelves for storing some of my quilt collection and vintage blankets I have collected from flea markets and estate sales.

Shelves were added to the cupboard to hold sheets and pillowcases. Extra towels could be stored in the bathroom, as there was a closet already in there. Blankets and items that were less display worthy ended up in the bottom drawers.

To make it feel decorated, the top shelf was styled with vintage items that make the whole space feel like a small room and not a closet. Storage can be pretty!

Normally I would say that adding a cute light fixture, like a chandelier, can give your closet a “room” feeling. However, this linen closet did not have the head space for one, and the light socket was in the sloped part of the ceiling so we opted for LED inset lights.

Problem: No pantry where one was really needed

The last house we lived in had no pantry at all. So when we renovated the kitchen and reworked all the square footage, we built one from wasted space.

We got pretty spoiled with that one because it was huge and fabulous! When we moved to this house, I knew I was going to miss it, so I needed to get creative. 

This is the part where when you have a problem, because you really need something, you start thinking outside the box. You must begin noticing where there is space and how you can tweak it. If you have plans to your entire home, this will make the hunt easier. Otherwise, put your thinking cap on.

Kind of like that time (like 5 houses ago) I called my BFF and said “bring a hammer and come over STAT, I think I found hidden space behind my tiny pantry” and indeed I did! I ended up taking down the back wall and discovered hollow space that went under the stairs in the front part of the house.

I ultimately doubled the size of the pantry and made it truly “walk-in” where it had only been “reach-in” before. And nailed through my finger with my pneumatic nailer in the process, good times. This is why I am ALWAYS up to date on my tetanus shots!

Solution: Create one from an existing broom closet

The funny thing is, in this house, I did not even notice there was a small broom closet in a tiny hallway off the kitchen. A few days after we moved into the house I found it! It was behind an area that literally had 3 doors within a 4 x 4 square foot space, ridiculous! There were closed doors and open doors all over the place and I didn’t even realize it was there. Once I found it, I knew it would need to be the pantry.

With some simple steps, it was an easy redo. I simply measured all the items I would be using in it, built shelves, painted, wallpapered to make it cute, added hooks, and styled it up. You can read about making my pantry cute here.

The key to efficiency is to measure what you are storing and make shelf heights different sizes if you need to! No wasted space here.

Divide and conquer

In the last house, I mentioned we had a huge walk-in pantry. Within it, there was storage space, a snack area that was styled with jars and baskets that the kids/grandkids loved and called the “snack room”, kitchen cabinets for tablecloths and china, and pretty decor shelves to hold my ironstone platters and some transferware. Since I did not have the space for all of that, those items were redistributed.

The small pantry became the food storage space. The snack area and tablecloth storage was moved to a wall in the mudroom since that was the original laundry room and we were relocating that closer to the primary bedroom. The platters and collections, along with china storage, was moved to a built-in feature wall I made in the kitchen nook.

When you don’t have the space for everything in one area, search for available space in other locations and section your needs out into zones.

Problem: Not enough closet space where one was needed

One can never have too much closet space, especially when you like stuff. But once again, in our last house, we had completely renovated and made a master walk-in closet from a neighboring bedroom.

In this house, we had one continuous closet behind doors in the dressing room of the primary bedroom, along with one reach-in small closet. That was great for my husband, but where were my clothes going?

First, I was ready to get rid of stuff (no one needs 150 pairs of shoes) so I gifted items, donated others, sold a bit, and got rid of 2/3 of what I had. That felt good!

When preparing to do any closet organization, it is imperative that you purge first! Then you will be left with what you really need to store, and the organizing can begin.

Solution: Steal space from a neighboring room and build one

After reviewing all the floor space on that side of the house, I realized where I could get some extra space for a walk-in closet for myself and how it would be accessed. I would steal space from what was going to be my husband’s very large home office. Read about the closet building process here.

This is exactly what we did in the last house when we made the primary bedroom walk-in closet from a neighboring room. The absolute key to making this work effectively is all about ACCESS!

To create a full walk-in closet, I stole a 4′ x 12′ wide slice from a larger size room (that didn’t miss it) and created a closet for the way I live now. I measured my shoes (no shoe boxes used) and created efficient shoe storage and shelves for jeans and things I wear everyday. A large basket holds short boots and tennis shoes. And don’t ever forget to look up, there is dead space right in plain sight! That is where I found lots of storage for jewelry, hats, and purses.

This closet is made pretty by drapes (it has a window), vintage accessories, baskets, and proper organization (I really love to color code things!)

Question everything and rework it to make it work

When you have a storage problem, you should be using every living space part of your home! If you are not, then you are wasting space. Rethink and rework it!

Recently, a friend asked me to help rework her space after downsizing to a condo. We were able to turn a closet adjacent the kitchen into a coffee bar and beverage center and it totally revamped how the space worked and how they would live!

It is very important to create access to your new space that makes sense for flow and function in the room. You can make anything from a tiny bit of space, but always make sure there is proper access that makes sense.

Home organization hacks I love

Maximize your storage capacity with these great ideas:

• If your closet isn’t too narrow, then you have space on the inside of the closet door. Add hooks and utilize it! The back of your door can hold quite a lot.
• Rethink coat closets. Purge what you don’t really use and make that space work for easy access.
• Use pretty vintage items that have storage for pretty organization and decor options.
• Everyone needs a junk drawer. I have two. Organize with plastic storage bins to group like items so things can easily be found.
• Kitchen essentials should be stored close to where you use them. Clear out what no longer works for you.
• Interior design and storage solutions for organization go hand in hand. Consider one when thinking of the other.
• Where there is surface, there is a possibility of making something pretty. Paint or wallpaper extra wall space. Hang pretty art.
• Always choose clear bins when items are stacked on a shelf so you can easily see the contents without having to touch them.
• If you have the space, always choose furniture that can provide practical storage and display for the items you love to live with.

With a bit of time, a ‘can do’ spirit, and the desire to let go of things, you can get organized. Releasing items that no longer fit your needs will start you on the path to create pretty storage.

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