Interior decorating doesn’t have to be about big spending. I love to look around a space and be reminded of people I love and places I’ve been. But to allow the things you love to shine, organization is key. Keeping clutter to a minimum and out of view can be easier than you think.

I recently helped redecorate a small condo. In such a small space, organization and storage is crucial!

Here is how I created this…

From this…

My tried and true 3 step method!

Step One: GROUPING 

I started tackling the bookcase by creating groups or categories; travel, sports, work documents, office supplies…etc. The categories became obvious as I went and almost everything could be placed with at least three other items that were “similar”.

One category in this case was sports equipment 

Step Two: PURGING 

Once you’ve grouped it’s easy to see duplicates and excess. There was a lot of dated paperwork that needed to be tossed and duplicated office supplies. Who really needs three staplers?

This is also the time to think start thinking about what should be easily accessible and what can be put away in storage (like travel gear you use once a year).

Step Three: FIND A HOME

Baskets, bins and file folders are my best friend! Grouped items were placed in baskets for storage and paperwork was filed away.  It was also time to upgrade some of the furniture for more functional pieces. I found a new coffee table with storage, replaced the bookcase with a hutch I found on Kijiji for $100 and bought a lift bed from IKEA with storage for larger items such as golf clubs and luggage.

 

The hutch was a $100 Kijiji find I painted – a much more attractive and functional storage option

  A new coffee table added some rustic charm and much needed storage for sports equipment 

The wall shelf created a little extra storage and big design impact (the brackets are plumbing pieces bought at Lowes and the wood was pulled from a dumpster, sanded and stained)