parenting
Kids Bedrooms: Decorative and Useful Organizational Tools for Small Items
mom • home management • parenting • home management
Organization—Now it is time to put the final touches on Lauren’s amazing room. We have taken it from drab to fab and the final re-design is the best part of the journey – woohoo! Lauren, my 14 year-old daughter, is a very active, socially conscious, and practical (and a closet clothes-hound). She would never admit to you that she loves to dress up and look the part of a quintessential quinceañera’. There are many things she can deny but the Latin influence that she gets from me, my mother, and my sister is undeniable.
Growing up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Hispanic by birth lead me down a path of visual esthetics: (1) never leave the house without lipstick (2) never wear sweatpants in public and (3) never forget that dressing your home is just as important as dressing yourself. With these rules in mind, we proceeded to our local home decorating stores – Homesense and Winners.
We needed to find storage solutions for three key areas: jewellery and accessories, beauty and hair products, and catch-all containers.
We found these very cool compartmentalized jewellery organizers. They are practical because you can see the items in them, they stack one-on-top of the other, and the configuration gives you a limit to how many pieces it can hold. We go back to two key rules of organizing: set a limit to the amount of stuff that you have and use the ‘one-in-one-out’ rule. If you buy a new necklace or pair of earrings (or pants, or tops, or shoes) get rid of another one that you are no longer use!
Photo: StacksandStacks
Photo: The Container Store
The examples above are similar to the ones we got Lauren. They are manufactured by Neatnix (an American company) and can be purchased at either The Container Store, Solutions – The Organized Living Store (in Canada) and the Stacks and Stacks website.
The other cool item that we got her was a make-up and hair products organizer with a mirror. How cool is that? She loves it!
Photo: IKEA
The Stolmen mirror and storage unit is very similar to the one that we got her a while ago but the concept is the same: mirror on the front then storage on the back. All you have to do is swivel the mirror and the mess is gone – genius!
Now I just have a few final words on her storage containers. These containers tend to be my favourite because they are made of fabric and have a built-in frame! Yes, I said a built-in frame. They are very easy to assemble so don’t panic people! My tendency is to pay a little bit more and purchase the German-made Reisenthel containers (if you know of an American or Canadian made product, I would be happy to reconsider). But the thing is, Resienthel makes them very well, very sturdy, very colorful and very, very fashionable (or would that be decorative?). You can get these in Canada at Solutions – The Organized Living Store or in the US at The Container Store (did you hear the angel’s singing just now? That always happens when I say “The Container Store”… see there they are again). You can also find them at many other retail stores but I like to hear the angels sing so I tend to purchase them at The Container Store (did you hear them that time?).
Photo: The Container Store
I have to say, this journey with Lauren has been so much fun. I encourage you to organize your child’s room with them. Ask them the right questions and listen to what they want not what you would like to see. This will guarantee instant buy-in. Do it this spring or during the summer. Make it fun, make a plan, work really hard, and have a really awesome reward at the end. They will love you for it and you will get them organized!
This is the final installment in a four-part series that covers ways to make your kids' bedrooms clutter free and organized. Please be sure to check out the first three posts in this series:
- Kids Bedrooms: Simple Ways to Declutter and Organize
- Kids Bedrooms: Assessing the Room and Figuring Out Solutions
- Kids Bedrooms: Organizational Tools and Solutions
What decorative organizational tools do you use in your kids' bedrooms to keep everything in its place? What types of organizational tools are both decorative and useful, as well as the most beneficial to your kids' organizational needs?
Margarita Ibbott is a mother of 3, Professional Organizer, speaker, blogger, and lover of all things social media. She lives in London, Ontario Canada but travels throughout Canada and US as an expert speaker. She recently addressed 600 organizers in San Diego at the National Association of Professional Organizers on the Ask the Expert Organizer Panel. Her favourite areas to organize are clothes closets and kitchens. Margarita does not just organize ‘on-the-spot’ but can help clients virtually using photos and video consultations. You can find her musing about organizing, product reviews and client stories at her blog: WWW.downshiftingPOS.blogspot.com. Connect with her on Twitter @DownshiftingPOS or find her on Facebook Page: Downshifting – Professional Organizing Solutions.
Margarita's co-conspirator in this process is 14 year-old Lauren. She is a straight A student, social justice and environmental activist, and national-level competitor in Irish Dancing. She will be competing in Nashville, TN this summer for North America Nationals.
Jen Tilley
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