Hi friends,
As promised, this week end I tackled the monster in my living room, namely, this lovely 1930's dresser:
I refer to it as the monster, because the contents of the drawers look like this:
We have this flaw in my house, whereby things look pretty clean and organized on the outside, but don't you go open a closet door, or in this case a drawer, for this is the mess you will encounter.
Cleaning is just a chore, and we know that, but it becomes even more of a burden when things don't really have a place to go to. You have all heard of the old saying: "everything has a place and everything in its place"...It took me a while to appreciate it.
Having decided that I just had enough with looking for things, I took on this project which, by the way, was a big annoyance to me that day...Oh well, I put myself in that position.
Anyway, just as with the last drawer project, I started with emptying all the drawers and sorting out items into categories: trash, put somewhere else, keep here.
I had to think about the function of these drawers, namely, what would be their optimum use based on our lifestyle.
Bottom drawer (deepest/tallest):
My boys do homework in the dining room, which is convenient since I either cook nearby or am on the laptop right next to them. While I do have a mini office in my dining room (see my mini-office post here), I do not keep their homework necessities in it and as a result, it tends to linger on top of other furniture.
I went to Michaels and purchased these two plastic storage containers for the purpose of storing their homework essentials:
These were 40% off - I thought it was a good deal and I think I paid no more that $8 each.
I labeled each box and filled it with what I believe are the items they are most likely to need when doing homework or drawing while watching TV (which they do a lot).
Each storage box contains an individualized supplies container, (for instance, Edward needs a lot of post-it notes, pencils, pens, scissors etc.) homework curriculum supplements, paper (ruled and sketch) as well as a folder for keepsakes and memorabilia.
William's container follows the same principle but provides more grade appropriate supplies such as crayons and craft paper.
I needed a space for what I know to be immediate need items related to TV: the remotes, a TV guide/channel listing and lotions are now located in the top drawer - closest to the sofa.
On the other side of the drawer, I am keeping items I may need on hand but not necessarily every day, namely, my thank you cards. I do write Thank Yous, I think it is one of those essentials in life that most folks now think as "passé". Not me! That being said, I don't need my cards in my mini office and they do not fit in the dining room drawer I organized last week. They now have a home in the living room, where I can access them without having to go up to the office. My address book found a home next to it. I also keep the Christmas and other Holiday thank you cards in the back of the drawer.
Middle Drawer:
I really had to think about the main purpose of this drawer. I knew I needed a space for blankets and throws which we use when watching TV in late hours of the day.
But, I also realized that I had no designated space in the house for my photo and video equipment. Since I do most of my editing in the dining room, using my laptop, it seemed appropriate to use the remaining space in this drawer as a storage for all things digital.
My camera bag and additional lenses are in the back. In the black container I keep all cords and chargers. In the green basket, I keep my main camera (which I obviously used to take the picture above, hence its absence in the picture) which is a Cannon EOS T1. I also keep two additional small point and shoot digital cameras as well as my video camera (Sony HD). In a smaller container, I now keep all the SD cards and card adapters.
Here is a video to show you the entire process:
I am very happy with the result. I feel that I have created functional spaces and hopefully will keep them as such. I find that designating specific spaces for specific items does limit the risk of using the space for other purposes.
As promised, this week end I tackled the monster in my living room, namely, this lovely 1930's dresser:
I refer to it as the monster, because the contents of the drawers look like this:
We have this flaw in my house, whereby things look pretty clean and organized on the outside, but don't you go open a closet door, or in this case a drawer, for this is the mess you will encounter.
Cleaning is just a chore, and we know that, but it becomes even more of a burden when things don't really have a place to go to. You have all heard of the old saying: "everything has a place and everything in its place"...It took me a while to appreciate it.
Having decided that I just had enough with looking for things, I took on this project which, by the way, was a big annoyance to me that day...Oh well, I put myself in that position.
Anyway, just as with the last drawer project, I started with emptying all the drawers and sorting out items into categories: trash, put somewhere else, keep here.
I had to think about the function of these drawers, namely, what would be their optimum use based on our lifestyle.
Bottom drawer (deepest/tallest):
My boys do homework in the dining room, which is convenient since I either cook nearby or am on the laptop right next to them. While I do have a mini office in my dining room (see my mini-office post here), I do not keep their homework necessities in it and as a result, it tends to linger on top of other furniture.
I went to Michaels and purchased these two plastic storage containers for the purpose of storing their homework essentials:
These were 40% off - I thought it was a good deal and I think I paid no more that $8 each.
I labeled each box and filled it with what I believe are the items they are most likely to need when doing homework or drawing while watching TV (which they do a lot).
Each storage box contains an individualized supplies container, (for instance, Edward needs a lot of post-it notes, pencils, pens, scissors etc.) homework curriculum supplements, paper (ruled and sketch) as well as a folder for keepsakes and memorabilia.
William's container follows the same principle but provides more grade appropriate supplies such as crayons and craft paper.
 |
| I need to label his crayon box
In the middle, I am keeping a three hole puncher and a stapler (these items are too big for my mini-office but are always in demand on the first floor of the house).
 Top Drawer (shortest):
|
On the other side of the drawer, I am keeping items I may need on hand but not necessarily every day, namely, my thank you cards. I do write Thank Yous, I think it is one of those essentials in life that most folks now think as "passé". Not me! That being said, I don't need my cards in my mini office and they do not fit in the dining room drawer I organized last week. They now have a home in the living room, where I can access them without having to go up to the office. My address book found a home next to it. I also keep the Christmas and other Holiday thank you cards in the back of the drawer.
Middle Drawer:
I really had to think about the main purpose of this drawer. I knew I needed a space for blankets and throws which we use when watching TV in late hours of the day.
 |
| I now keep blankets and throws in this drawer - nearest to the sofa, for easy access |
My camera bag and additional lenses are in the back. In the black container I keep all cords and chargers. In the green basket, I keep my main camera (which I obviously used to take the picture above, hence its absence in the picture) which is a Cannon EOS T1. I also keep two additional small point and shoot digital cameras as well as my video camera (Sony HD). In a smaller container, I now keep all the SD cards and card adapters.
Here is a video to show you the entire process:
I am very happy with the result. I feel that I have created functional spaces and hopefully will keep them as such. I find that designating specific spaces for specific items does limit the risk of using the space for other purposes.
Thank
you for reading and sharing my blog.
Happy New Year,
Sophia, NJ.
Happy New Year,
Sophia, NJ.
*This blog contains
affiliate advertising such as Vera Bradley or Yves Rocher. I am not solicited to advertise or
review products, all opinions are my own.
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