Organization – Open shelving – keep it looking great!

Feature #51, May 10th, 2010

Your shelves can look like this too!

Open shelving is beautiful.  You see it in the latest stores and in the best organization magazines.  The thought always occurs to me, “Yeah.. it looks great there, but how do you keep it looking organized at your home!?”  Apartment Therapy has a feature on keeping your open shelves looking organized and neat.

Here are a few tips to keep your shelves in tip-top shape:

Don't let open shelving worry you...

• If you’re not sure how much space you’ll need, consider adjustable shelving so you can rearrange as you go.

• Start organizing by whoever uses the space the most. Kitchen shelves should be organized by the household chef, records rearranged by your in-house DJ.

• Put like with like — Group your glasses. Spices stick together. Art books go with art books. Arrange by color. You get the idea.

• Make sure labels are facing front so you grab the peanut butter and not the arsenic.

• When buying things like Olive Oil, consider the fact that it will be on display. You may want to choose the packaging that’s more design friendly (without scarfing quality).

• Invest in good containers. Cereal doesn’t have to stay in the box. Put protein powder in a jar instead of those bulky canisters. Band-Aids and Q-Tips can go in new boxes.

• Keep an open space. This can be used for guests with specific cracker needs, or maybe a place for overnighters to rest their weary toothbrush.

• Larger, heavier items — like a blender or stand mixer — work best on lower, easy-to-reach shelves.

For more great tips visit Apartment Therapy.