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    The Secret to Decluttering, Organizing, Decorating and Homekeeping Success that No One Tells You About!

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    If you’ve ever struggled with creating the atmosphere you want for your home, I got you! 
    I will share the secret no one tells you about.
    Many years ago I started out my home-creating journey with so many dreams of the kind of home I hoped to have — one that was welcoming to us day to day as well as to the people we invited in.
    Perhaps you have similar dreams for your home.
    Even though my heart was in the right place and I worked hard at it, I felt like I was always struggling to create the atmosphere I desired.

    I often felt like I was failing as a home keeper. 
    While I always loved decorating, much to my dismay I quickly discovered that decorating alone wasn’t enough.
    There were always new messes being made, meals to prepare, laundry to do, needs to tend to, rooms to update, clutter to deal with, endless home projects and jobs to keep up with. 
    While I wanted to be a good home keeper, I wasn’t naturally skilled in figuring out how to do it all well and take care of myself and a family at the same time. I was often frazzled and frustrated. 

    One mess or another always seemed to stand in the way of the atmosphere I wanted.
    When I felt like my home was a cause of stress, anxiety would creep in and make me feel like I was a failure in all areas of life.
    I knew that wasn’t what I wanted for myself or our family. 
    Yet I could not figure out for the life of me how to keep all the balls in the air without causing more stress! 
    I read all the books on decluttering, organizing, housecleaning, and decorating yet none of them seemed to offer the simple holistic, sustainable solution I needed. It was all overwhelming. I just wanted to feel at peace with my home day to day, not create a perfect designer-approved showplace!
    I really didn’t need a perfect home. The truth was, a growing family and every day real-life experiences at home created ongoing understandable chaos. I wanted to savor the people, the moments and seasons of life, but trying and failing to keep up with resulting mess in our home was the opposite feeling I wanted in my surroundings.
    How in the world do you find a balance so you can create the type of home you really want without feeling so stressed and overwhelmed?
    Three homes, three kids, one dog and a lot of anxiety and home keeping trial and error later, I finally had an epiphany. This epiphany changed everything!

    I always knew I wanted my home to be a peaceful and welcoming place, but the peaceful and welcoming feeling I craved wasn’t just about the house.
    *I* needed to feel that way! 
    I needed to feel a sense of peace in our home for my own wellbeing, so I could offer that to my family as well.
    I needed my home to be welcoming to me day to day, too, not just to be welcoming to others.
    I couldn’t just bless the mess. Ha! To me, mess = stress.
    Yet all the methods I had tried to keep up with the mess created new kinds of stress.
    It makes sense that people just give up.
    No one tells you the secret to achieving what it is you really want.
    What most of us want to create is a sanctuary, not a showplace.
    That’s what I longed for all along — a home where I felt at peace.

    No wonder I was stressed!
    No wonder I was floundering! 
    It all began to make more sense. 
    I had been trying to get somewhere worth going, but doing it the wrong way led me to the opposite results.
    I was working hard at keeping up with what I thought was necessary or expected, but I didn’t stop to consider what a sanctuary would feel like.
    To be a nurturing place, living in it or caring for it couldn’t be a stressful experience!

    Little by little I made new discoveries about what it meant to create a sanctuary.
    My perspective on home keeping changed.
    I began to make progress and my family noticed and felt it, too! 
    Learning what to do and what not to do, when to do it and why it all mattered so much to me personally made all the difference. Everything changed for the better!
    My well-being improved and my anxiety and daily struggles diminished greatly.
    The care and keeping of our home not only became more manageable but more enjoyable and fulfilling for me (even with a busy household!). 
    My home became a true sanctuary!
    Once I began to see my new daily efforts for what they were, a worthy investment in our health and well-being, creating a sanctuary truly transformed all areas of my life.
    And the most amazing thing is: 

    It didn’t take a lot of money or a housekeeper!

    I didn’t need a perfect house or a perfect plan.

    I didn’t need ideal circumstances. 

    I didn’t need to be a slave to housework. 

    I finally had more freedom and creative energy to do what I loved!

    I felt better than I ever had before in my surroundings. 

    If creating a sanctuary resonates with you, I would love to have you join me in in this journey in 2024!

    I’ve shared many of my struggles and successes in homekeeping and decorating over the past 17 years through encouragement and practical tips on my blog The Inspired Room and in 11 books. 
    But now I am thrilled to be able to offer my secretes to success and support you in a more personal way. In HomeBody Gathering Place, I’ve brought these important decorating and home keeping concepts all together into a never-before offered format with a simple to follow formula along with my secrets to success!
    I am thrilled to be able to walk with you through this journey in real time through HomeBody Gathering Place!
    You’re invited to join me for A Year of Sanctuary, which takes place in 2024 in my member community HomeBody Gathering Place. If you are a member, you’re all set! We’ll begin the winter season on January 5th. If you are not currently a member, you’ll want to register HERE before we close the doors.

    What is a Year of Sanctuary? What is HomeBody Gathering Place?
    A Year of Sanctuary is our theme this year in HomeBody Gathering Place, a private member community where we focus on realistic methods and make joy-filled rewarding progress in creating a sanctuary.
    I’ve organized the concepts I teach into a new seasonal format so we can experience A Year of Sanctuary! In a Year of Sanctuary, we dive into each of my four essential sanctuary principles as well as learn how to savor the simple joys of a sanctuary week by week, season by season, year round.
    All HGP members get to enjoy A Year of Sanctuary, there is no additional fee or registration, it’s all included in your membership.
    How does a Year of Sanctuary work?
    We go through A Year of Sanctuary lessons together weekly in real-time (either in the optional Facebook community, or your own private dashboard and weekly emails we send), but you can also go at your own pace with previously taught lessons and resources that are all saved and available to you in a private dashboard any time.
    While you will be inspired with new ideas and tips every week, you can also see immediate results if you choose to take simple optional action steps through our weekly challenges.
    Of course, establishing your rhythms and experiencing the full benefits of a sanctuary will take time! But we make it more fun every step of the way. You’ll get access to HomeBody Notebook pages, prizes, printables and more!
    The decorating and homemaking principles we learn throughout the year can be personalized and practiced in a variety of ways in each season, just like we do in our real life homes!
    This is a gentle and sustainable way to bring more joy and peace to life and your home, too.
    You’ll find this to be a rewarding experience — one you can look forward to each week and through every season! 
    Do I have to be a new homemaker to benefit from HomeBody Gathering Place?
    Not at all! Whether you’re already a seasoned sanctuary creator or just starting out or somewhere in between, we can learn and grow together in our own ways. No one has it all together all the time, so we all can benefit from inspiration to connect to our homes in various seasons of life.
    Plus, in HomeBody Gathering Place, I bring together a lovely community of women who are all in different seasons, all creating a sanctuary! It is a joy to encourage each other wherever we are in the journey.
    One step at a time, season by season, I’ll teach you how to not only make your home look great, but FEEL great, too.
    Join us in HomeBody Gathering Place for a Year of Sanctuary. We begin January 5th with our Winter Session on Simplicity!
    Once we close the doors for this session, we don’t open again until spring session.
    TIP: I recommend that you join in January as a yearly member (it’s the best deal, plus this year we’re offering yearly member perks and resources!). We hope you’ll join us for the full year of transformative sanctuary lessons, resources, and activities! More

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      Small Space Hacks: Collapsible Laundry Bags (7 Ways They Can Simplify Your Life)

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      If you have a small home or laundry space like me, you will LOVE today’s tip! In a small space, you really don’t have room for bulky items like laundry baskets. And our laundry room isn’t even a room, it is a very small closet so there is absolutely no room for traditional laundry baskets.
      I discovered these collapsible bags when we moved in and we’ve enjoyed them ever since (and use them for more than just laundry!). They have enough shape to stand up straight so you can fill them with laundry, but are squishable so you can squeeze them into a very tight slim spot. We keep ours in the tiny spot between the stackable washer / dryer and the wall.
      Collapsible Laundry Bag
      On the other side we have two super slim racks stacked that works great for our laundry detergent and iron and all the little items that you need to have on hand.
      Isn’t this star laundry bag cute? I just got this one and love it. I will share more styles and patterns below as well as tips for using them to simplify your life!
      With limited space available, you really have to think carefully about your organization and what is necessary for practical use or in daily routines for your family. But as I see it, a small space is far from a limitation in a home. It can actually be so helpful to have limited space because it is what will make you have to think twice about what you actually need!
      Our family has lived in very large homes before and while there are definite advantages to having more room to spread out, the amount of clutter and excess you begin to accumulate isn’t always an advantage or desirable.
      Below is a photo of the other side of our tiny laundry closet where we have these stackable shelves (this 4 tier and a 3 tier stacked together) that work great for our small sized detergents, iron and other laundry items!
      We also have this really great collapsible drying rack that can easily fold and tuck into a narrow spot and be pulled out when you need it.
      Sources for Slim Carts: This 4 tier and a this 3 tier cart stacked together
      Ideas for how to use collapsible laundry baskets to simplify life:

      Reusable grocery bag or farmer’s market tote
      Use in the car to corral items
      Use them to carry your laundry to a room where you fold everything
      Leave them in car empty ready for anything, or pre packed with common items you use on the go (picnic blanket, etc)
      Leave in car (or in the closet) as a donation bag that you add to slowly and donate when full
      Tuck into a closet or corner of the room for tossing used kitchen towels, if you’re laundry room is far from kitchen!
      Use them in a closet to organize clothes or seasonal items

      Click here for all above sources
      Take care of your home and it will take care of you!
      Efficiency in taking care of a home is something I’m passionate about helping others with because it wasn’t something I was naturally good at :). I have always loved decorating, but struggled with cleaning routines. I really had to apply myself to learning how to take care of my home and to find joy in those less-pretty and more mundane every day tasks. Now I love it!
      I’ve been sharing my daily homekeeping routines and tips in our HomeBody Gathering Place this month. We’ve had some good discussions with our community about what is needed to find more joy in taking care of our homes!
      We’re all about creating sanctuaries in the HGP! All year round we share about everything home: from how to decorate and find your style, to how create an atmosphere that inspires us, to embracing daily routines and getting into seasonal rhythms that help us stay on top of what needs to be done so our home runs efficiently and we feel our best in it!
      We’d love to have your join us in the HGP! It is a special community. BUT– there is only A FEW DAYS LEFT to join us before we close our doors to new members until the new year.
      If you love all things home and / or would like to make improvements or regular progress in your own home (and would like to be surrounded by the encouragement of like minded friends!) I hope you’ll hop in the HomeBody Gathering Place! Come enjoy the fall and holiday season with us!

      A Cute & Organized ‘Laundry Room’ in a Closet
      Pretty Laundry Room Inspiration
      Linen Closet Organization Ideas
      No Linen Closet? No Worries! 3 Reasons These Shallow Underbed Storage Bags Can Help!
      Find all laundry and linen inspiration posts on The Inspired Room HERE.
      Find organization posts on The Inspired Room HERE.
      See more laundry and linen storage solutions in my Amazon shop HERE. More

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      Getting Organized in the Kitchen

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      It seems like it’s been many weeks since I’ve updated you on our kitchen.
      If you wondered if you missed the reveal, don’t worry. You didn’t! The kitchen is essentially done but I’m still waiting on the final finishing touches to be complete. I hope those last bits will happen in the next couple of weeks so we can wind this up and then I’ll be able to do a proper reveal post!
      Meanwhile the work has continued around our home, so this renovation hasn’t been at a standstill at all! In fact, a lot has happened and we’re SO CLOSE to being done. I’ll get some pics and share more about the latest updates soon.
      I can’t wait to take photos and share all about our kitchen! We just love it. We’ve been cooking in our kitchen now for about three weeks and we are very happy with the appliances, function and layout of the room. Designing this kitchen to fit within the space we had was a challenge (as it almost always is when you’re remodeling). We definitely went round and round with what would be best for the space and for how we wanted to use our home. But we are happy that we made the decisions we did. It’s a very comfortable kitchen to work in. I will share more more about each decision and all the features in the coming weeks and months.
      The first thing we were excited to do (besides begin to cook with Beatrix, who I’m happy to report is as lovely to cook with as she is beautiful!) was to start organizing our kitchen tools and pantry items into all of the new drawers and cabinets. We haven’t been able to use our dedicated pantry in the mudroom yet because it had to be painted first but that will be fun to organize that when we’re able.
      We are still figuring out where we want everything in the kitchen, but I bought some new organizers for the kitchen as well as a few new tools I wanted to use here, so I thought I would share those today. I’ll give a more complete tour once I get everything in place.
      Wood Cutting Board
      I love the warmth and function of cutting boards in a kitchen, so I got a couple of fresh new ones we will use all the time here. I really like the big thick ones with the grooves on them, so I got two of these. I also find small ones to be handy and easy to grab for small tasks like cutting an apple, so I like this board as well (plus a handle is always nice!).

      I wasn’t sure we would need any special organizers for spices as I’ve always found it just as easy for me to lay them flat in the drawer. But, I decided to give these risers a try. I actually love how they tilt the jar up slightly and they are clear so they look nice in the drawer. They make me feel like I’m organized, so that’s a plus ha. I was worried the spices wouldn’t fit with risers in this shallow drawer but these work perfectly.
      You can get some spice racks that come with clear jars and labels like these f you really want to switch out the containers to all be uniform, but I don’t mind the mix and just use the jars the spices come in!
      Spice Drawer Organizer

      I’ve never had an electric kettle but I really wanted one for this house. We know we’ll have family here often so it’ll be so nice to have a kettle that can be used away from the main cooking zone. Part of getting organized is thinking through where people go and what they need to do in a space so you can make the experience comfortable. I want to think through what would be practical and where we put things they will use.
      We’ll set up a dedicated coffee and tea area where people can help themselves any time. We may even keep a kettle in a guest room for their use there! You can get my exact one on Amazon, and a similar style in various colors at Williams-Sonoma.

      Recently our old toaster died so we began a search for a new one. I fell in love with this style and love the color! After asking followers on social media for their toaster recommendations, we got rave reviews on this toaster! I wanted it to be attractive enough to leave on the counter, so I think this one will be perfect.

      You can’t have a new kitchen and hang up old towels :), am I right? Also, how long do new towels look new? Don’t answer that. Ha! This was a set of three towels that we’ll use for day to day (they have other color options here). I have some others which will be my ‘pretty but don’t use to clean your spaghetti sauce spills’ towels hahah, but I like having every day towels that go with my decor, too. I feel more organized and hospitable when we don’t have a drawer full of ugly ratty stained hand or dish towels. When we have those, they go into the rag area and become perfect for those very messy spills :).

      I decided to retire my old counter top knife block because it no longer fit our knives. This time I wanted a knife block that fits in a drawer so we could tuck it away. This one fits perfectly, I love it!

      I’m still filling our new baggie containers and kitchen wrap organizers, but I can tell I’ll really like these a lot. The wrap container set came with labels even for wax and parchment.

      While we did add some custom features in our kitchen, we didn’t add any built in dividers because I knew we could do that affordably and simply with these bamboo ones. I got these long ones and also this set that came with 5 in various sizes. I love that you can mix and match the sizes that fit your items even as your needs change, so you aren’t stuck with a system for life.
      I have a few other new items we are using as well as some built in cabinet features we really like. I am still organizing and getting set up so I’ll save those to share for a future post!

      Speaking of organizing, did you see I have a new book coming out this month called Simply Home? It’s a two-in-one book, combining two of my original paperback books into one hardback! You can read more about it here and pre-order here.

      11 Things I Bought for Our Kitchen (Decor and Organization)
      The Tiny Cottage Empty Home Tour
      Browse organization inspiration posts on The Inspired Room
      Browse kitchen inspiration posts on The Inspired Room More

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      11 Things I Bought for Our Kitchen (Decor and Organization)

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      We’re still waiting on some of the final finishing details in our kitchen (so if you spot anything that doesn’t look finished, don’t worry!). I’ve been trying to finalize some paint colors for the painters so I’ve been working on that, but meanwhile, I couldn’t wait to pull out a few things I’ve stashed away for our kitchen! I’ll share a few of them today!
      The good news is we will probably be able to “move in” to the kitchen this week, even though there will still be some details to finish as well as projects still going on around the house (such as our deck, living room / mudroom / entry / stairwell paint, new wood stair treads and flooring upstairs, plus the Tiny Cottage!).
      If you’ve missed any my last remodel update you can see that here.
      I’m guessing we’re a few weeks out from the contractors being officially “done” and then of course, more fun parts will begin for me! I can’t wait to decorate and put plants in our garden :). I’ve been collecting some vintage dishes that I can’t wait to display in the kitchen and have even bought a few plants for the backyard.
      Today I’ll share some of the items I brought in last week and I’ll share the vintage items once I get them in the kitchen.
      Blue Hobnail Glasses /// Sage Hobnail Glasses (or here are similar hobnail glasses on Amazon!)
      1. Hobnail Drinking Glasses
      We needed new drinking glasses and I couldn’t resist these beauties! I’ve always loved hobnail design and the colors were perfect. They look like seaglass! I decided to get a combination of the blue and the sage colors. There are also similar glasses HERE on Amazon with great reviews!

      2. Over the Sink Roll Up Dish Drying Rack
      This is such a clever drying rack, it works with our farmhouse sink and will be handy when we want to hand wash items or just need to set something, maybe a towel or plant or anything that needs to drip dry! It rolls up and can be stashed away when not in use.
      Over the Sink Roll Up Dish Drying Rack
      Natural Wood Dish Brush // Dark Brown Wood Dish Brush
      3. Wood Dish Brushes
      I always love having wood brushes in the kitchen, I couldn’t decide which one to get so I got both a natural and dark brown.
      Natural Marble Tray
      4. Marble Tray
      We use small trays like this all the time, so I knew we’d love this one. This is marble, another I’ll share below is resin.
      Resin (marble look) Footed Tray
      5. Resin (marble look) Footed Tray
      Woven Rattan Trays
      6. Woven Rattan Trays
      We bought these woven rattan trays to be able to carry food or plates upstairs during the remodel. They are wonderful, so sturdy and just the right size. We’ll use these all the time for serving, so they will be a great addition to our kitchen.
      Plate Holder Easel Display Stand // Sailboat Plates
      7. Plate Holder Easel Display Stands
      I was looking for easel style stands to be able to display plates, platters or books. At first I thought the finish on these would be too bright, but once the plate is on it, they are really pretty! I bought a bunch more in a couple of sizes.

      8. Sailboat Appetizer Plates
      My husband bought me these darling sailboat appetizer plates locally (but we found them online here, too!). I will use them at the table but they will also be adorable for decor. We can’t wait to mix and match all of our pretty dishes to display (and use!) in this kitchen. Stay tuned for another post on that!
      Bamboo Drawer Organizer Set of 5 // Long Bamboo Drawer Organizers (stackable)
      9. Bamboo Drawer Organizers
      I found these bamboo drawer organizers that come in a variety of sizes so you can mix and match to fit your needs. I can’t wait to get our drawers organized! I got this set of 5 in different shapes, and a set of 2 long dividers that can stack (see photos below).

      Tray Organizer
      10. Tray Organizer
      These will be handy to set up cookie sheets or baking pans in a cabinet!

      11. Patterned Animal Bowls
      I love these little bowls I had shared in my recent “pretty kitchen accessories” post! We use little bowls for all kinds of things, so I knew these would get a lot of use. They come in a set of 4 with a bunny, frog, bee and squirrel (2 reddish bowls and 2 blue).
      More on The Inspired Room:
      A Sense of Place: Designing Our Forever Family Home by the Sea (+ kitchen update)
      Charming Kitchen Faucets (4 We’ve Had and Many More)
      The Beauty of Soapstone Counters (+ why we chose them for our kitchen)
      16 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Home for Summer More

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      Small Mudrooms and Pantry Spaces: Sunday Strolls + Scrolls

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      Sunday Strolls + Scrolls is a series inspired by the interiors and exterior spaces I fell in love with while scrolling the internet. I particularly enjoy finding spaces and ideas that reflect a sense of sanctuary! I hope this series will feel as relaxing and enjoyable to you as a leisurely walk down a charming street, a peaceful stroll through a garden or finally getting to peek inside a lovely neighborhood home during a Sunday open house. 
      @farmhouseonboone

      I love small spaces in a home, particularly when they are made charming and used to serve a purpose! Today’s inspiration comes from some very charming small mudrooms and pantry spaces. Perhaps you have a small closet, room or niche in a home could be transformed into a useful space. Who couldn’t use a pantry, mudroom, or a practical extension of a kitchen?
      In some homes these practical spaces might have designated large rooms, but I really appreciate the charming and practical use of a smaller footprint. Even a little niche can be made useful and pretty, too.
      One of the spaces in our home that will be somewhat impacted by our renovation is our small mudroom. Currently it has a door to the backyard, a small pantry closet, a door to the garage and our small powder room. Including the passage to the kitchen, it has FIVE doorways in that one small space.
      With the addition that will be going up for my parents’ bedroom, the door to our backyard will be closed off. While we will add a lovely new set of French doors in our kitchen for backyard access, the mudroom will no longer have much natural light. Though it’s not ideal to have to remove a door that has windows, a wall in place of a doorway opens up new possibilities for how we can use that space. And I do have some ideas for how we might bring in more light.
      I will do a new post on our mudroom soon to show you some ideas and what we will have to work with. For now I’m just gathering inspiration, considering what we will do when the door is removed, and what we might decide to do down the road. Stay tuned for more!
      For now, I hope you are inspired by the character and storage in these small spaces!
      @mothermeg
      @thewilddecoelis
      @sincerelymariedesigns
      @pineandprospecthome More

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      No Linen Closet? No Worries! 3 Reasons These Shallow Underbed Storage Bags Can Help!

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      This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

      Shallow underbed storage bags
      Our new shallow underbed storage bags are perfect for storing linens, seasonal items and more. Perhaps you are in need of a similar storage solution in your home! I know some people have the luxury of a dedicated linen closet in their home, but we don’t! We do have closets, just not one we are able to dedicate to linens. Our main bed sheets fit in our room in a dresser, but I needed a more creative option for guest linens so I decided to look for shallow underbed storage so we could tuck them into small spaces such as beneath our rattan daybed.
      Do you forget what items you store under the bed? Here’s a solution!
      Honestly, I haven’t always preferred underbed storage as I used to forget what I put there! But I found a solution for that, so I’ll share it today along with the shallow underbed storage bags I found, how we use them and three reasons why they work so well for us.
      One of the organizing principles I use (and shared in my book Make Room for What You Love) is that it’s usually a bit easier to to remember where you put things if you 1) know you will use them (and not just clutter storage!) 2) you group items together that are in a related category and 3) put them in a spot that makes some sort of sense to you.
      So for example, if I put camping gear and Christmas serving platters under the guest bed, I probably won’t remember where either of them are there months later. It wouldn’t really make sense to me that they are stored together or in that spot, so it would be easier for me to forget. However, if under the bed is the only place you have for both of those items, or if you are prone to forget things you thought for sure you’d remember (as I am, ha!) you can use some system like a seasonal storage chart posted in your closet or a planner.
      Sources: Rattan Daybed // Rug // Navy Plaid Pillow Cover // Similar Turquoise Animal Otomi Pillow
      Three reasons I like these shallow underbed storage bags
      Besides being a helpful solution for storing our guest linens, these shallow underbed storage bags work well for us for several other reasons.

      The bags have fabric fronts. Even if you can see them under the bed, they don’t look as unsightly like some containers do. Our double guest bed has a dust ruffle, but this one doesn’t. The fabric fronts help keep it looking tidier!
      Secondly, the bags are shallow enough to fit under our low daybed. Our daybed is fairly close to the ground but also has a lot of supports and leg underneath it. These tuck in perfectly to a very small space.
      The third reason I really like these storage bags is they have solid side panels, which I find makes them easier to slide in and out. I have some other zippered bags which work for organizing in closets or storage rooms, but they don’t hold their shape when you squish them under the bed. They also have handles which are convenient.

      Related Posts: Ottomans: 5 Stylish and Practical Reasons To Have Them in Your Home // 10 Tufted Ottomans (Instead of a Coffee Table)
      What fits in the bags under the bed?
      We were able to fit two of the shallow underbed storage bags under our daybed. One is for winter twin bedding. Besides the rattan twin bed we have two REI sleeping cots that we put sheets on as well as a sofa that can be used as a bed, so we needed several sets of twin sheets. The other bag is for the more spring and summer cotton sheets and blankets. Since the available space under the daybed is so limited, we use it for sheets and thin blankets rather than bulkier items.
      We put two more of these zippered bags under a double guest bed for that bed’s linens and blankets as well. We could fit at least two more bags but alas, there are also slim guitars, ha! Random place for guitars perhaps, but it’s our only option at this point. (My husband doesn’t play these particular guitars often but they have to be in the house where it’s more temperature controlled, so they can’t be in a garage and we don’t have room in the closets.)
      Read on for where I store the bulkier bedding (such as mattress pads!)

      Where I store bulkier bedding like mattress pads
      The extra fluffy mattress pads we use for the cots and beds do not fit as well under beds as the sheets do, so instead we use our lidded rattan trunks. These are the trunks we have, but last I looked the price had increased significantly. If that is still the case when you read this, I have some other options to check out in my Amazon Basket Shop. Alternatives if you don’t have closet space would be dressers, lidded benches at the foot of the bed, or storage ottomans (find some storage ottomans in our Amazon Small Space Shop).
      Double duty for maximizing small spaces
      If you have a smaller home or less storage, you have to be a little more creative with what you store as well as how you use the available space. For example, we like having the daybed in here because while it’s my office, the daybed doubles as a couch for watching TV (with lots of pillows for back support) and as a spot for our college son or guests to sleep on as needed.
      In a smaller home, it’s ideal when furniture can be double duty. Although perhaps I should say the daybed is triple duty, since it’s also become a handy storage spot for guest linens thanks to our new shallow underbed storage bags! A smaller home can be a challenge for organization, but I think getting creative with the space is a fun challenge.
      I hope this post was helpful!
      Related inspiration on The Inspired Room:
      Small Space Storage Tips: Making Room for What You Love
      How to Decorate When Your Front Door Opens Into Your Living Room
      5 Clever Ways to Make a Small Space Cozy & Inviting (+ Apartment Tour)
      9 Clever Organizers to Tidy Your Home
      Storage Cabinets for Linens and Things
      Do you make any of these common disorganization excuses? > > Kick Excuses to the Curb: Confessions on Organizing & Decluttering
      Click here for all organizing inspiration posts on The Inspired Room More

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      Small Space Storage Tips + Making Room for What You Love

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      One of the most important space considerations for me in our kitchen remodel is addressing our need for dish and hospitality storage. Our house isn’t huge (nor is it teeny!) so I need to be mindful of how we will use our space. I don’t like clutter, but I do love pretty objects to enjoy and use for hospitality.
      To me, clutter is defined as stuff you don’t use or love. If you don’t have room for it, it gets lost and starts to feel like clutter and you don’t use it.
      When we moved into our last house, our movers called us “book and decor” people. Ha! Apparently some people are decor folks. Some are book lovers. And we are the special ones who happen to love BOTH! Don’t I know it! Had he looked in our boxes, I might also have been called a DISHES person! 🙂 I don’t have as many as some people do, but I definitely love to have a few sets of mix and match dishes and serving pieces like cake plates, vases, platters, pitchers, etc.

      Think of a smaller space as FREEING, not limiting!
      Honestly I would probably keep a lot more if I had a bigger house :). With a smaller space, I have to make peace with the fact that I don’t have room for all of the things I *might *enjoy. Those thoughts probably sound limiting, but for me having less space can be freeing. Having less is actually one of the reasons I like having a smaller home.
      Perhaps you have a small house right now, or a small kitchen or are thinking of downsizing. I will say it can feel limiting if you decide to dwell on not having “enough” room for all of the things, but it’s also so FREEING to have some boundaries and priorities around how you’ll use your time, budget and space.
      Don’t get me wrong, I loved having bigger houses in the past for different reasons as well. Love whatever home you have and embrace what it is! Having less space gives you the opportunity to live differently, not necessarily better or worse! It’s all what you make of it and how you use the space you have.

      With a smaller space, you have come up with creative ideas to use your space really well. You are more likely to assess what you really need and love, versus what would be just fun or convenient.
      I find a smaller space gives me some helpful boundaries to focus on what I love the most, so that is exactly what I’m doing as I’m planning my kitchen remodel! I won’t have EVERYTHING I could ever want, and yet, I love that. It brings me peace to have less.
      Let your space help you define what you keep!
      Defining the space you have available or are able to use for certain activities or belongings can help you decide what to keep! When you don’t have room for it, you can’t keep it! It’s as simple as that if you don’t want clutter. Sometimes letting go of stuff seems so hard until you make peace with the fact that you simply do not have room. The more space we have, the more we might tend to hold onto even if we don’t use it very often. So having limited space isn’t necessarily a bad thing, use that mindset to help you pare down to what you really love and need.
      I’ve given away a lot in the past year, but we still have more than our new house can currently hold with the storage we have. Therefore, I will definitely need to pare down, especially once we have remodeled! The remodel will help us define more boundaries as far as what I can keep. Either I will have room for it, or I won’t. I don’t want to store things we don’t love or use regularly.

      Out of sight, out of mind can turn into more clutter
      Create storage that is useful and accessible so you can stay organized without getting overwhelmed by, losing or forgetting what you have! Having a basement or garage or storage room can feel like a blessing, but also a curse. Storing a lot of things means I don’t use things because I either forget I have them or don’t want to go on a hunt for them even if I love them!
      Of course, particularly in a smaller space, you also can’t keep everything accessible or out in the open or your house will also feel messy and cluttered. So the trick is to decide what storage you need or have that is easily available and to be honest with yourself about how much you are able to use and keep track of.
      Case in point, I still have lots of things in storage boxes right now from the move. It’s too much, so right now it both overwhelms me and I know I won’t use things because I can’t get to them easily. If we cannot create specific useful easy to locate places for the contents of the boxes in our remodel, they’ll have to go!

      Plan for a mix of open and closed storage
      Knowing I want to keep my dishes easily accessible, I’m planning to add lots of dish drawers and even some glass front cabinets and/or open shelves in or near my new kitchen so I can enjoy some of my favorites as decor. Having a mix of open and closed storage is important to make sure your spaces don’t feel cluttered, but still allows some you room to display the pretty things you love!

      Better utilize the space you have!
      I’m also planning to find ways to better organize and utilize our current mudroom (see more of our mudroom here) as well as to create storage in our new dining room. We won’t necessarily have room for everything I want to keep right in our kitchen, but we can use spaces nearby for them so they are still accessible. I can’t wait to show you some of the ideas we want to incorporate!

      Use freestanding cabinets for extra storage and charming display
      Right now we use the white freestanding glass cabinets that are really helpful. I’ve often used them in our homes to keep items accessible without creating clutter. If you don’t have enough storage or built ins, freestanding cabinets can be so handy! You’ll find a recent post on freestanding cabinets and similar sources HERE.

      Click HERE for cabinet sources above.

      So if you feel limited by a small space or overwhelmed by too much stuff, remember it can be so freeing to have less and to let go of what you don’t really need!
      More storage isn’t always a good thing if you end up with too much stuff.
      Less stuff is always a good idea, but you don’t have to be a minimalist to have a tidy house! Simplifying is rewarding, so make the process a gift to yourself.
      I wrote a book on simplifying your home called Make Room for What You Love and in it I talked about some of my own struggles with stuff as well as how I have learned to create more order in my house. It’s an ongoing process, especially if you are book and decor people AND are downsizing or changing your lifestyle like we are as empty nesters now :). Believe me, it’s not about doing it all perfectly! But it really is rewarding to feel in control of your home. If you haven’t read it, you can find it here. I hope it will encourage you to make more room in your home for what you really love.

      Looking for more ideas? You’ll find lots of organization posts HERE, and small space inspiration posts HERE! More

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      Small Accent Storage Cabinets, Consoles, Sideboards (Sources + Organizing Inspiration)

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      Accent cabinets can be placed throughout a home to provide storage and style. I’m always rearranging furniture to figure out what works best for us, so accent cabinets have been a versatile solution for us in every home. Plus they give you another surface to use for a lamp or seasonal decor!
      They help you to get organized and work well as a place to tuck away useful/decorative/seasonal items that tend to end up as clutter on counters or tables when not in use. I love them for so many reasons! I’ll share some tips and ideas below.
      In this post you’ll find sources for several cabinets my girls and I have in our homes as well as other suggestions.
      A few ideas for how to use accent cabinets:

      In a dining room for entertaining supplies – use little bins or baskets inside to store things like napkins and napkin rings, shelves for wine glasses etc…or for dish storage
      In a living room or bathroom to store extra pillows or throws (also great spot to put a table lamp to warm up a dark corner)
      Entryway – use a drawer or containers on shelves (store gloves, dog leashes etc), shoes, reusable grocery store bags, etc
      Kids’ toys
      In a bathroom for towels, bath supplies, toiletries
      In an office as a printer stand and/or to store office supplies

      Here are accent cabinets in our homes, and graphics with lots of sources linked below!

      Click here for Accent Cabinet Source // See post on Kylee’s Entry Cabinet Hack That Saved Her $1500

      Click here for Accent Cabinet Source

      Click here for Shutter Cabinet Source. We use this for storing entertaining supplies, pitchers, glassware and cloth napkins!

      Click here for Shutter Cabinet Source

      Click here for Shutter Cabinet Source

      Click here for the same cabinet (and see how Courtney lined the shelves of this cabinet here)

      This exact cabinet in Courtney’s apartment is out of stock, but HERE is one from the same line, and here is another similar cabinet. Take a tour of Courtney’s apartment here.

      Click here for the same cabinet (this is technically a media cabinet with space for cords to come out the back, but works great as a buffet cabinet too!) — See more of this room in this post: Kylee’s House (Sharing Some Hand-Me-Downs)

      Similar herringbone cabinet source // Click here for a post on how we made this freestanding cabinet into an entry command center!

      Click for herringbone wood and white accent cabinet source

      Click here for whitewashed wood accent cabinet (similar style to my gold one above)

      Click here for post on Kylee’s old townhouse entry

      Here are sources for more cabinets:

      Sources for Above (scroll and click images or links below):

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      1. Accent Cabinet with 2 Doors (multiple colors)
      2. White Entryway Cabinet with Glass Doors and Drawers (multiple color options)
      3. White 2 Door Floor Cabinet with Glass X Panels and Shelves
      4. Two Door Glass Storage Cabinet
      5. Wide White Storage Cabinet with Glass Pane Doors
      6. Blue 2 Door Accent Cabinet with Glass Doors (multiple color options)
      7. White 2 Door Floor Cabinet with Glass
      8. Tall 2 Door Gray Glass Pane Cabinet
      9. Freestanding Bathroom Cabinet
      10. Entryway Cabinet with Glass Doors and Drawers (multiple color options)
      11. Distressed White Tall Sliding Door Cabinet with Windowpane Glass Doors
      12. White Server Cabinet with Geometric Mirrored Doors

      Sources for Above (scroll and click images or links below):

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      1. Rattan Woven 2 Door Cabinet
      2. Gray Pattern Cabinet
      3. Handcarved Cabinet
      4. Whitewashed Wood 2 Door Cabinet with Geometric Pattern
      5. Wood and Metal Cabinet
      6. Cane Wood 2 Door Cabinet with Mid Century Legs (multiple color options)
      7. Navy Linen 2 Door Cabinet with Nailhead Trim
      8. Whitewashed Wood Storage Cabinet
      9. Rattan 2 Door Wood Accent Cabinet
      10. Wood and Herringbone Cabinet
      11. Antique Grey 2 Door Chest
      12. Navy Handcarved Wood 2 Door Cabinet
      Click HERE for more cabinet sources (and follow our new Instagram The Inspired Room Style for daily decor finds in stories!)

      My Organizing Books:
      Simple Organizing: 50 Ways to Clear the Clutter (my book available on Amazon or your preferred retailer)
      Make Room for What You Love: Your Essential Guide to Organizing and Simplifying (my book available on Amazon or your preferred retailer)
      Related Inspiration on The Inspired Room:
      Storage Cabinets for Linens and Things
      Kitchen Canisters and Sources
      9 Clever Organizers to Tidy Your House
      Six Simple Secrets for a Less Cluttered Home
      Organizing With Baskets and Containers
      Lovely Bathroom Storage Solutions
      Linen Closet Organization Ideas
      12 Lovely Accessories to Organize Your Home
      Small Space Solutions: Furniture Ideas More

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      Small Entryway Solutions

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      Hello, Kylee here! After sharing my entryway post (about how to decorate when your front door opens into your living room) , many of you reached out to me saying you also have an extra small entry space! So, I did a little digging to see what kinds of solutions I could find for when you don’t have much space for furniture. I rounded up some of my favorites that are multi-functional or well suited to a small space. Enjoy!
      Sources for the graphic above:
      1. Entryway Cabinet (lots of color options)
      2. Valet Hook
      3. Entryway Wall Mirror with Hooks
      4. Coat Rack with Shelf and Hooks
      5. Storage Bench
      6. Iron Entryway Shelf Set with Baskets and Hooks
      7. Wood Bench
      8. Entryway Storage Mirror
      9. Swivel Hanging Rack (two color options)
      10. Entryway Shelf with Hooks
      11. Wood Hall Tree with Hooks
      Looking for more small space inspiration? Here are some related posts!
      More Solutions for a Small or Non-Existent Entry
      10 Small Space Decorating Mistakes
      How to Get Organized in a Small House
      5 Clever Ways to Make a Small Space Cozy and Inviting
      Small Space Solutions: Furniture Ideas
      Ideas for Small and Budget-Friendly Kitchens
      Making the Most Out of Hallways, Entries, and Small Rooms
      Click HERE for a gallery full of small space idea blog posts! More