Knee Wall Spaces

Last week's stair storage ideas reminded me of another common under used "potentially fabulous" space in the home. Knee walls! In our next home we would really like to have all of the bedrooms downstairs and have one room upstairs for an office. All of the houses we looked at have the "bonus room" with the knee walls.

This space is a lot like the staircase in that you could build in storage and have it recessed into the wall, much like this home office.

If you are lacking closet space which most of these types of rooms do, you can build in cabinets and drawers to use as a wardrobe.

In this kid's room kitchen cabinets are repurposed and built into the wall. This is beautiful and provides plenty of storage. By using glass drawer fronts you can see the contents and add a little color to the space. Hanging clothes in them wouldn't work for long but for babies and toddlers, not a bad idea. What a great idea for a home office as well.

If we do end up with an office that has knee walls I would probably line our two desks along one wall and use the other wall for storage. I could fit a couple of bookshelves along the wall but I just love the "built in" look. The only con to a built in is that it is a more permanent option.

Do you have a knee wall in your room(s)? I would love to see how you use this space in your home or office. Feel free to send links in the comment sections or email me pictures of your spaces and I will feature them here. Thanks so much for all of your ideas!

[photos from top to bottom: 1,2) Taunton Home's New Built-Ins Idea Book 3,4) Better Homes & Gardens

Stairway Storage

Kari & Kijsa wrote a post asking their readers to share what they do with that "potentially fabulous" space under the stairway.

All to often that space under the stairs is wasted or at least half of it ends up as a coat closet like ours. Our home builder also thought it was the perfect place for a thermostat and a huge air vent. In our next home I am hoping we will have a space under the stairs that we can actually use. I personally think it is prime real estate. There are so many options and here are a few I have been collecting.

Built in shelving under the stairs with a pull down work table.

Shelving with baskets to hold table linens, magazines, and toys. Or what about using this area as a recycling center and line the baskets with plastic so they do not get ruined. The large baskets on the bottom shelf would be perfect for newspapers.

Pull out shelves used in a basement for storage. However, I would love having a pull out drawer like this near the entryway for shoes.

A built in office space with drawers next to it for supplies. Maybe even build in a file cabinet. Wouldn't that be lovely?

And let's not forget about Benita's lovely closet space under the stairs.

What other ideas can you come up with? Great topic Kari & Kijsa!

[photos from top to bottom: 1) Better Homes & Gardens 2) Better Homes & Grdens magazine January 2008 3) Storage Projects You Can Build, 1977 4,5) Taunton Home's New Built-Ins Idea Book]

Flickr Groups: Inspiring You To Keep The Clutter Away

Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to give an organizing project it's initial kick start. I thumb through magazines and a picture will strike a chord with me and my heart sings out to tackle the next project. A picture is worth a thousand words. When you see a product used a certain way or a bookshelf turned into a visual masterpiece using colors and containers it can cause you to have an Ah Hah! moment. Suddenly it all becomes clear... you have found the solution to your organizing problem.

If you are looking for a little inspiration your in luck. This week I will be featuring a new Flickr group each day that deals with organizing. I will post pictures form each group that I find are the most inspirational. I came across the Flickr groups while visiting Making it Lovely. Today we will start with the group Nicole started......

Organization is for Squares

Spring has sprung at Chez Larsson. I love this home office. You can find many more pictures like this of her "less than 800 square foot home." She has made great use of the space she has and how beautiful it all is.

Lovely pink containers from The Domestic Diva. Check out the Sewing Room Organization Challenge held at her site for tons of useful tips, products and of course inspirational photos. (It almost wants me to take up sewing)

Wow. I'm speechless. If I had this many purses I would certainly have cubbies for them all. Becky even has a Flickr Photo of the Week feature at her blog on Design Public and this week it just so happens that it is an organizing photo.

Last but not least, the photo that started Organization is for Squares. Nicole's squared away studio where she stores all of the lovely products she carries at her online store, Pink Loves Brown.

There are so many other great photos but only so much time. Check them out and maybe add some of your own. I noticed a couple of others in the group that I have actually blogged about before here and here. I just love the ideas and inspiration these photos bring.

I'll be back tomorrow with another group and more beautiful photos.

More Than Just Shoe Storage

I thought I would share a handy little product with you. When organizing we are always looking for more space right? Well you might not have an abundance of space but most of you do have doors. An over door shoe organizer is a great product to help you get a quick organizing fix. Get creative in the uses you can find for them.

Obviously the transparent would be the best choice if you need to see the contents but these shoe organizers do come in different colors and in canvas or cotton. You can get artistic with labels if you can't see what is in the pockets.

With little ones at home I am always finding new uses for the shoe organizers. I have never actually used them for shoes. Here we have one hanging in our coat closet for hats and gloves. For our family of five this works great. The kids can easily find their gloves and PUT THEM BACK. No lost gloves or hats.


My daughter is now old enough to get into any drawer in the house. I learned with my son that this is not a good combination in the bathroom. (I once found him sucking on a tube of toothpaste. Don't worry I asked the doctor how much is too much and he didn't have enough to do harm.) Now, I keep most of the toiletries in a shoe organizer on the linen closet door. I keep my things in the top pockets and I leave a few pockets open on the bottom for her toys. She stays busy putting things in and taking them out while Mommy gets ready. Another sanity saver!


Design Mom posted about inexpensive ways to organize your wrapping paper, an article that was featured in Organize Magazine. Another great use for a shoe organizer.

The possibilities are endless. You can use them for storing small toys in the playroom, spices in the kitchen or even office supplies in a small office. Get creative with the organizing products you already may have at home. Try new things and make sure you come back and tell me what works for you.

Recycling Bins for Small Spaces

I was asked recently if I had any tips on recycling in small spaces. So here are a few options I found...

Going vertical. If you don't have the space to have huge bins sitting out then I would suggest going vertical with your recycling bins using smaller containers.

2-Bin Recycle Center from The Container Store
Measures 13-1/4" x 9-7/8" x 36-1/4" h
Frontloading compartments with removable 4.25 gallon bins.

3-Compartment Recycling Bin from Stacks and Stacks
Measures 49.8"H x 14.6"W x 13.25"D
Top two bins pull out and bottom bin tilts out when you step on foot pedal.

If you have a little wall space to spare then the Small-Home-Recycler Bag from City Mouse Shop may be the option you are looking for. It is a 6 gallon container that can be mounted on the wall or behind a cabinet door.

No wall space no problem, the Apartment-Size Recycler from City Mouse Shop is another 6 gallon container that can fit under the sink, on a shelf or tucked away in a cabinet.