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Discovering Your Nook: Storage Solutions for Minimalists

K. Emily Bond — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:50:16 +0000

Clever solutions for stylish clutter control.

Estimates show that we use about 20% of our objects 80% of the time. Why, then, are our lives so cluttered? It could be that we have an overabundance of stuff – here’s a hint: we do. Or perhaps we haven’t yet discerned the fine art of fitting all those bits and pieces seamlessly into our personal sanctuaries.

A word of caution: I’m a proponent of downsizing – even purging – to get to a minimal way of being. But there is a better way, a cleaner and prettier way to selling off that 80% horde. Indeed, these clutter solutions prove that there is a sexy way to stick your stuff where the sun don’t shine.

Hidden compartments behind expensive works of art are typically reserved for grand houses under investigation by Sherlock Holmes. Now thanks to iBride, you can bring some of that nineteenth-century style and mystery to your own abode.

From the series “Les Dandys,” these hidden bookshelves depict a trio of Baudelaire-era gentlemen in immaculate dress and rams’ heads. Sexy beasts, if I do say so myself.

These mile-high bookshelves are deceptively tall. Designed by London and Germany based architecture team Kraus Schoenberg, this integrated and stylish book cranny is one of the main storage features in an affordable, prefabricated low-energy house.

Repurposing staircases as storage drawers was, I’ve read, invented by Japanese cabinet makers. They called them kaidan tansu; I call them very cool.

Another variation on staircase storage, this serves both form and function.

If you’re lucky enough to land an antique mail sorting cabinet, turn it into a gorgeous storage opportunity. It’s an enviable solution for shoes, hats, and scarves.

Had I grown up with this cloakroom under the staircase, I’d be a much more organized person today. Certainly our most family-friendly clutter solution.

Yet another inventive use for our trusty friend, the mirror. It’s a logical arrangement: jewelry, makeup and other flair tucked tidily inside a sturdy floor-length.

Try as we may to meld the modern television set with the wall, it nevertheless detracts from the quiet simplicity of our homes. Perhaps by tucking it discretely behind the stairs, we’ll forget it’s even there. Out of sight, out of mind…until it’s time for True Blood.

Now that the clutter’s sorted, how about a therapeutic purge?

Images: Storage Geek; iBride; Kraus Schoenberg; The Lennoxx; Spoon & Tamago; House to Home Pinterest; Department of the Interior via Kim Ficaro; HB

Lustables: The Dandelion Dresser

K. Emily Bond — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:29:17 +0000

The Dandelion Dresser by design team iannone:sanderson is made from reclaimed Kirei board.

Made from the reclaimed stalks of sorghum plant and using a formaldehyde-free adhesive, the six-drawer Dandelion Dresser is a perfect addition to the sleek, minimal and eco-aware bedroom. The cabinet itself is constructed of FSC-certified sustainable plywood, while the white laminate conforms to healthy indoor air standards.

Non-toxic, cute and imaginative, what we love most about this fun, yet subtle, storage unit is the Bumble Bee. Do you see it? There he is, pollinating the bottom middle drawer.

Price: $3,995.00 from Vivavi.

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

Flash in the Pantry: 8 Ways to Make Storing Less Boring!

Luanne Bradley — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:33:48 +0000

Who says the pantry has to be a catch-all black hole for prolonging that shelf life? That’s what high school lockers are for!

It’s time to take stock in our most commonly used household storage nook, and make it as inviting as a vintage general store (with a modern green twist, of course).

Open pantries offer easy access for the organic gardener and cook, but also should look tidy since they are exposed to your visitors. Mine is en route to the powder room. Yep, that’s country life.

I find it’s easy to arrange a cool display of dry goods, serving dishes and other odds and ends containing them in boxes, baskets and jars. Not an organizer? Just read Catherine Pond’s The Pantry, chronicling the history of keeping every can and tin in its place.

I have staged many pantries of homes, finding prospective buyers are sold on nicely organized utility spaces, especially when they also reflect some style with a pop of color, especially red. Yes, panache even extends to the shelves of rice and cereal.

Here are some ideas for ordering and celebrating your own healthy green pantry:

First, sort by category: If you haven’t done so already, clean and designate shelves for categories, i.e. stack tea and cereal boxes side by side on one shelf, canned goods on another, bulk items like rice, pasta and beans on another. Make sure the opened items remaining in original packages are well sealed to preserve them. I use painter’s tape to reseal cardboard boxes to keep items fresh.

Reuse glass mason jars: Mason jars from pasta sauce, jams and other goods are great to reuse for storing and displaying dry goods from quinoa and baking ingredients to various herbs and spices. I love reusing an array of food jars in my pantry because they look cool and help extend the shelf life of the dry goods.

Reuse plastic take-out containers: If you are stuck with plastic, spare the landfill and clean out some of the small containers to store items. Below, they work well when reused for cake decorating sprinkles and beans.

Store packaged items in boxes: You can recycle your old shoe or gift boxes or locate eco-friendly storage to place on the shelves along with the jars and cans. Boxes, especially those with fun patterns from the Container Store and other organizing outlets, add flair even when the cupboard is bare.

Canisters add flavor: Mix in canisters (an easy second hand store or garage sale find) to hold organic flour, raw sugar, baking soda and other items you use for baking those healthy treats every day after work (yeah, right). I have a collection of canisters given as gifts or found in various towns. I love how they look in an open pantry, especially red ones like these from Amazon. These are also great for animal kibble which you might want to buy in bulk to avoid the large paper bags.

Stackers for shelving help you squeeze more in and add depth: Locate metal stacking shelves, like this one from Oraganizeit, to lift and separate cans and other packages. These work really well in both small and large pantry nooks.

Baskets add charm and warmth: Good natural fiber storage, like these water hyacinth nesting baskets from Cultural Elements, work well for onions, potatoes and other perishables, especially in an enclosed pantry. These fresh foods tend to last best in darkness and under wraps. Baskets are great for all loose food items and add that creature comfort organic appeal.

Design tip: Remember, even if your pantry consists of one cupboard in your apartment kitchen, you can still make it look fun and appealing – you might even hang cups on hooks inside.

For me and many of you, ordering clutter reduces stress. When I don’t have to spend an hour searching for taco mix, I don’t scream as much on taco night. Can a neat pantry save on therapy? Try it and see.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. This original post can be found here.

Images: The Book Depository, Container Store, Stevie Rocco, La Fattina, Container Store, la fattina, Organizit

Flash in the Pantry: 8 Ways to Make Storing Less Boring!

Mike Sowden — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:42:05 +0000

Who says the pantry has to be a catch-all black hole for prolonging that shelf life? That’s what high school lockers are for!

It’s time to take stock in our most commonly used household storage nook, and make it as inviting as a vintage general store (with a modern green twist, of course).

Open pantries offer easy access for the organic gardener and cook, but also should look tidy since they are exposed to your visitors. Mine is en route to the powder room. Yep, that’s country life.

Here are some ideas for ordering and celebrating your own healthy green pantry…

Design tip: Remember, even if your pantry consists of one cupboard in your apartment kitchen, you can still make it look fun and appealing – you might even hang cups on hooks inside.

Each week here at EcoSalon, the editors choose a post from the archives that we think you’ll love. This original post can be found here.

Images: The Book Depository, Container Store, Stevie Rocco, La Fattina, Container Store, la fattina, Organizit

Green Crush: Recycled Tire Trugs

Susan Johnston — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:50:03 +0000

Whether hosting a casual summer cookout or stashing your sandals and towels after a trip to the beach, the Recycled Black Garden Trug from Spanish company Fiel is versatile enough to handle it all. We love that this flexible bucket is made from polyethylene used for manufacturing tires and comes in several sizes.

It looks durable enough that it could last for several years, even stored outdoors and exposed to the elements (after all, tires are made to withstand harsh winters, spring showers, and everything in between). We can totally picture this trug sitting in a hallway to collect dripping umbrellas, in a cute little shed to hold gardening tools, or at a backyard BBQ filled with ice and cold drinks.

Tell us! Where and how would you use this handy little trug? What other uses can you think of?

Say Yes Way to Modular Storage Made from Recycled Paper

Susan Johnston — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:12:32 +0000

We love the look of modular shelving, but we dread the thought of having to assemble yet another piece of IKEA furniture – you feel the same way? Enter the cute, eco-friendly cubes from Way Basics. These cubes come in a variety of colors (hot pink for a little girl’s room, espresso for a grownup living room) and require zero tools for assembly. These cubes come with industrial-strength double-sided adhesive so you just need to peel off the backing and stick the pieces together. Of course, it’s recommended that they set overnight before you add books or other items.

Plus, they’re made from recycled paper, making them 62 percent lighter than particle board (not to mention the fact that they’re 100 percent recyclable when you’re done with them.) Our first thought upon hearing this was, “so, can these shelves actually hold a full load of books?” Depending on which kind you order, the recommended maximum load per shelf is 50 pounds (or up to 100 pounds with a divider to add stability). We also love the versatility of Way Basics’ cubes. For instance, the cozy bench can be used as a storage bench, a TV console, or as shelves.

You can also customize kid’s furniture with super-cute decals or fabric cubes.

And (be still, our bargain-loving hearts) they’re cheaper than many of the similar options we’ve seen. I’m seriously thinking that this would be a good storage option in my new apartment. Which color or style is your favorite?

So Long, Pesky Cords – Thanks to the Multi-Purpose Ledge

Susan Johnston — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:55:36 +0000

What’s your secret for making electrical cords sexy? Let’s face it, they just aren’t. And with so many gadgets on the market these days, an ugly tangle of chargers and power strips don’t add to the sexy factor.

The latest solution to this problem? The Ledge from Urbancase. This sleek console hangs on the wall, conceals unsightly cords and features a drop-down, pull-out shelf on the right side.

As Design Milk points out, the Ledge could serve many different functions in the home, including a desk, a hall table, or stereo/media cabinet. The designers built the Ledge around the notion of cord management.

Admittedly, the stylish little number doesn’t come cheap (it’s listed at $1,500 including shipping), but it’s available in walnut or red, comes formaldehyde-free, and we love that it’s designed by an indie furniture company in Seattle.

According to their website, Urbancase is committed to minimizing their negative impact on the environment, so they use Forest Stewardship Counsel-certified lumber and low VOC finishes whenever possible. Each piece is hand built in their Seattle workshop.

How would you use the Ledge? Can you picture it in your space?

5 Stylish Recycling Stations to Fit Any Space

Susan Johnston — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:54:01 +0000

Ever since Re-Nest posted this stylish recycling station, we’ve been craving a chic solution of our own. Recycling isn’t one-size-fits-all (natch), so we’ve rounded up five recycling options to fit any size space.

Flip Lid Recycler (pictured above)
Simplehuman is known for their sleek, yet practical designs, so we weren’t the slightest bit surprised to find several options on their website. This one has two inner buckets for sorting trash and recyclables. It also comes with a five year warranty.
Front Load Recycler
At just $29.99 a piece, this recycler is probably the most economical option outside of DIY. Available in black or grey, they also come stackable, so you can rearrange them according to your needs.
Premium All-in-One Home Recycling Center
This gadget may resemble a desktop computer, but it’s actually a super-cool compaction system capable of crushing cans, bottles, and jugs, saving you space. Other notable features include a one-step foot pedal, a recycle day reminder, and an odor eliminator on top.
Top Mount Recycling Double Bins
If you’re going for a minimalist kitchen, then keeping recyclables out of sight may be your best bet. These 35-quart bins can be concealed inside a sliding cabinet for easy access. Here’s another hidden recycling option from Organize-It.
The DIY Option
All you DIYers no doubt have a fabulous system for keeping recyclables nicely sorted and organized. Apartment Therapy shares one option using a Crate & Barrel media console and some colorful bins. Here’s another system courtesy of Re-Nest.

Tell us! How do you handle your recycling? Do you keep it hidden or incorporate it into your home’s decor?

When Composting Goes to the Dogs

Luanne Bradley — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:20:16 +0000

Dog gone it, not again! My gluttonous pug – not satisfied with a veggie burger chew toy - has gone bin diving in my compost bucket and recycling bags. These receptacles for reusable waste are placed securely under the sink and not so securely beside the other trash cans in the kitchen. What a mess it makes on the kitchen floor as I catch him in the dirty deed, flattened face buried in the bag, chewing hardened flakes off a cereal box or licking up the yolk residue and eggshells now pasted to my hardwood floor.

I can visualize the sequel now: Smokey and Me. Now that Marley has been put to sleep, we focus on the next heartwarming saga of a well meaning conservationist and her beloved, mischievous family pet.

No matter how much I try pug-proofing my compost containers, the wrinkly chunk always finds the loopholes and manages to get his flat snout in the waste whenever we ease up on our security – a naughty act that begs answers to the following queries:

1. Is the pug an eating machine akin to the great white shark, propelling robotically through his milieu, jaws opening wide and devouring anything and everything in site – from Bounce sheets to cardboard to whatever foul things are carelessly discarded on the street or Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park?

2. Does the dog think of me as terribly wasteful and shameful for getting rid of perfectly good gristle, chicken skin, pork fat, egg shells, coffee grounds, biodegradable clam shell containers and rotting fruit? Does he eat it to teach me a valuable lesson about sustainability?

3. Am I simply dysfunctional in the temporary storage of disposables?

“Be compassionate with yourself,” my therapist reminds me when I get frustrated about someone removing the rubber bands we connect to the cabinet knobs to proof them. Who would do such a thing? Was it the kids, neighbors, the cleaning lady?

Fine, I’ll ease up on myself and seek counseling for the dog, who might be undergoing some sort of eco-stress from all the talk about eliminating waste around the house. “I’ll eliminate it for you, you guys, if only you will stop trying to lock me out of the goods.”

I wonder what other green dog owners do that we aren’t doing. I would happily take pointers. Do you keep all your household recycle and compost containers outside of the house in a hidden spot, so they can be dumped in the bins collected on trash days? Do you maintain counter buckets that tenacious animals cannot reach? Do time outs? Take away treats. Tell me. I want to know!

Maybe I should resort to threatening no dessert or taking away the privilege of peeing in the doctor’s carport across the street. In the meantime, I’m trying to talk some sense into Smokey, hoping that those scoldings make an impression.

How does it make you feel when your family is doing its part to reduce and reuse, and you go and tip over the containers and cause a lot of angst? Look at the cat. She doesn’t behave like that. She also poops neatly in a box and never begged for food at the table until you came along and corrupted her.

He seems to think I’m speaking in a foreign language, like how some disbelievers glare at us when we talk about climate change and plastic poisons. He cocks his little head and seems to be saying, “When you can get the girls to pick up their wet towels off the floor and un-glue their Power Bars from the car seats, I will resist burrowing in your trash. Otherwise, talk to the paw!”

Guess I’ll have to rely on the blessings of the skinned knee. One day he will suffer a bad case of diarrhea and projectile vomiting from consuming something nasty and disturbing my waste. He will learn from the pain of his mistakes and only eat kibble at meal time and be a more obedient pug-child. And if he won’t, there is always college.

Images:Mavis, Wickenden, Luanne Bradley

Lost and Found in the Age of Affluenza

Luanne Bradley — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:30:10 +0000

I’m always tempted by those clever hooks for purses to keep better track of our keys. They’re usually hidden in my bag under a bushel of important papers, hair ties, various wallets and glasses. Digging for keys is adding years to my life. It’s that stressful because disorder complicates my life.

There are people out there called professional organizers who charge hourly rates to box and label the accumulation in our homes. And everywhere you look, there are attractive storage boxes and baskets for sale to keep things in their proper places in our offices and homes. What I wouldn’t do to keep my family’s things in their proper places. I would glue them down if that worked.

The middle class is begging for these gadgets and services. We are not only being buried alive by constant connection and information, our accumulation, too, is taking over and greatly complicating our lives.

It doesn’t matter that I’m attempting to go paperless by saying no to receipts at the register or reading my news and paying bills online. It doesn’t matter that I spent last weekend eliminating clothes from my daughters’ closets and retiring enough garments to fill five supersize garbage compactor bags. Today, my husband is hauling them to his mother’s so that her nurse can ship the items to her poor family in the Philippines.

As I strive to reduce excess and clutter to make my home the simplified, functional haven I envision, I continue to do battle with the nagging phenomenon of losing shit. Shit! I’m sick of it.

“Where’s the English paper I printed out?”

“Who moved my tax documents? They were on kitchen table!”

“Have you seen my new skinny jeans? I’ve looked in the hampers and in everyone’s rooms and I can’t find them.”

Yes, playing the surprisingly unrewarding game of lost and found remains the most aggravating symptom of the consumption syndrome known as affluenza, aptly defined by Wikipedia as “the portmanteau of the words affluence and influenza and a socially transmitted condition of overload resulting form the dogged pursuit of more. ”

First, allow me to point out that the mother is the sole proprietor of the house capable of locating lost articles. And once the lost treasure surfaces, I rarely see the results I would expect, i.e. a big hug and overwhelming expression of joy on their faces. “Goodness, Mother, how can I ever thank you?”

Take my husband, an intelligent eco man who acquires the least, loses the most, and can’t find objects that are literally under his nose. One daughter has inherited this same bizarre gene. The other daughter was once a registered bloodhound like her mama, but is now losing her shit, and has succumbed to the same bad habits as her influential sister such as getting undressed and leaving belongings strewn on the floor of various rooms. (They also both bite their fingers and devour chocolate like wild beasts, habits I link to the bizarre genes inherited from their mother.)

Every so often, like last weekend, I get on a roll and rifle through closets, sort my kitchen desk nook, organize the kids’ bins of art supplies, and perform the most dreaded and vapid chore of all – filing. Man oh man, does anyone loathe filing as much as I do?

I wish I could get that organizer lady back here to help me make new files and sort all the junk. She made professional labels on her label maker. She was great. I wanted to marry her. I want her to move in and take over and take me away. She’s Calgon to me, minus the harsh chemicals. But wouldn’t you know it, I don’t know where I put her number.

I try not to beat myself up about all of this – to follow the advice of modern clergy and therapists and be compassionate with myself. Sure, I’m a bonehead about keeping order, a little better than some of my most eccentric working friends, and not half as good as most stay-at-home moms.

It’s really a matter of overcoming the selfishness which leads to the over-consumption of material possessions, according to the author of the website My Super- Charged Life. As he sees it, the disease of deriving happiness from the next new toy “is a fruitless pursuit that will quickly leave a person depressed, disillusioned and broke.”

I feel depressed when I drop my girls off at their private school and pass the lost and found corner which is so generously stocked, it resembles a second hand store. Piles of forgotten lunch boxes with rotting contents, abandoned warm winter jackets, essential classroom binders and adorable stylish tee shirts: They all abound in the unsightly lost and found – glaring symbols of affluenza.

At the end of each month, a volunteer parent named Tila from Colombia ships the unclaimed items to the poor in her homeland. The children there are appreciative. Children who barely have enough food to eat don’t snub their cheese sandwiches and abandon lunch boxes on the black top. When you own just one winter jacket, you don’t leave it behind when you board the bus for home.

True, kids will always be forgetful. I was once a forgetful child. But unlike my daughters, I had less and kept track of it. My walk-in-closet contained about five pair of shoes and two toy boxes, one with Barbies, one with stuffed animals. It was easy to clean up after play. It was freeing.

Guess it all adds up to wanting to be free, again, free from the clutter and feeling that fleeting high from getting something new, a wired emotion we don’t feel by accident.

In the ’30s, Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays (known as the father of public relations) figured out how to mold public opinion via third party propaganda campaigns for selling everything from bacon and eggs promoted by the nation’s doctors to cigarettes, soap and books. This marketing strategy dictated to the receptive nation eventually became a familiar meme: Linking the accumulation of goods with feelings of happiness and success.

Ironically, I’m now finding happiness is attainable not by adding but subtracting. If anything should get lost, it is the brainwashing (and sometimes greenwashing) that the more we amass, the better we feel.

I strive to find the simplicity of less. Even more than ignorance, I suspect it is the route to bliss. In other words, it is time to bench Team Edward.

This is the latest installment in Luanne’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Main Image: Evelyn is Here

Images: Jeffrey Beall, It’s a Purse Thing, Squidoo, Wikipedia