Entryway Shelf: It Helps You Avoid Anxieties

Imagine this scenario: You have an important interview in 30 minutes and you are rushing out the door to get there on time. Your suit looks perfect, you have your resume and cover letters are ready to go, your hair is just right. Basically, you are good to go! But then as you reach into your pocket for your keys… Where are my keys! This is a situation in which an entryway shelf would really come in handy.

One of my biggest pet peeves is not being able to find something in the place it should be. Typically, this is the case with my wallet or my keys. Cell phones are not so bad because you can call them and locate them that way (unless you have it on silent).

Of course when you finally find what you are looking for, it turns out they were just sitting in the pockets of the pants you wore yesterday. Or they are sitting on the counter in the bathroom. Or for some ungodly reason you put them in the freezer.

An Entryway Shelf Would Have Avoided All of This

Well when you have an entryway shelf in your home, this sort of disaster can be easily avoided. Instead of spending hours a week searching for your everyday items, just place them on a shelf. If you put the shelf right next to your doorway, there is little chance you will forget to unload your pockets. Once you have done this for a few weeks it will become second nature. You will be amazed at how much time you save when you do not have to begin every morning tearing your house apart looking for car keys.

Wall mounted entry shelves are the perfect option for the entryway. Another great choice is to get a small entryway table that provides some eye-level storage. I think it is important the shelf be around eye or chest level, that way you see the organization area and instantly know that you need to empty your pockets.

Entryway Shelf

With an entryway shelf in the home, you will never have to worry about being late for important events again. Now if you could only find that shirt you were looking for…

Kitchen Storage Shelves for the Tight Apartment

One of the difficult things about living in a small apartment is that often there is a lack of storage space. It seems like every room is just a few cubic feet short of the storage that is necessary for everyday life. No room is immune from this apartment storage space scourge. One room that is particularly bad is the kitchen. Luckily there are kitchen storage shelves that allow you to increase storage space.

In my apartment’s kitchen, all we have in the way of kitchen storage shelves is a single pantry and two cabinets. For two people, that is a severely limited space to store your fruits, vegetables, canned goods and other provisions.

Not to mention that typically the biggest and bulkiest items to store in the kitchen, your serve ware, cookware and flatware! It can be quite a dilemma figuring out where to store all of that stuff in your small apartment kitchen.

One item I would recommend to increase your kitchen storage is a Three Tier Mesh Shelf. These are perfect for kitchen storage shelves because they have plenty of space for storage. Another great benefit of these metal mesh kitchen storage shelves is that they are open, so crumbs and other items fall to the floor instead of messing up the shelves.

Kitchen Storage Shelves

Kitchen Storage Shelves come in a variety of shapes and sizes!

I use a few of these wire shelves in the kitchen to increase my storage space. It helps to place them in discreet spaces around the kitchen, like in the corner. That way I add some storage space to the room without taking up too much usable floor space.

Another great place to use wire shelves is under the sink. The shelves I linked to above are too tall to work for under-sink organization, but there are shorter models available, such as the Stacking Shelf seen above. A one-tier or two-tier kitchen shelf maximizes the space of your under sink area, which is perfect for storing cleaning supplies and other kitchen items you want to keep separate from foodstuffs.

Rolling Shelves To Keep Cool in the Summer

In my neck of the woods, it sure is starting to heat up! My region has seen its first 100 degree day of the year today, and it’s a scorcher. Where I live doesn’t typically get all that hot in the summer, so I don’t want to invest in a full-size air conditioner or even a window unit A/C. I do want to stock up on fans for the occasional hot day, and there is no better way to position your fans than with rolling shelves!

Now, rolling shelves may not be something that you are very familiar with, but it is a must-have for any home. What is great about this specific type of household shelves is that they can be moved all over the home. So if you need shelves in the living room, they are there. If you need shelves in the garage, rolling shelves are there!

The specific rolling shelves I chose to use in my home are the Tuffy Three Tier Cart. This cart is made from a durable plastic. What is great about the plastic construction is that it is water-resistant and scratch proof – two features that are a huge bonus when you have small children.

Rolling Shelves

These rolling shelves are perfect for storing and toting all sorts of everyday items. With a variety of colors to choose from, you can even match them to your décor.

Rolling Shelves Aren’t Just For Storage

That reminds me, I should get back to my original point. Rolling shelves are the perfect choice for positioning your fan exactly where you want them.  No matter what room you need to move to, you can bring your fan along with you when you use rolling shelves such as the Tuffy Cart.

You can use multiple carts and strategically position them around the house to increase the circulation in your home. This is perfect for homes that don’t get a gentle breeze or have poor circulation to begin with.

Home Office Shelves for Remote Commuting

One trend that has started to see a lot of momentum is working from home. There are many advantages that come with working remotely. These advantages can be seen for both the employer and employee. One thing that is important for those that work remotely is organization. Home office shelves and other organizational items are definitely a must-have for anyone that plans to work from their home.

People choose to work from home for a variety of reasons. Some do it to avoid a heinous commute, other to avoid a costly and inconvenient relocation. Others still find their job is easier to complete from home. Employers save on office space, utility costs and see other benefits from remote workers.

However, the ability to work from home comes crashing down if you do not have the proper organizational accessories in your home. Desktop organizers such as mail bins and stationary holders are important for keeping the desk organized. Home office shelves and file cabinets are essential for keeping paperwork in order.

Furniture is usually picked according to utility when being used in the office. Aesthetics are secondary to functionality. For the home-office though, I find that aesthetics are something that needs to be kept in mind. In fact, it may even be equally important.

Home Office Shelves

For my home office shelves, I chose the Tribeca Loft File and Bookcase. This bookcase and file combo provides excellent storage and organization in the home. One thing that really set it apart for me was that it has open and concealed storage. The messier organization projects can be placed in the cabinets, while others can be on the open shelves.

Home office shelves are not all you need for the perfect remote workstation

It is also important to select a desk that will fit your utilities. As a blogger, I don’t find myself with a ton of extra paperwork, so the home office shelves suffice for storage. I do need lots of desktop space to plan out my posts, so having a simple but spacious desk is very important.

Other professionals may find their field requires a lot more paperwork, and therefore, a lot more storage. If this is the case, then a desk with cabinets or shelves may be more appropriate for your needs.

I would recommend working from home for anyone who believes it may be possible for their position. Not only does it save time, it can save you a great deal on commuting costs!

Garage Shelves To Organize the Home Brewery

Garage shelves are very important items to have in the home. These shelves provide storage for larger or messy items, allowing you to keep them out of the house. This is beneficial because you clear up space in the interior of your home, making it easier to store everyday items you need to have close by at all times.

Recently I was over at my friend’s house, where he has set up a home-brewing station in his garage. Needless to say, my friend is certainly a great candidate to upgrade his garage shelves. Home brewing has really started to take off in terms of hobbies.

For those that do not know, home brewing requires a great deal of equipment. Some of it is bulky, while other equipment pieces are quite messy and not something you would want indoors. Home brewers take notice! You may be in need of an upgrade to your garage shelves, and you might have no idea you do!

Continue reading →

Folding Shelves Come to Save Your Moving Day

As we make our way through April and towards May, we are quickly approaching the end of the school year for high school and college students. With the end of the school year comes a whole lot of moving. High school seniors are getting ready to move to college. College underclassmen are moving back home for the summer or into new dorms / apartments. College seniors moving out and on to the real world for the first time. All of that moving is a huge task, so I would recommend you make it easy on yourself in the future and use folding shelves to furnish your next abode.

When most people hear the term “folding furniture” they picture something that is disposable, cheap – basically the kind of furniture that really makes you feel like you are living a transient lifestyle. However, you’ll be astonished to see the amount of high-quality furniture now has the “fold-down” feature built-in.

I’ll tell you I was mighty impressed by all the different types of folding shelves.

Continue reading →

Closet Shelving as a Birthday Present!?!

Under just about any circumstance, giving someone a shelving unit as a gift can typically be a dicey decision. While many do like to get practical gifts, most of us are just looking to get some cool new toys for the home. Closet shelving as a gift is usually met with general disappointment.

Even I, as a person that is considered to be a dedicated connoisseur of the art of home storage, rarely if ever would place a wall-mounted floating shelf anywhere near the top of my Wish List. However, I have decided that there is one particular home-storage and organization related item that makes for an excellent gift.

Maybe you are like me and have a large walk-in closet but are unable to find an efficient, cost-effective way to make the most of the space. Well, adding a closet shelving system can make an incredible difference. Though closet storage systems do not make the most exciting present, they are the perfect choice for providing your home with a sense of greater organization.

Closet Shelving

While the walk-in closet in my bedroom is very spacious, it is lacking in useful shelving for storing all of our clothing. As of right now, our closet looks like a disaster area, with clothes stacked on top of each other, shoes all over the floor and accessories scattered around – basically a huge mess. Adding a modular closet shelving system is the perfect solution for getting the closet organized. What is great about this modular system is I can pick and choose the pieces I want, ensuring I don’t waste money on storage pieces I have no need for.

For our closet, the perfect accessories were:

1.)    The Standard System, which included

  1. Three 12″ x 24″ shelves
  2. Three 12″ x 72″ shelves
  3. Five Wardrobe Bars
  4. 9 Bar Spacers
  5. 4 Angle Brackets

2.)    A wall-mounted shelf tower, perfect for putting our folded clothes

Wall Mounted Shelf

3.)    An under-mount tie and belt rack for organizing all of our accessories

Under-Mount Tie and Belt Rack

4.)    A deep wire basket for catch-all storage

Deep Wire Basket

5.)   And lastly, a few additional shelves for the shelf tower

 

Wall Shelves Set the Stage for Spring Cleaning

As the weather warms up, it is time to start thinking about wall shelves again, and their incredible ability to increase organization without decreasing floor space.

Perhaps it is not my favorite springtime activity, but spring cleaning is a necessary task around my home come March and April. The clean up job is not nearly as much work now that I live in sunny Southern California, but just a few years ago I was living in the frigid Northeast.

For those that do not know, it gets cold up there. I mean really, really cold. And it is cold for a long time – like four or five months straight of sub 40 degree temperatures with a few snowstorms and wintery mix thrown in for good measure.

Some people are natural-born Eskimos, but unfortunately this California boy was not. So I would pretty much hibernate in my apartment and let it turn into a scene from hoarders by the time the ground started thawing out.

Anyways, this year I was in the middle of my big clean up job when I realized that my dining room walls were completely devoid of decoration, and that my cabinets had started to become overfilled with various dining room items.

The best way to add some décor to the dining room (or any room of the home, really) is to add a decorative wall shelf to the area. There are a variety of attractive wall shelves, from scrolling metal wall shelves to more simple wood shelves.

Wall Shelves

What is great about these wall shelves is that they are incredibly easy to install and once they are up on the wall, they stay there! For the most part I just moved some of my trinkets around, such as my decorative sugar bowl and my cute porcelain salt and pepper shakers.

Wall Shelves

These wall shelves float, but they are not a witch!

 

This was a great move because it cleared up the counter space in my kitchen and dining room, leaving me with much more area to concoct my delicious spring and summer delicacies

Wine Storage Rack Options for the Spring

This week, Shelves Blog dives into the storage options of one of my favorite things in the world – wine. While some of us out there are lucky enough to have a full wet or dry bar in their homes which provide excellent storage for bottles and other bar equipment, the vast majority of us have to make do with what space we currently have. The wide world of wine racks is vast and varied, there are so many different styles of wine storage racks out there that it can be overwhelming for the casual storage shopper.

Luckily I have a couple of great products that are the ideal choice for storing your entire wine collection. Whether that is a giant collection of aged spirits and vintage wines, or just a couple of bottles (it seems like those bottles never last more than a week anyways!) – Shelves Blog surely has a suggestion for you. Check out all four of my favorite wine racks after the jump:

Continue reading →

Outdoor Plant Shelf to Organize the Outdoors

With the weather getting warmer, I have started to delve into my favorite hobby. Gardening brings peace to the mind and body, allowing me to soak up the sun while I bring life to little green plants. One of the best ways to add décor to your outdoor area while adding storage and display space is an outdoor plant shelf.

There are a variety of reasons that an outdoor plant shelf is the perfect spring accessory for your outdoor area. First of all, they look great, adding a touch of décor to the patio or yard. Rich finishes, solid wood construction and innovative designs make these shelves a great addition to any outdoor garden.

Outdoor Plant Shelf

A potting bench is a great example of an outdoor plant shelf!

Continue reading →