Organize Me Pretty

Hi Everyone!

 

Happy Friday my friends.  Well now, look at that lineup, eh!  Organize Me Pretty is the inspiration brainchild of the talented Ursula of Home Made By Carmona, and I’m both intimidated as heck, and honored to be part of it.  I had the pleasure of meeting Ursula at Haven this year and Im so glad I did.  She is so sweet and  I just love her home.

Ok yall, so here’s the deal.  You see that group of ladies up there?  Yeah…. umm… they’ve all got their stuff together in a majorly beautiful way.  The last couple weeks have been inspiration overload and I cant wait to apply some of their tips into my own space. Im feeling a little outta my league here.  As most of you know, almost every room in our house is either mid renovation or has boxes piled in a corner that still need to be unpacked. For those of you joining me for the first time, let me catch you up to speed.  We recently sold our newer construction builder basic  4 bed 3 ba house and downsized in to a little old  2 bed 1 ba cottage bungalow built sometime in the early 1940s. We are still trying to get our bearings so needless to say there aren’t very many organized spaces around these parts as of yet!

Downsizing has been an absolutely amazing experience so far, and I couldn’t be happier with our decision. Small space living has always had a special place in my heart and Ive embraced our smaller quarters with a happy heart and an open mind.  We cut our square footage in half in the move and the entryway was affected more than any other space..well aside from the dining room. In our previous house we had 2 entry areas…The main front door entry, and our daily entry off the garage through the laundry room.  The bungalow has one entry. Through the front door. And its tiny.  In fact, its more of a pass through/nook rather with no dedicated foyer are and then you’re immediately in the living room.

Having two school age kids, a dog, and an ever revolving door for friends and neighbors, this tiny space is like Grand Central Station.  Its functionality is the key to smooth mornings and decent first impressions.  I’m a major maximalist, but I’m working really hard to keep it as clutter free as possible, so this area is pretty paired down as far as decorating goes

A small plant, lamp, simple leaning art, and a bowl to corral keys are pretty much all that fits atop the shoe cabinet.

 

 

 

Inside the top drawer mail is kept out of sight and  a small basket holds our puppies essentials.

 

 

 

The top shoe cubby holds me and Naomi’s shoes. This is where we keep what we currently grab to wear on pretty much a daily basis to run errands, etc.  These get rotated out as the seasons change. All of our other shoes (heels, boots, etc) are in our room closet.

 

 

 

The lower cubby is for the kids.  Same thing applies here….cleats, shin guards, flip flops, quick slide on shoes live here. School shoes and the like are kept in their room closets.

Again, it’s not glamorous, but its a breath of fresh air to have an area that functions so well.  Especially when its the first and last area of the house you encounter as you enter and exit.

Another small bit of organizing I’ve tackled is with my magazines. Im crazy obsessed with glossies.  Pinterest is amazing, but Ill forever be faithful to my monthly editions.  I typically keep them in small stacks throughout….on the coffee table, in bookcases, on the desk, on the nightstand…Drives Naomi bananas!

Lets see… my kitchen is a hot mess, Im missing cabinet fronts, a section of countertop, our bedroom is missing a door, and my poor sons room has color swatches painted all over his ceilings, but Ive got my magazines! #priorities. Don’t judge.

Speaking of kitchens, that was was one of my favorite spaces in our previous home.

Im on  #teamopenshelving and having everything neatly within arms reach was so wonderful.  We’ve incorporated open shelving into our bungalow kitchen as well, and I cant wait to get it completed.

We are enjoying the process of living small, and though organization has never really been my strength, Im embracing it. Make sure you all check out the other organized spaces on the tour. They’re really good guys.

 

Monday, Oct. 6th | Home Made by Carmona
Tuesday, Oct. 7th | A Thoughtful Place
Wednesday, Oct. 8th | Primitive & Proper
Thursday, Oct. 9th | Oh Everything Handmade
Friday, Oct. 10th | Up To Date Interiors
Saturday, Oct. 11th | Delineate Your Dwelling
Sunday, Oct. 12th | Life On Virginia Street
Monday, Oct. 13th | with HEART
Tuesday, Oct. 14th | The Blissful Bee
Wednesday, Oct. 15th | Cuckoo 4 Design
Thursday, Oct. 16th | Place Of My Taste
Friday, Oct. 17th | A Home Full of Color

 

Have a fabulous weekend loves. Until next time…

Xo-Shavonda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: interiors, thecottagebungalow