An old cart lined with rubber lets you
effortlessly stash footwear the moment
you enter,
left.
Oversize wall-clips hold papers that
require immediate action,
below left.
Unconventional solutions: a vintage
pot for charging your cellphone,
a dessert dish for jewellery, and a
lunch box for a camera and its many
accessories,
below middle.
Mini drawers collect important (but
occasionally used) forms and refill
items for your wallet. A bowl is a handy
spot to empty pockets,
below right.
when you leave? Affix a note to the door
frame (to remind you about groceries),
or hang a related item (your gym ID on
a lanyard) on a hook near the door, to
trigger your memory.
Keep an eye on things. Ironically,
open storage can help your entry feel less
cluttered—especially when you assign
specific spots to every item. Marrero
recommends that all the open storage
solutions follow the acronym VEO: The
solution must be Visible, Easy to use, and
Obvious to everyone. Thus, your kids are
more likely to set their shoes on a shelf or
drop them in a box, than open up a lidded
shoe-bench or place their footwear on a
complicated rack. Choose a transparent,
lidless container and add colourful labels.
“ Reinforce your clutter-free entry area w ith a nightly
clutter patrol. Everyone spends five minutes before bed
putting things in their proper places.”
—Lorie Marrero
Get in the habit.
Making behaviour
changes is as important as any storage
product you purchase. “Change is easier
when you build on your existing habits,”
Marrero says. If you already drop your
keys on a table near the door, start putting
your glasses and wallet there as well,
perhaps in a small leather tray so that
you have everything you need, in one tidy
place. Once you do it every day, within a
week to 10 days, the behaviour will be a
helpful, clutter-inhibiting habit. ■
48
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | JANUARY 2012
