indoors
GET ORGANIZED
stealthy storage
A buffet or sideboam keeps
the stuff of daily life— cell
phones, sticky notes, school
schedules— close bv vet
concealed. The ideal candidate
has both drawers and ckx)rs
for plenty of storage, and a
slim profile so it can tuck into
a high-traffic space. Park it
near your busiest entry, or
adapt these ideas to any
available drawer or cupboard.
SECRETS OF THE FAMILY
CO M M AN D CENTER
1
. Turn a door into a bulletin board.
Magnetic strip, $6, threebythree.com
2
.
Stack shoe boxes as holding tanks
for school papers and library books
to return.
Dropfront shoe box, $io,
containerstore.com
3
.
Remove a shelf to tuck in a shredder
(drill a hole for the cord) so you can
toss unwanted mail as you open it.
4
.
Gather bills to pay in a prominent
spot like a hanging pocket.
Vinea
magnetic bin, $n,
organize.com
5
.
Hang labeled spare keys on
magnetic hooks.
Spot-On hooks,
$9 for 4,
containerstore.com
6
. Keep often-referenced papers in
binders, one per person or activity.
7
.
Sort mail into a wine rack. Label
one cubby per person, plus others
for outgoing mail, permission slips—
whatever categories work for you.
themotherboard
a million women strong
W e asked our online com m unity o f moms, The M otherboard, how they deal with the clutter
that accum ulates around the door. Their solutions stress sim plicity and ease. Here's one idea,
from M ary Robertson o f Pella, Iowa: “W e have a shoe rack on the back porch and designated
spots fo r everyone’s shoes. It’s crazy how m uch that one thing has helped us.”
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SEPTEMBER 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
