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Other storage, for all the little pretties.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Janet just mentioned an accessories armoire in nemosmom’s scarf storage thread. I’m not carrying it off, but I am trying to tuck my tongue back in my mouth.

Whenever we finally move, I really, really want to get a dresser just for my basics, including pjs, swimsuits, maybe workout wear, jewelry, and hair accessories. I will probably shop secondhand for a vintage one, because I think it’s kind of an old-fashioned idea.

Pictures show how I currently store those things.
1 hanging organizer with, top to bottom, bras/camis, underpants (DID YOU SEE THAT, SMITTIE? ), socks, more socks , tights, leggings, swimsuits.
2 shelf with jewelry box (&aromatherapy bag)
3 shelf with workout wear.
4. Inside my pirate trunk o jewelry.
6. pjs & bedsheets
5 more swimsuits, lingerie, & pjs!
7. Beads, etc
8. Make-up (cleaned out my stash 2.5 years ago when we moved, am keeping it small on purpose).
9. Hair accessories, in an Easter basket on the bottom shelf of the bathroom vanity.

Where/how do you store this kind of item?

ETA: I’m thinking of a highboy, so that I can use a mirror standing on top of it for hair & makeup. I want it to have clean lines and nice legs, with 6 or so drawers, so that each contains 2 of the compartments of my hanging organizer, plus whole drawers for workout gear and pretty lingerie, some of it more practical than other pieces. I picture that drawer being a lovely tousle of ribbons, silk, and velvet. Depending on how many drawers there are, jewelry, make-up, and things for my hair can go in the top drawer or on top of the dresser, in attractive containers.

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General

35 replies

Latest reply was from Katerina

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I do have a dresser for these sorts of things. It’s been with me since college, when my stepfather found it free in the side of the road and refinished it from a red, cowboy-themed 1950s kids’ dresser to a lovely forest green and natural scheme for my first apartment. We repainted again for my son’s room in the early 2000s, and now it’s awaiting another repaint to match my bedroom here in California.

Pics only show the top two drawers because my husband’s things are in the bottom one.

Top drawer has socks, underwear, pajama shorts and tanks, camis, and graphic tees.

Middle drawer has scarves, workout wear, and swimsuits.

You can also see a bit of my jewelry hanging above in pic 1. Non-sports bras are stored separately in a basket in the closet.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Jenn, what impeccable folding and organization! Your hanging jewelry looks really nice on that rack, with velvet background. It reminds me to add a pic of my beads are on the rack with clothes I can wear again before washing them. I’ve added that to the original post, along with hair doodads and make up. Interesting that yours is a low, wide dresser. It seems to work really well with your great organization.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

My nightstands are small dressers that I use for underwear, socks,tights, bras, lingerie, and swimwear. They are nowhere near as tidy as Jenn's,(so I won't show you) but it's the Rast from IKEA. I also have mesh metal drawers inside my closet (2 sets of 4 drawers, stacked one on top of the other- also an IKEA product) for my tees, tanks, pj's, workout wear, scarves, masks,beach towels, and Patrick's things he keeps here.
I have a big jewelery chest in the form of a full length mirror that opens up. It hangs over my closet door.
I don't think a dresser is old fashioned. You have to have some place for folded items.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

“ They are nowhere near as tidy as Jenn's,(so I won't show you) ”. You are a wise woman, CS!
I don’t think a dresser per se is an old-fashioned idea, but I generally think of a solid piece of furniture, like Jenn’s or the Rast, used for sweaters, shorts, T-shirts, and other folded items, with one drawer for sox-n-undies. Having a special place for little “pretties” like I’m thinking of is what seems nostalgic to me, and the drawers in what I’m looking for would be too small to be practical for those other items. They will be folded on shelves, probably Ikea’s Ivar. By the way, have you planned out how storage will change after the wedding, when I presume he’ll have more than a few things at your place?

nemosmom

Veteran

I have a smallish 6-drawer dresser that holds:

gear ("gear" here being actual gym/swim clothes, rain pants, technical base layers; things that aren't OITW wear);
specialty underpinnings like strapless bras, nude hose, slips;
out-of-season loungewear;
my knee and wrist braces
pjs;
two drawers dedicated to holding zone items - those pieces that are likely on their way out, but I can't seem to edit just yet.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Fashintern-
We will begetting a new place together with (hopefully) morebedrooms. I'm in a zero bedroom (studio with separate kitchen), and he's in a small 1 bedroom. The kids really need their own space when they're visiting, and I'd like a space for my yoga and officework, etc. I'm hoping to be able to use the spare room closet for extra storage.

Sloper

Veteran

DH and I bought a bedroom set when we got married in 1993.
Part of the set was this 5 drawer chest. 48"H x 32"W x 16"D
I use one drawer for panties and slips, one for socks, one for tees, one for sleepwear/lingerie, and 1 drawer for overflow socks, support hose, and lingerie.

I reorganized in recently, but still didn't make enough room for bras, which are stored in a box.

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Anonymous

I prefer to keep the bedroom itself as minimal as possible, and have the luxury of enough closet shelf space to make that work in my current residence. I keep those small items in labelled baskets and drawers.
It’s not as glamorous as a vintage dresser but having everything in one spot works well for me.

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Sal

Veteran

I have a set of drawers in which I keep

- a small drawer for gym socks, gym bras, activewear hats
- a small drawer for other socks and stockings
- a larger drawer for lingerie
- a larger drawer for camis, nightwear and tees
- a larger drawer for sweaters, hoodies and trackpants
- a larger drawer for gym gear

There is a bit of adjustment as I move in more swimgear in summer and move out thermals, and vice versa. At the moment I have a lot of gym gear and very few tee shirts, and only one pair of trackpants.

In my wardrobe I have shoes, bags, jackets,dresses, pants, skirts, blouses, straw hats, and my jewelry (except a few precious things).

My most used scarves are on a hangar with holes, with a few others in my bedside cabinet along with evening clutches.

My bag and scarf storage could be improved. I am happy with the rest.

cat2

Veteran

FI: You might look at what is called a lingerie chest, it’s a dresser with more shallow drawers. I agree vintage is the way to go with case goods, you can get really good quality wood pieces on the second hand market for surprisingly little. We have hand-me-down and second hand pieces that have survived multiple moves and decades of indifferent care and are still in great shape.

Style Fan

Veteran

I never seem to have enough storage. I have two antique pine dressers with four drawers. They are about the size of Jenn's dresser. I keep my jewellery in several jewellery boxes.
I have bras, undies, socks, yoga clothes, PJs, journals, and joggers in my dressers.

Minaminu

Veteran

I bought 2 Muji small chest of drawers that fit inside my wardrob, one with 2 and another with 4 drawers. Each drawer is for a specific thing: bras, undies, nightwear, tops and socks... Jewelry is stored separately.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Minaminu, Muji is so great. We have some office storage things from them. A separate drawer for each sounds perfect.

Style fan, I hear you on needing enough storage! Once I have a setup that holds everything, I’ll use its size to limit purchases of this stuff.

Cat2, yes! a quaint lingerie chest is the starting point—just have to be honest with myself about the dimensions it needs to be.

Ryce, having everything in one place is the goal. Your labels are super-precise.

Sloper, sounds great.

Sal, sounds like a good system! I’d like to avoid the seasonal switch.

CS, a studio makes it generally challenging to find a place for your stuff; good luck with finding just the right spot for the two of you (+ occasional visiting kids)!

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

Oh wow, some great examples here! I have a sneaking suspicion I posted my own setup a while ago on here, but can't seem to find it now... let me know if my description doesn't make sense & I'll snap some more photos (eventually!). You know I have limited space in HK, so I make do with some DIY tricks:

~ I keep all my PJ's, gymwear, makeup & accessories in one long, open bookcase (it's either the IKEA Besta or Finnby bookshelf)
~ I've adjusted the shelves so that my freestanding mirror is at face level when I'm standing (no dressing table pouf = more walkway space!)
~ I have attached hooks all along the 'inside' 3 walls of the bookshelf (directly below the shelf that sits above the face mirror) to hang my necklaces & watches
~ I keep my everyday makeup in one small travel washbag (forces me to keep my collection small) & actually hang that on the back wall of the hooks (easy to pack up to use in the bathroom/ elsewhere)
~ I keep smaller items (like rings & earrings) in a jewellery roll (left open on the 'floor' of my 'hook cubby', next to the mirror)
~ I keep a clear container next to the mirror, ready to use with micellar water/ oil/ water (whatever's needed to clean my brushes). Makeup removal is my least favourite step of makeup application (when I do it), so this hack encourages me not to skip it!
~ I also keep another small clear box there for my earrings. I hang them off the sides of the box, so that I'm more likely to remember to wear them!
~ All PJ's & gymwear are just super boringly rolled into open plastic rectangular tubs that I keep on the lower levels of the bookcase. I hang my current gym & PJs outfit on the side of the bookcase (on, you guessed it, another a hook!), but otherwise the rest stays in the tub baskets.
~ This bookcase is right next to the back of my bedroom door (where I hang my outfits for the week), so it makes it super easy to transfer accessories to each look as needed - or if I change my mind!)

Whew, that was a lot to describe without photos lol! I feel fairly sorted in this regard, but just wish I could find either baskets or clear stackable drawers for my clothes that actually sit flush (no gap between them & the shelves) in order for it to look neater. Same as for my main wardrobe. Am almost there!

PS @RYCE So organised with those labels! Where did you get those clear drawers to the middle right, if you don't mind me asking? (It looks like the ones to the middle left are stacked upon one another, but your 'tights' & 'capri leggings' have pullout drawers, correct?) I've been looking for something similar for my closet for ages (deep but high shelving means I won't be able to easily see what's inside a solid drawer as opposed to a transparent one like yours). I might also try Muji, as @MINAMINU suggested. Thanks!

Irina

Veteran

I have a chest of drawers - in #1 drawer I keep my jewelry in a 2 boxes, one for fine and one for fashion jewelry. And some miscellaneous stuff, which is a waste of space, probably.
I bought sets of open, fabric boxes in different sizes from IKEA and use them to store garments in two other drawers. Socks, hosiery, bras, camisoles, undies are folded in separate boxes in the second drawer.
in the third drawer I keep 2 boxes that house t-shirts and nightshirts.
I also keep there my lounge pants, rolled.
I like to keep my underwear/house wear in boxes, they keep it more organized and neat looking.

Anonymous

Thanks for starting this thread - I enjoy reading how others keep their stuff compartmented.
@zaeobi, all of my clear plastic containers are pullout drawers (except for “mending” and “shoe pads and maintenance”, as you identified.) The ones with more rounded edges are a discontinued style by Iris. The squarer ones are Sterlite 6-qt. pull-out drawers. They are available at all kinds of outlets in the US - I’m unsure about other parts of the world. But, yes, they do seem like something Muji might have.

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

Interesting, thanks @Ryce! This summer I plan to do a huge closet overhaul, so I shall add both IKEA & Muji to my list of places to check for storage solutions

April

Veteran

FI -- love your thinking on this! The idea of a separate piece of furniture for accessories is just delicious. Feels like something you could thrift and paint if you're interested in repurposing.

High five, Ryce. I have had tiny bedrooms/closets in antique houses and huge bedrooms/closets in more modern houses and I too prefer your method of "less out in the bedroom, more tucked in closet, everything labeled."

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Zaoebi and Ryce, you’re right—lots of good ideas here, including your unorthodoxy.

Z, would boxes like the first 9 here work for you? We got some like them from Muller’s drug store in Germany to store my son’s toys in 12 years ago, so that’s 2 continents where they’re available, even though I don’t know about Asia. https://www.containerstore.com.....storage/12

April, I appreciate your enthusiasm. I’ve been getting ahead of myself and browsing online, will have to make sure I don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good in choosing something. Really, I should get out and prowl the antique shops and markets. Also, I need to learn the right German vocabulary. The word “Wäsche” means lingerie, but combing it with dresser or cupboard is bringing up as many bathroom vanities as lingerie chests or slim dressers. Also, wardrobes are very common here, so they keep taking up space in my search results too.

Irina, the organizers sound like a good idea, especially if I wind up with several categories in one drawer.

Sloper

Veteran

I think, given what it looks like you already have, in terms of shelving, is to consider Ryce's method of labeled clear boxes. That way you don't have to buy more furniture (but more boxes, of course).

Also, I fold my things like Jenn, so I can pull open a drawer and see everything and don't have to look under layers of clothes or scarves to find what I want. And you could do that with storage boxes.

About 2 years ago, I committed to trying the Konmari folding method. While it took a while to sort through and refold everything, it is so much easier to find stuff and I don't revert to the shambles I used to have.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Sloper, when we move, the blue wardrobe (Ikea Stuva) seen in these pictures will go to my son’s room. I’m looking forward to having my own furniture and not keeping > half my things in the cellar. I have used storage bins before—the long, slender Closet Maid ones designed to fit on a shelf, with fairly transparent sides. I kept them on utility shelves. I’m planning pretty basic storage for most of my stuff again, but for the things we’re talking about in this post, I’d really like a sweet little lingerie chest (actually, a big one, or a little dresser).

For these things, I want to make a fancy little corner that would surprise most people who know me, with a pretty Art Deco, chinoiserie (not the kind with detailed painting), Hollywood regency or similar dresser, the girly stuff in the drawers, rich red velvet on the wall or on a corkboard above/behind, a big round mirror in the middle of it and costume jewelry hanging on either side, a standing or hand mirror, and generally a fun little pampering environment just for me, as April mentioned.

I haven’t read the Kon Mari book or watched her show, so correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me her method works best for drawers, boxes, or anything else where you look down on the contents. What you’ve said about riffling through stacks to find what one is looking for explains why I plan to have big folded things, like sweaters, T-shirts and shorts, on shelves elsewhere, so I can see the side of the stack. That’s a different conversation. The drawers for this stuff will be small and hold specific categories like minaminu and ryce’s (starting with the categories in pic 1) The socks and tights might be folded to stand up her way, like yours and Jenn’s. Others, like the lingerie and swimsuit drawers, will not be. Does that make sense?

It has been fun and helpful to see everyone’s organizational setups. I started this thread just dreaming about about the one piece of furniture; you’ve helped me think through it more practically. Thank you all for helping me shape my ideas.

Anonymous

All is in a dresser, except knickers which are in a bin in the bathroom so I can put them on straightaway post shower. Top drawer has cosmetics, masks and filters, jewelry.
2nd- bras, socks, sports bras
3rd- sleepwear
Bottom 2- gear

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

@Ryce Thanks - even if I can't find the exact same styles here, at least I can keep them in mind whilst shopping I notice you also had soft grey boxes with flap top windows for your Birks etc - do you find the grey fabric of the boxes gets dirty (especially when keeping shoes inside them) or are they ok?

@FashIntern Those shoe drawers from The Container Store look very useful - they might not be big enough for bulkier items (like my jeans & trousers) but I could maybe KonMari roll-fold some tops into them. Maybe I'll hit the furniture shops with a couple of folded up garments in my bag, so I can be that one weirdo putting my t-shirts inside the drawers (to check the size & fit) before committing to buying them

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

“Be that one weirdo” hahaha yes! But if return policies there wouldn’t let you try them at home....

Sloper

Veteran

Aha! Thanks for the clarification FI!

Sounds like a fun and creative project, a personal lingerie and pampering mini boudoir? Glam and luxe!

Katerina

Veteran

I have recently discovered these plastic containers. I use them for makeup and cosmetics, but they are also made for food in a refrigerator (some special plastic that tolerates cold….). It’s not very pretty, but I like to see where everything is. Big plus is that the different sizes are mutually stackable.

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Katerina, those are perfectly suited to the use for which you’ve chosen them, just like the drawers for your scarf collection. Such tidy storage that lets the contents be seen has its own kind of beauty. Is the storage for your other accessories & undies just right too?

Sloper, you’ve got it!

Anonymous

@Zaeobi, I haven’t found the cloth-covered shoe boxes to be a problem. But I live in a driving city, so my non-athletic shoes rarely touch an outdoor surface other than a few steps on a paved parking area. So YMMV.
@Katerina, those refrigerator containers are addictive, are they not? After I reorganized my ‘fridge and freezer, I kept buying them for the bathroom and the linen closet and my needlepoint thread...... and on and on.

Katerina

Veteran

Thank you, FashIntern. I use drawers for underwear and socks etc., but deeper drawers than those for scarves, standard from Ikea. I haven’t got a very good solution for my handbags though, they are stored on different shelves at the moment, but not in any coordinated or orderly manner. They take up a lot of space, but I haven’t got a better idea.

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