organizing with minimal storage space

Here is a little something I have been working on…

This past year I have lived a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. In New York City I lived in a room commonly referred to as a “shoebox,” or as my roommate Ryan called it, the “Nappy Ness.” The room was impossibly small to live in for an extended period of time. I could touch every wall in the room if I stood in the center, and my wingspan leaves much to be desired! Organization was a serious problem. In fact, I had no room to arrange my things. Essentially, I was living in a closet. Haha, on a positive note it did make for some memorable sleepovers and was, as my boyfriend calls it, a “character building experience”. In May, while in the process of moving from NYC to Sydney, I was constantly in a state of transit. From babysitting in Connecticut to visiting my family and friends in Texas, Arizona, and California, I was living out of a suitcase for over a month.

After a miserable month on the road, I was tirelessly committed to minimalism. When I moved to Australia I was hell-bent on condensing everything I owned into two suitcases – IF YOU KNOW ME AT ALL YOU KNOW THIS WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE! Here I am, two suitcases (and a box or two :D ) later… Even post consolidation, I feel weighed down by material objects. When you are away from home it seems that anything you carry is excessive. During my temporary stay at my boyfriend’s apartment, I immediately knew that the suitcase life was not going to work.  Needless to say, it was necessary to get creative and organized quickly. Believe it or not, I pulled from my work experiences to restructure my personal belongings. Working at BESPOKE in NY, I had the responsibility of organizing the server, where every document was labeled in exactly the same format and had a place. The point is, in order to be systematized every article must have a specific place to be put away. This can be an extremely ambitious task with minimal space or storage. In order to find my possessions a home I decided to get inventive, using purses, pouches, shopping bags, matchboxes, really anything and everything to hide away my things. With that being said, here are some of my ideas that may help bring order into your life! This is my not-so-subtle introduction to my practical designs and ideas. Pardon the endorsement and have a stylish and organized day…

^I decorated matchboxes I plan to sell jewelery I make in – they are ideal for storage of little things…

^Voilà, instant jewelery box for travel :)

^perfect for organizing paperwork or protecting documents in transit

^use a basket to hold delicate things…

^I use each bag/purse like a drawer… they hold everything from underwear to electronics…

^ideal for organizing school/desk/craft supplies – also great to put cosmetics in because you can see everything while you are getting ready

^ another idea for jewellery storage

^This is a great storage solution for important paperwork and reciepts… my mom taught me about this one…

^in New York & Sydney I have used my suitcases as a drawer/chest… if your bed is lofted it is perfect to slide in and out and hides a good deal of stuff!

^I posted this awhile ago but I thought it fit again in this post – if your traveling and have a laptop, here is a great idea- a little geeky but it is so helpful!  Take a digital inventory of what you are packing.  This will help you put outfits together without rummaging through your suitcase.  If you have a mac you just organize it like a cover flow… this also helped me to see what I had duplicates of and what things I was missing…

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Looking over previous posts on my website, the words spastic and zealous come to mind – not unlike me. However, my literal separation from my friends, family and home has positioned me in a new, more refined direction (at least I hope so)! Working for a boutique retouching studio in NYC helped me to harness my organization skills and develop an attention to detail. I am now working for a fashion designer down under and am learning about running a business, the design process and what is timeless. My desire is to utilize these skills and leave you with a lasting impression. I want to share my inspirations and design so that I convey a feeling, a moment and a visual experience that to me is both classic and unique. Obviously, I love what I do :) and I aspire for you to love it too. Who knows what the future holds for me. With some luck, hard work and dedication, I believe anything is possible. Thank you for stopping by.

special thanks to my baby sister lauren :P