amanda macy hall

Hello!

Okay, we’ve talked about it before. Maybe not here, but absolutely on my instagram stories. Our sweet house is 1,505 square feet. It’s definitely not big, but it’s also not tiny. Honestly, I think its so so perfect for our family’s current stage. Anyways!

Intentional storage is the game that has been forced upon me. And I’m all in. I legitimately feel like I am playing a competitive game when it comes to keeping this house tidy and organized. I need a jersey…

So, my hope is that I can share some storage tips and organizational tricks with you. In my head, I’d like to go room by room. But we’ll just see!

First Stop: MJ’s bedroom! My daughter is almost 4 years old. She moved into this room a little over one year ago when her baby bro kicked her out of the nursery. Which coincidentally kicked me out of my office…

Here is how we keep her big girl room functioning well for her and us:

The Dresser

In the Top 4 Dresser Drawers:

• Swimsuits
• Gymnastics leotards and shorts
• Ballet leotards and tights {her ballet shoes stay in her ballet pouch with her school bag}
• Memories. When she’s having a hard time, I ask her to go to her room and use this drawer to “find her happiness” again. There are stress balls, a sand timer, photo collages of the family and her friends, printed photos, and a jar filled with blue glitter water.

In the 4 Big Dresser Drawers:
MJ has full access to these drawers. On purpose. You’ll notice that most items are not folded – that is intentional – yet they all have their own organized place. For now this is a perfect amount of responsibility for her – getting out and putting away the items {I help her with the folded pants}.

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• Pajamas + Pull Ups. Keep things that go together, together. One drawer for bedtime!
• Bottoms: Jeans, Leggings, Tights, and Joggers. I pick a top and then go to this drawer next to make an outfit.
• Everyday essentials: Running Shoe Socks, Boot Socks, Underwear, Camisoles, Long Sleeved White Layering Shirts.
• Warm Weather Bottoms: Bloomers and Shorts
• All of the drawers are organized using IKEA skubbs. I love these and use them as often as possible around the house.

On Top of the Dresser:
Honestly, it’s mostly decorative items but there’s plenty of functionality as well ..

• The decorative rattan tray holds her hair brush and de-tangling spray which are tucked behind the stack of vintage books from my grandmother
• The face vase {DIY} holds her hair ties and that pineapple cup holds some of her jewelry {it’s actually a cocktail glass! See the straw hole?}

• The clear plastic tray holds her…
• Nightlight. Pause for my love note about the freaking BESTTTT nightlight! It creates warm or cool light, dims and brightens with the touch of your hand, easily comes off its charger with one hand, and turns on and off with a gentle tap. No fussing with phone apps. It’s simple and beautiful. I love(d) it for nighttime feedings and diaper changes with baby brother, and MJ often uses it as a ‘lantern’ for book reading. Also, that price!
• Hatch sound machine/nightlight
• Rohm sound machine – honestly, I prefer the sound of this one to the Hatch, so we run both…
• Humidifier {it’s actually an essential oil diffuser that I don’t put oils in. I’ve found that it looks nicer, has a smaller footprint, and is most importantly easier to clean}.
• During the winter when the humidifier is out, I keep these items on this tray to protect the dresser from the mist. Have I told you lately that this tray is a must for parents? This current use is fantastic, but it’s also useful for arts and crafts, play-doh, special dinners in the living room or outside, etc. We have 4…

Books + Toys:
MJ can have as many books as she wants in her room, but I don’t like toys in her room.

But some random toys always find their way in here, so they get tossed into the floor basket on the left. The floor basket on the right is for stuffed animals. All 652 of them… {exaggeration}. The books live in this IKEA Kallax shelf that we added legs to.

PS: I lay her clothes out each day on top of this bench shelf. It’s perfect for this application!

Oh! And the Lands End tote that is squeezed in there holds our weekly/monthly haul of library books. We keep them all together yet separated from the books we own.

We keep her nighttime books in this shelf. She gets 2 ‘regular’ books a night and 1 ‘bedtime’ book. There’s also an old-school photo album in there that was really fun to create with her.

Baby brother forced us to relocate her real plants and replace them with these faux ones. Little brothers…

Closet System:

• Shirts and dresses are grouped by sleeve length, then by color in ROYGBIV order. I’ve been doing this forever {for me too!} and am yet to run into a problem – highly recommend!
• Once a shirt or dress is pulled out of the closet, the hanger goes directly into a spot designated for empty hangers. This is important to me. I warned you…
• I love these matching velvet hangers for kids. If you’re looking to re-do your closet, a great catalyst for the big change and purge is to go through the process of switching out your hangers!

Closet Drawer Systems:

• Messy t-shirts are in the bottom drawer of the nightstand. These are t-shirts that she wears for art projects and water play. They are just shoved into a drawer. No folding necessary.
• Her overnight bag and packing cubes are in a shallow drawer of the IKEA Algot {now Jonaxel}. Having these items in her closet makes packing a touch quicker and easier. Win. Also, these packing cubes have been great! Each family member has a different print.
• Bed sheets. She has the only twin bed in the house. So twin bed sheets are stored in her room, and in her room only.
• Jackets and coats – this is another item that I like for her to be able to put away on her own. This larger sized drawer bin at the bottom is excellent.

Door Storage:

MJ has this hanging organizer because it is inexpensive and I looove the larger pockets at the bottom!

• The shoe sections are perfect for planning outfits in preparation for busier weeks. Use the pockets for underwear and socks and a bow, so that every detail is accounted for and done!
• The larger pockets hold hangers really well. I also have her vest shoved into the bottom one.

Bow Storage:

It’s no secret, we love a bow. This is an over-the-door rack with wide grosgrain ribbon draped over it. Then her bows are clipped on with their alligator clips in ROYGBIV. Easy easy, inexpensive, no sewing or gluing, and it’s not permanent. Those hooks will come in handy when she’s out of the bow stage {tear}.

Fun tidbit – The light pink ribbon on the far left is the bow and ribbon that my mom put on our mailbox when MJ was born. So sweet!

Medicine Storage + Other:

We had some extra space in her closet that wasn’t needed for hanging clothes {note, I did steal the right side of this area for my long dresses} …

So we popped an IKEA Billy Bookshelf up there {it’s anchored} and it created storage that we could use. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a shelf person.

The boxes hold clothes that I need to donate – I add to it as we come across items that don’t fit anymore. The shelves are home to MJ’s travel toiletries, medicine {she can’t reach this}, and other random back-fill items.

Under her bed are a few extra throw blankets for colder nights and a container of baby clothes and mementos that I’m saving. Forever.

But there ya have it! That is MJ’s big girl room! I wanted to show it ‘as is’ – a real life look. And that’s my goal for all of the sub sequential posts like these. Although I did re-make her bed…

I’ve found that when you have systems that work not just for you, but for everyone that lives with you, the rooms are easier to manage. Everyone is on the same page. They know how to help keep it tidy, and they are more prone to do so. Simple storage. Organization that makes sense.

I hope you enjoyed this tour! More to come!

Thank you for reading,

Amanda Macy Hall