Home Organizing Ideas-from My IKEA Shopping

It's January--officially that time of year when we all become obsessed with organizing and straightening our homes for these cozy winter months. During a recent shopping trip to IKEA, I told my friend Christy that I had seen enough to do an entire post dedicated to home organization. Today I'll break down the photos with Organizing Ideas by areas of the home, and later this week or next week I'll share some Decorating Inspiration photos. (Forgive the photos...taken with a point and shoot, not the best lighting)

I know I'm not the only one with fetishes for organizing and IKEA...photos like this with examples of a beautiful fresh white slipcover and a sofa table with nice clean lines and bins (bins, I say!!) make us all swoon:

I know, right? So without further ado...

Family and Living Rooms-


Maybe no room for a bookshelf, so they used a shelf mounted to the wall for extra display and/or storage. Check out the hooks for keys, hats, mittens, or small bags. Love that they used the small cabinet for an extra pillow, blanket, and a basket:

This imaginary family has a small art center in their living space for the kids. I love how realistic this is...young children rarely want to color or paint all alone in their rooms. They want to be included with the rest of the family. Check out the art display options with the magnets!

Matching boxes and magazine storage bins!

Mudrooms, Pantries, and Bathrooms-


More hooks in this narrow mudroom space--just like the sign says, "The simplest storage of all." Space them out more for backpacks or briefcases.

Not a fan of the hooks under the glass shelf here, but I do like that they took these bathroom shelves all the way up to the ceiling, providing extra space for toiletries, hand towels, etc:

How cute would this little cart be to store in a large pantry and pull out into the kitchen when you need it?

Kitchens-

Dividers for plates and pots, and lots of plastic food storage options!

The designers use every available space:

Bedrooms and Closets-

Love this unobtrusive rack for hanging quilts or blankets. They don't have to take up tons of extra space!

Love this use of an Expedit bookcase as a room divider, and this one even has drawers!

Clean white bins and drawers in a child's playroom or bedroom can easily be embellished and brightened with homemade labels:

Office or Craft Room-


Lots of nice little carts and drawer units to fit underneath your workspace.

Here, the designers really utilized the desktop space by placing the printer on a small shelf with room underneath for office supplies.

If looking at all the pictures overwhelms you rather than inspires you, I recommend taking a few notes from each room and writing down something that you like or can implement from each one. I've learned that it makes things look much more doable!

Can you see now why I have an entire Organizing Pinterest Board? I have a lot to work on this year, and this particular IKEA trip gave me lots of ideas. I can't wait to show you some more of the rooms Christy and I saw while our kids went wild in the kiddie area downstairs.

Which areas of your home are you looking to organize in 2012?


Linking to Positively Splendid