Before + After: Garage Organization

If you’re lucky enough to have a garage or shed, then you might have some “clutter build-up”. My dad and husband built our shed a few years after we moved into our house. With more “kid” items, our tiny “lean-to” shed could hardly hold our lawnmower, let alone other garden tools and kids bikes and scooters, etc. etc.

It has been wonderful, but also requires a seasonal reset after we just throw things in throughout the winter so we can quickly get back inside the warm house. #lazyorganizer

SHED BEFORE

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In a garage or shed, I always recommend going vertical to store what you have, whether it’s paint supplies, gardening tools, or recreation gear. Pegboard works great because it can evolve as your needs do with hooks like these, or these tracks for more minimal storage. We are fans of tall industrial shelves as well.

Always sort through everything first. When we did this big cleanout we thought we would need an additional shelving unit, but one ended up being plenty. For us, moving the kids items out so they wouldn’t have access to more dangerous items was also helpful. We designated our smaller storage area for the kids bikes + scooters, instead.

SHED AFTER

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Some categories you might need to consider for organizing your outdoor spaces:

GARDEN

  • hand tools

  • rakes

  • shovels

  • gloves

  • water hose

  • lawn mower

  • wheelbarrow

  • pots

TOOLS

  • sanders

  • saws

  • hammers

  • extension cords

  • nails, nuts, bolts, screws

  • ladder

KIDS

  • bikes

  • helmets

  • scooters

  • wagons

  • garden toys

  • sprinkler

  • balls

RECREATION

  • fishing gear

  • camping gear

  • bikes

  • tennis

  • coolers

  • vacation gear

AUTO

  • automotive fluids

  • car wash supplies

PAINT

  • gallons of paint

  • trays

  • brushes

  • wall repair items

If you don’t have an attic, you may also be storing holiday items, keepsakes, or other miscellaneous items in your shed or garage. Plastic tubs work great for this, but make sure they are labeled. It’s also worthwhile to invest in weathertight totes to protect your items.

Before + After: Home Maintenance Storage in the Laundry Room

I love quick projects that make the “maintenance required” aspects of our life less frustrating.

This laundry room cabinet is the perfect place to store grab + go home maintenance items like batteries and lightbulbs. All it needed was some cohesive storage (shoeboxes from Target!) and some labeling. Also - consolidating sunscreen and bug spray all to one spot near the door is so helpful with kiddos! You always know where to look and when you are running low.

BEFORE

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AFTER

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Before + After: Eclectic Living Room

A Room Refresh is a great way to switch things up without starting from scratch. If you have some pieces you like, but know others needs updates or are not serving your purposes, my Interior Styling services offers fresh eyes to work with what you have. The main entry point at the front of this home, used well by their family of 5 and also for larger gatherings and celebrations, needed a little update. They wanted to replace the sofa + loveseat, but were happy with the draperies, rug and coffee table. The back wall was a space they struggled to “decorate” and the storage options by the front door weren’t working as well as they wanted.

BEFORE

Pictured: My cute sidekick

Pictured: My cute sidekick

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We swapped out the seating and lampshade, added floating shelves, painted their end tables white, and swapped out smaller baskets for one larger drop zone for the kids shoes. The lamp and stool were repurposed by the entry from elsewhere in the house. The floating shelves are such a fun way to add a personalized gallery that isn’t permanent but can evolve with special photos and mementos as their family does.

AFTER

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Love the results of cheerful color, more open seating and function paired with aesthetics.