Show Your Shoes Some Love...Shoe Organization Ideas

For those of us who love shoes, our love has a tendency to result in a lot of clutter!  A great shoe collection can overwhelm your closet...unless you find a way show your shoes some love.

Today, we bring to you 46 inspiring shoe organizations ideas from HGTV and Houzz plus photos of some shoe organization ideas we have designed for our clients.  No matter what the size of your shoe collection or closet, there is a perfect solution out there just for you!

Houzz - 21 Great Ways to Store Your Shoes      
HGTV - 25 Ways to Store Shoes in Your Closet

 

Show your shoes some love and contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation. We will come to your home to meet with you and discuss your space. After our meeting, we will design a custom storage solution tailored specifically to your needs and budget. Closets For Life can be reached by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com.  You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

 

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Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, mud rooms, craft rooms, kitchens, garages, home offices, Murphy beds, wine cellars and more.

 

 





Craft Closet Inspiration

We noticed the other week that one of the most popular photos we have on our Pinterest and Houzz pages is of a closet we helped a homeowner transform into a craft storage and work area.

We wrote about this popular photo in a previous blog titled A Craft Closet...Where Creativity Gets Organized.  The blog explained how organization, convenience and work space for all your supplies can be had by converting an underutilized closet in your home into a craft station.  Most homeowners love an idea that is economical yet impactful and which is probably why it is our #1 re-pinned/re-posted photo on both Houzz and Pinterest! 

Because of this, we thought homeowners might like to see other examples of closet craft stations. So we created a board on our Pinterest site titled 'Craft Closet Inspiration'.  Click here to see more real life examples of closets that have been transformed into a craft storage and/or work area.

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If you are inspired to transform a closet in your home into a craft haven, contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation. We will come to your home to meet with you and discuss your space. After our meeting, we will design a custom storage solution tailored specifically to meet your needs and budget. Closets For Life can be reached by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com.

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including craft rooms, mud rooms, closets, kitchens, garages, home offices, Murphy beds, wine cellars and more.
   

Home Trends to Consider in 2014 for your Closet

A closet is just a closet, right?  Not necessarily.  Spaces designed to serve multiple purposes is a current home trend for 2014 and closets are an under-appreciated consideration to achieving this goal.  Think creatively when considering your needs for your home; your answer might just be waiting in your closet.  Here are just a few examples of recent Closets for Life projects that transformed closets into other uses.

Have you always dreamed of having a wrapping or craft station?  We recently transformed a client's under utilized closet into the craft and wrapping station she has always dreamed of. 

 

 

Do you wish your office had more storage for files and supplies?  A custom design featuring shelves and drawers will keep everything organized and, better yet, out of site.

This client's multi-purpose mud room and laundry room lacked easily accessible shelving and counter space for folding. Installation of a cabinet unit and shelving in a closet space gave the homeowners exactly what they wanted without disrupting the flow of the room.

 

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If you are interesting in seeing how Closets For Life can help you transform your closets, contact us by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com for a free in-home consultation. We will come out to your home to discuss your needs, assess your existing space and then design a custom organization solution designed specifically for you.

Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including kitchens, pantries, closets, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds. Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business. Visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Project Ideas for a Better Organized Kitchen

Chances are you spend a lot of time in your kitchen.  Kitchens are the key gathering area in a home; a home base for family, the place people gather at a party, where homework and mail gets dropped.  All this activity means the opportunities to improve your kitchens flow and functionality are numerous. 

From small steps like organizing a junk drawer to bigger changes like adding pull out shelving in your cabinets, improvements in your kitchen will have a big impact on your use of the space.  Intrigued?  Below are links to some kitchen project ideas big and small.


How to organize your junk drawer in 30 minutes.
http://personalorganizing.about.com/od/automobile/a/JunkDrawerOrganization.htm

Do it yourself kitchen storage solutions from one of our favorite magazines, The Family Handyman.
http://www.familyhandyman.com/kitchen/storage/kitchen-storage-solutions-pantry-storage-tips-cabinet-organization-tips/view-all#step2

Thinking of adding a pantry or changing the organization of your pantry? This link features great photos of kitchen pantries of all layout and sizes.
http://removeandreplace.com/2013/07/21/31-kitchen-pantry-organization-ideas/

This link from Better Homes and Gardens features great storage ideas for appliances.
http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/storage/organization/

Love the look of your cabinets but not their functionality?  Read how installing pull out shelves to existing cabinets can have a big impact.
http://closetsforlife.blogspot.com/2012/06/behind-cupboard-kitchen-makeover-pull.html

We hope you have found these ideas helpful in creating a more efficient kitchen.  If you are interesting in seeing how Closets For Life can help you create a more organized kitchen space, contact us by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com for a free in-home consultation. We will come out to your home to discuss your needs, assess your existing space and then design a custom organization solution designed specifically for you.

Closets For Life is a custom organization company that works with residential clients as well as designers, builders and architects to create innovative storage solutions for all organizational needs including kitchens, pantries, closets, offices, garages, laundry rooms, wine cellars and Murphy beds. Closets For Life is a family owned and operated business. Visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Apps for Home Organization

As a custom organization company, we are all about bringing organization to people's lives.  So, we appreciate any tool that makes organization easier.  There are thousands of apps out there for your smart phone or tablet but did you know there are apps that can help you stay organized?  Read on to find out how you can turn your phone into a powerful home organization tool.

Closet Organization Apps
Do you hate the morning struggle to figure out what to wear that day?  Check out this article from Huffington Post that highlights several apps to help you plan your wardrobe for the week, inventory your outfits and more.  There is even an app, Pose, that allows you to become a fashion blogger yourself by uploading photos of your favorite outfits and see what other fashionistas across the globe are wearing.  It's like Houzz for fashion!

Kitchen Organization Apps
If your goal this winter is to be better about meal planning then check out apps reviewed by the I'm An Organizing Junkie blog.  Only have ketchup, olives, left over chicken and an onion in your fridge?  No problem! The AllRecipes Dinner Spinner app will give you dinner recipe suggestions based on the ingredients you have on hand. 

Home Organization Apps
Looking for inspiration and tools to keep your home organized?  We particularly like one of the apps featured on the SiliconANGLE blog.  The 52 Organizing Mission app gives you 52 organizing missions that can be completed in 30 minutes each to help you organize your work and home life.

Also, the How Things Work blog provides 10 iPad apps for home organization that cover just about everywhere in the house.

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Inspired by all of these great tools to help you stay organized?  One of the most powerful organizational tools for anywhere in the home is a great storage system.  You'll be amazed at the difference a custom organization system by Closets For Life will make in your life.

Contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Closets For Life is a custom organization company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Locally owned and operated, Closets For Life works with homeowners as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, garages, wine cellars, kitchens, home offices, Murphy beds and more.

'Organizing' Your Lawn and Garden For Winter

Here in Minnesota, the leaves are beginning to change as the beautiful season of Fall is upon us.  Along with changing leaf colors and cooler temps, Fall brings a chance for us to 'organize' our lawn and gardens to ensure a successful lawn and garden for next spring.

While most of the organization Closets For Life does happens inside the home or garage, we are always happy to encourage organization in all areas of life.  That is why we are bringing to you today some helpful links on preparing your yard for winter.  Happy fall and happy organizing everyone!


Helpful Links to Information on Preparing Your Yard and Garden for Winter

From the Minnesota State Horticulture Society, their article on getting your garden ready for winter has some unique ideas (like planting spinach now for an early spring crop) that we haven't seen before.
Link to Minnesota State Horticulture Society Article

Star Tribune's 'Digging In' feature writer, Deb Brown, provides some simple steps for getting your lawn ready for winter including when to fertilize your lawn and mulch perennials.
Link to Star Tribune Article

This article from the University of Minnesota Extension Services talks about how to protect your trees and shrubs from winter damage.
University of Minnesota Extension Link

A task not to be forgotten is getting your lawn mower ready for winter.  This link from Consumer Reports features a step by step video on winterizing your lawn mower.
Link to Consumer Reports Video

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Closets For Life is a custom organization company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Locally owned and operated, Closets For Life works with homeowners as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, garages, wine cellars, kitchens, home offices, Murphy beds and more.  Contact Closets For Life for a free in-home consultation by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Best Wedding Gift Ever

As you may know from our previous posts, Closets For Life is a locally owned family business.  Owner Rick Lyrek started the company 8 years ago so that he could have more flexibility with his family time and it has been common for his kids to help out on a job.  So, when Rick's oldest son was married this summer, there was really no question on what Rick and his wife, Shari should get the newly married couple.  Did you guess it yet?

While the newlyweds were on their honeymoon, Rick and his wife, Shari, installed a custom closet organization system as a surprise gift to the couple.  The newlywed's second floor master bedroom in their charming yet older home lacked a walk-in closet, so Rick transformed an adjoining room into a spacious and organized walk-in closet. The newlyweds were overjoyed when they arrived home to see the room transformed into a spacious walk-in closet space. 

While this was a particularly fitting gift for Rick to give his son and new daughter-in-law, it really is a wonderful idea for any parent looking for a wedding gift idea for their soon to be married son or daughter.  A custom closet is sure to be a huge hit with the newlyweds and appreciated for many years to come.

Whether you plan it as a surprise or have the couple work with us to design the space, the gift of a custom closet is guaranteed to be the most useful and appreciated gift they receive!

If you are interested in giving a newlywed couple the gift of a custom closet, contact Rick Lyrek at Closets For Life by phone at 952-484-0416 or by email at rlyrek@closetsforlife.com. You can also visit our website at www.closetsforlife.com.

Closets For Life is a custom organization company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Locally owned and operated, Closets For Life works with homeowners as well as designers, builders, remodelers and architects to create innovative solutions for all organizational needs including closets, garages, wine cellars, kitchens, home offices, Murphy beds and more.