With the start of a new year comes the desire to purge and organize everything in your life.  A fresh and clean new beginning.  Some things are a quick and satisfying like cleaning out the area under the sink.  Others will require a lot more planning and time, but will definitely be life changing.  I want to share with you some of the projects we have done around our home over the years.  We’ll start with the quick projects and move on to the bigger ones.

Pantry Makeover

The pantry is probably the most popular area of a home to get tackled in the new year.  It’s used constantly, and if it’s not functioning properly it’s definitely not making grocery shopping or cooking any easier.  I am not a fan of either so I need my pantry functioning the best it can for me.  I did this pantry makeover and switched to baskets almost five years ago and it’s still going strong.

DIY Custom Drawer Organizer

I am still so excited about how this DIY drawer organizer turned out!  I smile every time I open my drawers.  The drawer organizers you find in stores just never quite fit your needs.  Making your own is easier than you would think and it will be a custom fit for your utensils.

Lego Display

If your kids are like ours, they love building Legos and then keeping them built and displayed.  Well, there is only so much flat space!  In the playroom bookcases, I added these acrylic risers to the shelves to add more vertical space for the Legos to sit on.  You can fit a lot more in a smaller area and they don’t get hidden behind other sets.  These certainly work for a lot more than just Legos!

DIY Modern Bookcase

Kid’s are masters of collecting things.  There are only so many flat surfaces to put those things on before it gets overwhelming.  After purging my daughter’s bedroom, I built this DIY modern bookcase to hold her books and other treasures.

DIY Built-in Washer and Dryer

I can’t tell you how many items I have lost behind or to the sides of our washer and dryer.  Drove me bonkers!  I think a lot of you feel the same because my DIY built-in washer and dryer has been a popular one on Pinterest.  A few years ago I built in our machines and it has been the best decision!  Obviously they look much nicer, but having a large flat surface to fold on and not worry about things falling into the abyss has been incredible.

Laundry Storage Cabinets

When our house was built there was only one cabinet above the washer and dryer for storage in the laundry room.  The vacuum and all of our cleaning items were just tucked behind the door.  When we added a wash basin to the laundry room we also added in tall cabinets which gave us huge amounts of storage.  They were built tall enough to house the vacuum and all of the other tall floor mops and brooms with extra shelving up high for cleaners so they wouldn’t be accessible by the kids.  Inside there are hooks for dusters, mops, and vacuum attachments.

Installing Upper Upper Kitchen Cabinets

I’m pretty sure upper upper kitchen cabinets is not the correct term here, but hopefully you know what I’m referring to.  We had glass cabinets added to the top of our uppers and it not only made a huge impact to the look of our kitchen, but we gained a lot of additional storage space.  Large serving pieces and vases that once took up valuable space in lower cabinets could now be placed and displayed up high so we could use the more accessible space for every day appliances and cookware.  If you want it to be even more functional and hold unsightly items opt for a regular cabinet door instead of glass.

Garage Mudroom

If you can find a way to work in a mudroom, chances are good you will not regret it.  Even if you have just enough space for a small bench and hooks; having a drop zone for bags, coats, and shoes is a game changer.  We had a spot in our garage that was a great opportunity to create a built-in mudroom wall.  Backpacks no longer get left inside by the door, seasonal gear is at the ready, and dirty shoes can be left in the garage without tripping over them.  Each person in the family has a “locker” for their own belongings.

Garage Floor Coating

I know an epoxy coating on the garage floor isn’t technically and organization thing.  However, if you’re in the process of doing major organizing in your garage, I would add a floor coating to your list while you’re at it.  Initially I didn’t care either way about a floor coating.  Once it was finished I became an epoxy coating super fan.  It’s amazing!!!  Messes and spills come right up.  I accidentally spilled paint on it and it wiped up with a wet paper towel.  No joke.  The garage floor looks as beautiful today as it did the day it was installed.

Office Built-ins

Our office was an organization nightmare.  Paperwork was in piles, important documents could never be located, and the amount of computer and electronic cords all over the place was making me lose my mind.  And, my husband’s book collection was practically falling out of the small stand alone bookcases.  We added built-ins to the entire back wall of the office with more than enough space for my husband’s books and souvenirs from his travels.  The printer, computer equipment, and shredder all have spots tucked out of sight in the cabinets.  There is room for filling paperwork and even an additional desktop for the computer.

Built-in Playroom Storage

There is a reason we have added so many built-ins over the years.  They are organization’s best friend.  The kids’ playroom was an overwhelming toy explosion, even when picked up, where they could never find what they were looking for.  Now everything has a place, they can properly and quickly clean up, and they actually spend more time in it!  These built-in shelves, cabinets, and window seat currently swallow small and large toys and give the kids display room for their Legos.  The window seat was built extra deep to allow for deeper drawers below but also for a larger lounging area.  This takes the place of a couch in the playroom and gives them more floor space to play.  In the future the built-ins will still grow with the room as it changes into a teenage space or game room later on.

Ok, that’s it!  Let the organization begin!!!

This year we plan on tackling our master closet.  It’s a large space, but large certainly doesn’t mean useful.  Just yesterday I had a mini melt down and tossed all of my leggings and pajamas on the floor from a shelf trying to find what I was after.  The plan is to tear out all the existing rods and shelves to install a customizable IKEA system.  I am so giddy I can hardly contain myself!  Now, we just need to find the time to do it.

What are you organizing or planning on organizing this year?