My bedroom is the smallest room in my house. I moved into this room when I was in elementary school and obviously have accumulated a lot of stuff over the past 15+ years as I've grown up. One of the biggest challenges of living in this room as an adult (other than the crippling feeling of failure for living with my mom at 25...) is finding space for everything! Working from home has made this even harder. I'm trying to do my day job, run my business and just live in a space that is WAY to small for all of those things. Here are some of the ways I keep this space organized!
Under-Bed Storage
One of the things that was most important to me when I moved home from college was getting a bed frame. When I went off to school, I was sleeping on a mattress and box spring on the floor. I decided to get a tall enough bed that I would have some under bed storage to maximize my space. I chose the LEIRVIK bed from IKEA for several reasons. First, it looks like a princess bed and I had coveted it for YEARS! Second, it is fairly high off the ground and would be great for storage. A lot of the things I store under the bed are things I don't need to get to often - travel bags, sports teams apparel (mostly Seattle Sounders FC obviously!), extra Bath and Body Works products for myself and gifts, and documents/scripts/materials from school and work. My favorite thing about this bed is that it fits my favorite storage bins - the Sterilite crates - perfectly! These come in so many colors (just in my house we have neon pink, blush, royal blue, turquoise and plum) and are only $4! You can get them at Target, Walmart, Amazon, pretty much anywhere! I use these in several spaces in my room and for work. They are a must have for me!
My Dresser
My dresser is one of the best things in my bedroom. We got it from a friend who was moving and completely redid it. My mom and her friend painted it teal to match my favorite accent pillow and I found some awesome pink and brass knobs! It looked like a completely different and incredibly unique piece of furniture when we were done with it! One of the things I like most about this dresser is that it has 8 drawers. I like to organize things a lot and so having more smaller drawers is a dream. The left side of the dresser is all clothes - pajamas, underwear, socks/shapewear, athletic apparel. The right side is makeup, sunglasses and winter pajamas (and by winter pajamas I really mean onesies). On top of my dresser I have my gorgeous hot pink Victrola turntable (currently playing Taylor Swift's Lover) and some more organization. The pink sterilite paper drawer is. the newest addition. I loved these drawers in my classroom and when I saw them at Walmart in pink I had to get them for my room! Right now they hold my scrunchies and hand sanitizer, but I know I'll get lots of use out of them! Next to that have these incredible acrylic drawers that hold my daily use makeup. I've had these for years and love them much! The brush/toiletries holder on top is from TJ Maxx! To the right of my dresser we've got some scrapbook drawers that essentially hold all of my backup hair, body, nail and skin care items! I like having this by the door so it is easy to grab the things I need on the way to the bathroom.
My Workspace and Bookshelves
Okay, if I'm being honest, this isn't the MOST organized space in my room, but it works for me! I actually hate my desk, it does not match the room AT ALL, but it works for now. With working from home things have gotten a bit chaotic. On my desk I have an acrylic pen holder I got from TJ Maxx and a catch-all tray that I painted at a pottery place (it says StyledByKaylaXO cuz I'm extra). On the shelves of my desk I have my thank you notes, a power strip, my journals (Start Today, work, and astrology), a binder of notebook paper, my file box and my podcast mic. Next to my desk I have 5 drawers! The three drawer organizer from Home Goods has my work binders and materials on top, the first drawer is a catch-all, the middle is stationery and the bottom is face masks (I have a lot...). The two drawers underneath have camera equipment and scripts.
I wish my bookshelves were bigger. But. they are what I have. I got the teal one when I moved home but quickly realized it was not big enough for this book nerd. On that shelf I have my plays and theater texts, reference books, my Harry Potter collection, books in Spanish and some random fiction. On top I store my Funkos, Harry Potter LEGO and some other knick knacks (including a Jonas Brothers shot glass that is on top of my Sansa Funko... I think I'm pretty funny...). There also is a pile of books I've read that don't have a home... I need more shelves... The white 8 cube shelf also serves as my TV stand. On this shelf I keep my metaphysical texts, tarot and oracle cards, and non-fiction books. The bottom to cubes have two bins - one for medicine/bandages/etc. and the other for tech stuff. On top I have crystals, a coin jar and my TV. The newest addition to my bookshelves is my TBR cart. This cart is from my classroom and holds all of the books I still need to read. It is full... I have a problem... In between my bookshelves I have my vinyl collection, which is in a Torrid bag... because it fits perfectly in this tiny spot. In this room I have to make use of every inch of space even if it makes no sense for my vinyl to be on the opposite side of the room as my turntable.
Small Spaces
In this small of a room I have to utilize every ounce of space I have. This includes the door! I have an over the door hanger that I bought when I moved into my apartment my senior year of college. For awhile this hanger was a catch-all, but recently I decided I wanted to be more intentional about how I used it. On this hanger I store my coats (my winter ones are in the downstairs closet since they're so big), a few easy to grab zip up hoodies, my bathrobe, my work bag, a smaller purse for when I want to switch out my big handbag, and my towels since we don't have enough hooks in our bathroom right now (stay tuned for a bathroom remodel coming this Fall!). It isn't too cluttered and helps me stay just a little more organized.
Another small space I utilize my bedroom is my nightstand. I love candles so much but for the longest time I was storing them in the back of my closet so I never switched them out or really used them. I love this nightstand from Target. It has plenty of space on top for a lamp, candle, phone charger, water bottle and books. The drawer fits a box of tissues perfectly heightwise, as my daily meds, and a lighter. The bottom shelf is perfect for my candle collection. I can easily get to them but they also are pushed back far enough that they are safe from falling and breaking. All in all this nightstand has been a great addition to my room this year!
The Closet
Alright, my closet my FAVORITE piece of organization in my room. When we redid the molding and doors in my house when I was in high school I asked them to not get me new closet doors so that I could see the inside of my closet and have more usable space. Best decision I made! There is a lot going on in this space so let's break it down. On the left we have a bookshelf that holds my accessories and some random things I need in my room (tissues, trash bags, lightbulbs). Behind that I hung up my belts. Next to that shelf I have two sterilite 3-drawer organizers that hold t-shirts, tank tops, sweatpants and shorts. All of my clothes are on black and gold velvet hangers and are organized by type (pants, skirts, tanks, tees, long sleeve, sweaters, jumpsuits, dresses) and then by color in each section. Underneath my clothes I have a shoe shelf. On the top shelf of my closet I have my handbags, a crate full of leggings, more books (surprise, surprise), a bucket of fake flowers for my bookstagram, my Tone It Up binder and a crate of work stuff!
And that's my room! It is constantly evolving and I am always finding new ways to organize my space. Head over to the YouTube channel to see a room tour video!
xo,
Kayla
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