Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you were able to kick of 2013 with friends and family. I have jumped right into my first organizing project of the new year. I am determined to live more simply and more beautifully. Even if it is in tiny ways. We have a set of built in cabinets outside of our children’s rooms that host towels and sheets. I really wanted to take control of them and create an upper cabinet that is “guest ready” at all times. Here is what I came up with.
Everyone one loves the ugly before shots so I didn’t want to let you down. They were pretty much a mess and had accumulated random things over the years. If you look closely enough, you’ll even see a Mr. Potato Head. I promise I didn’t touch a darn thing before snapping these.
Here is a shot of the lower cabinet. I am somewhat of a duvet-hoarder. It’s true. Long before we had children, we had rooms to spare and used them as guest rooms. Because of that, I have some duvet covers that I love and really want to hold onto. So below is just a big jammed up mess of duvets, sheets, and towels. Oh, and Mr. Potato Head.
Just like any cleaning project I tackle, I begin by clearing everything out and sorting. I always have a keep, donate, and toss pile. I parted with some towels we never ever use as well as sheet sets that are older than dirt. It felt good to let go and move on. I want the upper cabinet to be dedicated to guests so it now hosts sheets, fresh white towels, and a little basket of necessities that any guest might find useful.
I folded each set of white sheets and labeled them with their size so it’s easy to know which bed they go on when guests come to visit. The shabby chick tags were picked up at Michael’s a couple of years ago.
I also took some time to restyle the top of the shelf as it hadn’t been touched in years. I kept some special photographs and included a stack of design magazines that guests could also enjoy. The cute gold coasters on not exactly necessary but they were given to me by a dear friend and seeing them in this hallway makes me smile.
The bottom cabinet now hosts the duvets that I want to keep as well as extra sheets neatly folded. There are also some extra towels.
The little caddy of necessities is just in case guests forget something. It has happened to me so I know the feeling. It’s always awkward to ask for things like deodorant or a razor. Here is what I have in this cable knit basket:
- hair spray
- deodorant
- razor
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- sunscreen
So now if we have guests pop in or if loved ones come to stay, I don’t need to scramble to prepare linens. Everything is set aside and ready to go. What about you? Do you have a plan for guests? Thanks for letting me share my linen closet. Happy 2013, IHeart readers!
"Do you believe in love at first sight? I sure do because when I first stumbled upon I Heart Organizing I immediately fell in love with Jen's mad organizational skills. I think we all long for a calm, organized, well styled life. I am the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where I dish on all things related to decorating, organizing, entertaining, and of course DIY-ing! To be quite honest, working on making my house a home is my happy place. It fulfills my need to be creative and I love sharing ideas {both big and small} with my readers. Along with my blog, I am a contributing writer to House of Fifty and have recently started my own decorating firm, Casey Grace Design, LLC, with my talented sister. I call Orange County, California home where I live with amazing husband and two children. At the end of a busy day, I love to enjoy an ice cold beer on the front porch with my hubby while we watch our children ride their bikes or run around. Life is sweet and I am thrilled to be a part of the IHeart Organizing Team."
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