House Tours: A Stylish Home with Practical Storage
After she lost most of her possessions in Hurricane Katrina, Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer and homeowner, rebuilt her family's house with style and function in mind.
- view all thumbnails
The living room's calming palette of neutrals with gray-blue and green is used throughout the home. The soothing palette belies the hardworking storage strategies Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, uses in every nook and cranny to optimize storage space.
The round tray on this ottoman creates an extra surface to display mementos and fresh flowers.
Wrapped in the gray-blue and green palette, the dining room is stylish and storage-packed. The buffet on the side wall provides plenty of space to store special-occasion dinnerware and other necessities for entertaining.
This antique green cabinet with wire mesh doors is the perfect place to display and store elegant dishes and glasses for formal occasions.
Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, outfits her home office as she does her living room -- with pretty furnishings and fresh flowers. A set of wicker drawers in the corner provides plenty of space to store her office supplies.
This roomy storage unit combines lateral file drawers with open shelves for office supplies and equipment. Its low height allows space on top for decorative bins in easy reach.
Get The Look: Decorative baskets are an easy way to corral papers, photos, and other office essentials. Add labels for decoration and easy organization. To turn a deep drawer or wicker basket into file storage, insert an adjustable hanging file frame from any office supply store. They typically come in the standard legal and letter file size.
The calming palette of neutrals with gray-blue and green carries into the master bedroom. To add more storage beside the bed, professional organizer Amanda Catalanotto used a small-scale chest of drawers in place of a smaller nightstand.
This vanity is the perfect place to keep and display personal toiletries, such as makeup and perfume. The curved lines add a touch of elegance to the master bedroom.
This spacious walk-in closet has a pre-designated storage place for each item. Double rods for hanging clothes, drawers for folded clothes, and shoe-rack shelves make it easy to keep the closet organized. The cute and convenient bins on the top shelves are a stylish way to store small, out-of-season items.
Mirrors are essential for getting dressed. Install a thin mirror to keep it from taking up valuable space in the closet. This mirror can be tucked away between the wall and hanging clothing for easy storage.
These purses hang from shower curtain rings attached to a closet rod -- a space-smart way to display a lot of purses upright and clearly visible in a small space.
Shadow boxes with front hinges put jewelry in plain view.
Get the look: Buy plain shadow boxes with front hinges for easy access. Use sewing pins to hang necklaces, bracelets and earrings inside. Then hang them on your wall for everyone to see. "When I display things, I use them more often," Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, says.
In a hallway closet, baskets with detailed labels make it easy to find everything from soap to toilet paper, even when you're in a rush. Make sure any toxic cleaning supplies are stored out of reach of children.
Brighten utilitarian spaces by adding attractive touches such as blooming plants and decorative boxes on a shelf to hold small or less frequently used items.
In the boy's room, creamy walls and khaki bedding provide a neutral backdrop for red and blue accents. A steamer trunk cleverly stores books, while a bedside table holds a lamp and other nighttime essentials.
Baskets for socks and jars for coins keep a kid's closet tidy. Dual rods maximize clothing storage and make it easy to separate play clothing from special occasion clothing.
Designer Tip: "Labels help kids stay organized," Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, says. Labeling kids' baskets and drawers makes it easy for them to see where things go when it's time to clean up.
Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, used a clever storage solution in her son's playroom. Four bedside tables line one wall. Drawers and bins make it easy for kids to put away musical instruments, art supplies, and toys.
"It's important to feel wonderful in a room, because that will inspire you to keep it organized," Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, says.
