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.
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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.
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.
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.
"It's important to feel wonderful in a room, because that will inspire you to keep it organized," Amanda Catalanotto, professional organizer, says.





Wonderful ideas to create storage space..Thanks a million!
8/28/2011 01:55:11 PM Report AbuseThe many suggestions and beautiful photos are eye candy); I refer to stylish "after" shots in articles on de-cluttering and organization. While the look is something to strive for, most people I know (me included) have actual storage needs. If I had only pretty items to display, I wouldn't have a storage problem! (But they ARE sure fun to look at! Thanks anyway!)
1/28/2011 02:28:48 PM Report AbuseIn the laundry room where are all the detergent, clorox, and spot spray bottles, dryer sheets? My shelf contains those unsightly things. I know buy a cabinet, but then I need a step stool to reach because it would be high over the toploader washing machine.
1/13/2010 11:55:12 AM Report AbuseTo expensive for me!
1/7/2010 11:21:58 AM Report AbuseWhile the furnishings in this home are obviously quite pricey, many of the looks can be adapted from used furniture and some paint tricks.
1/7/2010 03:56:09 AM Report AbuseNot at all practical for those of us on a budget
1/7/2010 12:38:18 AM Report AbuseThese storage solutions are nice and look great, but they aren't exactly budget minded. And if I had a closet that big... The lateral file and storage are Pottery Barn and are pricey. It's part of an entire modular collection. JCPenney and Ballard Designs have similar modular collections that are a bit more affordable.
1/6/2010 08:21:49 PM Report AbuseWhere can I find the lateral file drawers featured in "House Tours: A Stylish Home with Practical Storage" Thanks.
1/6/2010 10:33:35 AM Report Abuse