A sweet reader named Lynne wrote in recently and asked us this:
…I love your home and I am completely inspired by all the changes that you have made, to make your home more you. Thank you for sharing all this on your website! I am inspired by your lazy gals guide, and I’m trying to start changing a few things in my home as well. I love what you have to say about your home working for you and I am wondering: what do you consider to be the biggest, or I guess most important physical change for your home that you use?…
This is a really great question, and it honestly made us think. For a while.
And then I got all excited and made a collage, because nerdsforeva.
It’s kind of a combination of a lot of things, when it comes to our home, and the changes we made. But if I could list one element we’ve used over and over again in our home across the board in different ways, it would be open shelving. We realized that consistently, the one repetitive element we see in nearly every space that works hard for us, and serves its purpose well, is some form of open shelving.
Here’s a few reasons we love it {AKA open shelving in the home can rock your world}:
1. It creates something from formerly wasted space
When in doubt, go for shelving. In some form or fashion, or one way or another. Whether it’s opening up a closet and adding some character, or that tiny nook for your water closet. {Water closet is so fun to say, we basically wish we were British.} When you start to look at your spaces as a challenge to add more storage, and make it work harder for you and your family, you’ll love the options they provide.
These closets were once destitute and dysfunctional to the point of potential avalanches. They made me cry. Then we changed the way we used them, we realized how much space they really provided.
2. It holds us accountable.
Know your weaknesses when it comes to clutter in the home. If you have plans to counteract with them… it can help in terms of keeping it all under control. One of my weaknesses, is that I tend to be a surface cleaner. And by surface cleaner, I mean I go on a freakout rampage, and start shoving things into obscure places just so I don’t have to deal with it anymore. Issues. When we redid obscure areas like the pantry, or our closets or even the shelving in the homeschool room, it helped keep it under control and it held us accountable to keep it that way.
Do all of the things always get put back in their rightful place? Nope. We’re running a home, educating our children, and trying to navigate the unknown waters of owning a small business. Scary. Of course we have to stay on top of it, but that’s life, and at least we’re working with it. Things have a home. Open shelving can keep you accountable with your organization in a good way.
3. It makes for fun accents in a space
Shelving can be both functional, and eye candy. If you have a blank wall that could double as a great accent with shelving, or a place to store your stuff, think of how it could serve you and your home better. Did I really need a space for vintage cameras? Yes. Yes I did. Why do we ask such silly questions?
Okay. Maybe not. But in a home with limited wall space, it provided more storage for some fun things, and helps keep surfaces free of clutter. This way we’re still able to display some of the things we really love.
4. Items are easy to find.
When we took the doors off of our cabinets a long time ago, we are a little nervous. Would it get on our nerves to see all the things all the time? Would they get dusty? Now that we’ve had it this way for a few years, we wonder what took us so long, and we know we’ll never go back. It’s so easy to simply glance and grab.
Items stay where they’re supposed to go, and you find yourself keeping things minimal purposefully, to be more intentional in your home with the items you add in.
5. It can actually open things up.
Shelving can unify a space, simplify a wall, and bring a great open look to a room. That actually sounds counter intuitive, if you’re adding more to a room. But it creates space visually by simplifying the look. Rather than having several bulky pieces in our {now homeschool} room, we have one unit. It stretches across and works hard to organize all of our curriculum, books and all the other elements that come with school. They serve a great purpose in working hard to function well, while being visually appealing. When you’re wondering what to do in a space, consider a series of shelving or cubbies or ways to unify and simplify.
You’ll love the unity it can bring to your space!
Do you guys have open shelving in your home? It’s definitely one element across the board, that we use time and time again. It seems so elementary, but rocks our world when it comes to all things organization and spatial harmony and other things that sound important. Because they are.
Let us know what you love in your own homes that have helped you with organization – We’d love to hear!
Carin says
Ha ha, I’m such a surface cleaner too (true conversation pretty much every Saturday morning: My husband: I don’t get it, how can you vacuum the house so quickly? It takes me twice as long. Me, muttering under my breath: because you use every attachment, move furniture, and stuff. Me:, loudly: Oh, I’m just more used to it, hun.), and that’s just one of the reasons I’d love even more open shelving in our house. It would definitely keep me more accountable. Totally agree about how it can open things up too. Now off to clean INSIDE some cupboards!
Kirsten says
I LOVE OPEN SHELVING! It makes me happy š We have small-ish rooms in our house…kind of compacted spaces. I’ve already added open shelving in my craft room and we are planning to do it in the kitchen, my daugher’s room, and, eventually, our master closet that’s just a hot mess right now.
I’m a surface cleaner, too, so it just makes sense for me. If it’s visible, I clean it. If it’s not, well….maybe later. š
Your home is so gorgeous and full of character and charm. Thank you for sharing it!
Jenna says
This is perfect advice! Love all your beautiful pictures. We have got to try this!
Patrice Shannon says
I absolutely love your home. It shows such individuality. I also like your use of color and that you don’t hesitate to march to your own drum. The open shelving concept is genius and I would love to incorporate it in my own home, but I am renting an apartment and it would not be allowed.
judith h. says
All of your open shelving looks so neat and organized, colorful and creative. I am by nature, a disorganized person. I’ve worked very hard on becoming organized over the years and have made some progress, yet, what you have shown here, while beautiful, makes me break out in a cold sweat! š I do think however, if a person is going to use open shelving, the first thing that must be considered is a natural, appropriate feeling space to put the shelves, a nicely prepared background wall for them and the approprate kinds of containers that are made to mix and match well so that the shelving area has a very coheasive and attractive look. Creative accessorizing of the shelves is also necessary to schieve the fabulous look you have. Otherwise, I believe that open shelving can be as disastrous as messy shelves behind a closed door. All this being said, I am happy to report, that as disorganized as I can be sometimes, my closet has always been the neatest, most organized space in my house. Go figure???
judith h. says
oh, please excuse my riot of misspellings in my previous comment. My spellcheck is not functioning properly.
ashley @ the handmade home says
You are fine, Judith! And I couldn’t agree more – the right accessories kind of bring it all together! ;}
Jeanne says
All this talk of open shelving MIGHT be making me rethink my utter disdain for our kitchen shelving… um, nope. My husband removed our kitchen cabinet doors, oh, 3 years ago, to strip and repaint. They have been sitting in his workshop across the street, striped, not repainted, for about 2 years. The cabinets themselves are HIDEOUS and all I want to do is rip them out completely and start over (we inherited them from my husband’s grandparents – we live in their house). But the reason I’m REALLY commenting is because this post got me thinking about the closet in our entryway. We have the standard wire shelving. The closet holds a multitude of things, coats, shoes/boots, board games, outdoor toys… Aaaanyway, now I’m thinking (if I can convince my husband) that we should employ the wooden “cubby” technique. One half should have floor to ceiling cubbies, or shelves, and then the other side can have the rods for coats (adults and kids). Hmmmm, the wheels are turning folks! Maybe all it is is cabin fever, it’s been so flipping cold and snowy up here in MA that I’m slowly losing my marbles. Oh well, whatever it is, you have given me something else to obsess over. Have a wonderful weekend!
Emily, Our house now a home says
Your home is beautiful! So fun and playful. I have three small kids and have been revamping our standard late 90’s home. Adding wood work, open shelving, and built ins. I think adding things like that make it feel like yours. It feels custom and grand no matter how cluttered things are. Although having open shelving helps you keep the clutter contained better. Because seeing it and all. I just found you and am really excited to see more. I am going to go now and drool over your spaces. I love the bright, cheery, and young, fun feel to your home from what I see.
Laura says
This is such a good entry, but I have oh so many questions =) I love the idea of using curtains to hide old closets and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the rolling barn style doors to replace old doors. Do you have any tips on how to hang the curtains and how to find the doors? Also, where did you find the “paper” rug in the homeschool picture? I have some teacher friends that would adore that. Last where did the pantry shelving come from? I love the space for labels. I love reading your blog each day, it makes me want to get crafty and decorate =)
Katie says
I always find such inspiration and encouragement at your site, thank your for being so original and sharing it with us!
You and the Nester are my favorites for home inspiration.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe thanks so much, Katie! You are too sweet!
Brooke says
Where oh where did you get that gorgeous chandelier in the playroom/school room? It is fabulous! … Just discovering your blog and will certainly be here awhile!! š xoxo, Brooke
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Brooke! Thanks so much! If you’re talking about our homeschool room, it came with the house – It’s the one good thing that came with this house! ;} And if you’re talking about the playroom, {the basket looking one} it came from the flea market – I know those aren’t much help! :\ Thank you so much for stopping by!