I wish I had a cloffice. You know, a closet/office space? A girl could always use more room for clothes and accessories. But generally living spaces in Europe are smaller than back in the States, so I’ve done a few things to try and maximize what space I do have. I’ve put together a jewelry station so I can see as much of my accessories as possible without it being a scattered mess. If you can see your items and get to them easily you’re more likely to wear them. I’ll walk you through my set up and then give some tips on making your own.
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This necklace ledge is a simple DIY project that helps keep my necklaces from getting tangled. I already had the ledge shelf (similar here), so I picked up some gold hook screws (like this) to add in. I used a pencil to mark dots about an inch apart along the bottom of the shelf and then screwed the hooks into the spots. I tried to organize it by color, but let’s be real…after one week I was just tossing necklaces on and hoping they were in the right spot.
On top of the dresser I have a jewelry stand for my daintier necklaces, drop earrings, and bracelets. I love ones that are nature themed, like this tree one and this wall-mounted bird cage one. I also use the sides to hang some of my headbands.
For holding my sunglasses I used a porcelain tray that’s actually meant for serving food. I like simple trays for organizing accessories because you’re going to have a lot of color and texture going on already, so there’s no need for something too detailed. I like this one here, but it’s fun to pick things like this up at thrift stores and flea markets.
I have a thrifted gold tray on the other side (similar here) with some of my bulkier earrings and I used a cute tea cup to store some bangles and brooches (similar here). There is no jewelry organizer on the planet that has room for all the weird sized items that fashion likes to bring in style (looking at you, ear crawlers), so it’s good to have trays that you can corral your stuff with.
Most of my jewelry sits on top of this dresser, and the first drawer doubles as overflow and a place for my small purses. If I’m going out at night I like to take a clutch or tinier bag, and it’s easy to grab one out of here. I also keep sunglasses cases, travel makeup bags, and sewing items here.
Tips for your DIY Jewelry Station:
- Think outside the box – Just because something isn’t sold for organzing jewelry doesn’t mean it can’t be used that way. The porcelain tray I used for my sunglasses is supposed to be used for serving food, but my sunnies look so good in there!
- Use wall space – Unless you have the cloffice of my dreams, you probably don’t have enough counter space for all your jewels. Think vertically and use white walls to your advantage. Then your jewelry can double as wall art!
- Have a closed area – You’re going to have some items that you want to be accessible but not necessarily visible. Like maybe your dirty travel makeup bag that you grab whenever you go on vacation. Or a tin of sewing supplies. Having a bin (or drawer in my case) that you can toss things in helps keep your area from being an eyesore.
Some options for your jewelry station:
How do you keep your jewelry organized?
Linkups: On the Edge, Thursday Moda, Hello Monday, Classy Monday, How I Fall