The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Rachel at Useful Beautiful Home.
What originally started as a resource for organizing ideas with one common theme (door space) has evolved into a three part mini-series. I wanted to pictorially list a variety of ways to utilize the inside of doors for additional storage and/or organizational space. As I began to pull the idea together, I was surprised to find a much larger selection than expected. I couldn’t show case one and not include the others, which is how it separated into room-by-room categories.
That said, today you find my last collection in the series on using the inside of doors for organizing potential. Basically, it includes everything from furniture doors to full-size room doors, pretty much all the miscellaneous leftovers that have yet to be highlighted. First up, the laundry room.
1. Ironing Board Stash
source Useful Beautiful Home
Okay, so I cheated a lil’ bit on this one. This is the backside of my laundry room door where I stash the ironing board and related essentials. It’s not actually on the door itself, but in this narrow area of our house, it worked better to mount the holder directly to the wall. It’s an age-old trick for ironing board storage but I thought it worthy of making the door organizing list.
2. Furniture Office
source A Diamond in the Stuff
Yep, I love this! If there isn’t room in the house to have an actual office, then transform an armoire or other piece of furniture to fit the bill. Utilizing every inch inside will help keep a mini office (such as the one pictured above) organized. Most obviously the doors are perfect places for message boards, letter collecting, list displaying, and so forth.
3. Hidden Command Center
source Sand and Sisal
When I think of using the inside of pantry doors, I immediately think of adding a spice rack or an extra row of soup cans. I automatically assume organizing on the door(s) must be food related because it’s part of the pantry. Not so with Kim from Sand and Sisal. I love how she thought outside the box and used this prime space in her kitchen to meet another need for her family. The point here is to identify what is NOT working and use overlooked door space as an opportunity to organize accordingly.
4. Pantry Extender
source Shanty 2 Chic
Oh yes, here’s the pantry extension I was talking about in the last paragraph. This is a perfect way to get the most storage space out of your pantry. And, if you can DIY like the sweet girls at Shanty 2 Chic, then you’re sure to get the most bang for your buck!
4. Over-the-Door Pocket Organizer (for almost anything)
source Dee the Creative Mom
source An Inviting Home
source Hi Sugarplum!
source I Can Teach My Child
I almost feel like I could write a whole post dedicated to the countless ways shoe pocket organizers have been utilized behind doors. Above I pictured only four, but as you can see, each one is uniquely functional. Household cleaners, toys, diapers, spray paint cans, and, lest we forget, shoes (the reason these pocket dividers were originally invented) are only a few examples. Basically, if you have a collection of smallish items needing a home, a shoe pocket organizer may be the answer.
5. Towel Bars
source The Pleated Poppy
This is currently on my to-do list. We have very little wall space in our master bathroom for towel bars. After finding this picture, I’ve decided to incorporate the back of our door the same way. Sometimes I have to see the idea before I’m able to think outside the box for a solution.
6. Gift Wrap and Supplies
source A Place for Everything
Thanks to the Elfa system, I’m pretty sure what’s pictured above is a popular organizing technique for gift wrapping supplies. Although you may have seen it before now, I had to include it because it’s a resourceful way to use the backside of almost any household door.
7. Garage Tool Organizers
source Family Handy Man
I’m impressed with this creative storage for tools. It’s not just a matter of hanging them on the wall, as often seen, but includes utilizing the neglected space of a closet door in the garage or basement. No toolbox? No worries! Just re-think the door space and go vertical!
I could continue showing more variations of door space organization, but this is where I’ll end. The possibilities are endless when it comes to using doors as ways to get organized. It’s simply a matter of coming up with the right solution. Please feel free to mention in the comments if you have a clever way to contribute to the topic, as I’m sure I’ve missed some awesome suggestions. Below are the links to the two other coordinating posts in this mini-series. Happy weekend, my friends!
15 Ways to Organize Kitchen Cabinet Doors
11 Ways to Organize Bathroom Cabinet Doors
In the professional world, I’m a nurse by trade. But, around our house, I’m known as Mommy to our young daughter. My two worlds collided and began shaping into a blog. Useful Beautiful Home represents the hours I’ve dedicated to managing my household as efficiently as possible. I offer you motivation to keep your home healthy, organized, and welcoming. My goal is to share what I’ve implemented in my home to inspire you with fresh ideas and to encourage you to keep up the good work in yours! Learn more about me HERE or visit me at UsefulBeautifulHome.com.
vicki says
I really like your pantry ideas, we end up buying a lot of things in bulk so my pantry always tends to look like a bomb exploded in there!
I prefer to go shopping AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE* so I need to find ways to tidy up the pantry without minimising the stock.
*saves me money on gas, temptations to buy unnecessary things and time
Rachel @ Useful Beautiful Home says
Vicki, I completely understand the concept to shop as little as possible! It does save on time, energy, etc. I’m happy to hear the pantry ideas gave you some inspiration! 🙂