Simple Tips and Tricks for a Clean and Organized Kitchen

For most people, the kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in the home, as you use it as both a gathering space and a place to create healthy meals throughout the day. While your kitchen withstands quite a bit of activity, these simple tips will show you how to keep it organized without much extra effort.

  1. Add wall-hanging storage systems. Hanging shelves and rods with hooks on the walls creates extra storage while freeing up precious floor and counter space.
  2. Add hooks under shelves. If you run out of room on shelves and in drawers, add hooks under the cabinets to hold things like mugs and utensils.
  3. Purchase wire refrigerator shelves. You can even get the inside of your fridge organized by adding store-bought shelves that simply sit right on top of the current shelves.
  4. Create dividers. To organize pans and cutting boards that frequently fall over, add vertical tension rods between shelves in your cabinets.
  5. Organize the spice cabinet. Corral spices by placing them into glass jars of equal height, then labeling them with what’s inside. You can even add a lazy Susan for easy access to each jar.

5 Essential (and Renter-Friendly) Storage Products for Small Kitchens [The Kitchn]
8 Smart Organizing Tips for the Kitchen [Tidy Mom]
26 Kitchen Organizing Tips from Real Cooks – Twitter Style [Simple Bites]

Organize Jewelry and Accessories With These Smart and Easy DIYs

If it seems almost impossible to keep your necklaces, rings, and other accessories neat and organized, read on! These smart tips will show you new, smart ways to keep your jewelry and accessories tidy and tangle-free. Best of all, you can make them yourself — inexpensively!

Antique Saucer Jewelry Storage [Buzzfeed]
Store your everyday jewelry right out in the open by using a few china tea saucers. You can usually find them at your local thrift store, and they make a good place to corral loose rings, bracelets, and earrings.

Hanging Thread Organizer [onegoodthingbyjillee.com]
Make a quick visit to your local craft store and purchase a wooden thread organizer. This handy storage solution is meant to hold spools of thread, but its numerous wooden pegs are also perfect for hanging necklaces and bracelets on the back of a door, on the wall, or inside of a cabinet.

Corkboard Jewelry Holder [beehiveandbirdsnest.com]
Many people have an unused corkboard tucked away in a closet, and if you don’t, you can easily pick one up for cheap at an office supply store. Place attractive push-pins all over the corkboard and arrange them in a way that best suits your jewelry collection.

How to Decorate Your Rental Home With Mirrors

Mirrors work wonders in a rental space. They create a space to check your appearance before your dash out the door in the morning, they add light and size to any sized space, and they even act as a decor element. Here are just a few great places to add mirrors in your rental.

  • Above the nightstand. Add matching mirrors above your nightstands to create the illusion of extra depth in the bedroom.
  • Behind the dresser. If your dresser doesn’t come with an attached mirror, create a sort of vanity space of your own by hanging a decorative mirror behind it.
  • In a stairwell. If you have a set of stairs in your apartment, create a gallery wall of mismatched mirrors up the length of the staircase.
  • Across from a window. Maximize the light in a room by placing a large mirror directly across from a window.
  • On the kitchen cabinets. Cut mirror panes to fit right within the borders of your kitchen cabinets, then attach them with removable adhesive.
  • In a closet. Hang a full-length mirror on the back of a regular closet door to make it feel like a luxurious dressing room.

Adorn Home With Beautiful Mirrors [Decozilla]
How to Decorate With Mirrors [Real Simple]
10 Unique Ways to Decorate with Mirrors [House Beautiful]

How to Add Texture to Your Decor

Even if you have all of the essential furniture, a room can still feel "off" without the warm, cozy textures that really make a house a home. Here are a few smart tips for adding designer-inspired textures to any space!

  1. Toss in some throw pillows. If your sofa (or your bed) is looking a bit bare, dress it up using a mishmash of throw pillows in varying textures. Luxurious silks, faux furs, and simple cottons are all great options, and don’t be afraid to combine colors and patterns, as well.
  2. Add a blanket. One way to make your room look magazine-worthy is by draping a blanket across a bare surface. Think the arm of a chair, the back of the sofa or the foot of your bed.
  3. Add woodgrain to the walls. Even if you live in a rental, you can add the rustic look of woodgrain to any room in your home by creating a large-scale art piece made of recycled wood.
  4. DIY a tile backsplash. If your lease permits it, adding a tile backsplash is a great way to add texture in the kitchen. There are a number of temporary options that can even be removed when you move out.
  5. Hang curtains. Any interior designer will tell you that no room is complete without some type of window treatment. Make a room feel cozier with elegant curtains hung a bit higher than the window frames.

Make an Impact with Texture [Better Homes and Gardens]
Ten Ways to Add Texture to a Room [Apartment Therapy]
Home Décor: 10 Tips to Add Texture [Right @ Home]

How to Care for Fresh-Cut Flowers

You just received a colorful bouquet from a sweet admirer, and you want to make the beautiful flowers last for as long as you can. There are a few tips for caring for fresh-cut flowers that will help you to keep that bouquet looking fresh for as long as possible, and they’re actually surprisingly simple.

  1. Place them in water quickly. This one may seem like a no brainer, but every second counts when it comes to preserving the life of your fresh-cut flowers. Be sure to place the flowers in a vase as soon as possible.
  2. Cut flowers under water. It is fairly common knowledge that cutting the lower portion of the flower’s stem will help it to absorb water, but many experts agree that cutting the stem while it is submerged will help it even more by ensuring that no air enters.
  3. Always use a preservative. If your fresh flowers come with a small sachet of powder preservatives, be sure to add the powder to the water before placing the flowers in the vase. Alkaline-heavy water can reduce the lifespan of flowers, but preservatives help neutralize the water.
  4. Store flowers in a cool spot. Although you likely want to keep your flowers on display when you are at home, place them in the refrigerator when you leave the house in order to lengthen their lifespan.

Cut-Flower Care—How to Make Your Fresh-Cut Flowers Last [Brooklyn Botanic Garden]
Keeping cut flowers and flowering plants [University of Minnesota]

Where to Shop Apartment-Friendly Home Decor Online

Not all home furnishings are created equal, something apartment dwellers know all too well. Finding furniture and accessories that have dual functions and won’t take up too much space can be a challenge if you don’t know where to look. There are a few great retailers who specialize in just this type of decor, so you can buy with confidence. Here are three websites to shop for apartment-friendly home decor items.

1) Muji
Find simplistic yet functional items at Muji. This home decor website offers something for every detail of decorating, from furniture to cleaning tools.

2) West Elm
This catalog of home furnishings draws inspiration from the mid-century modern aesthetic, giving you stylish options for any sized space.

3) Urban Outfitters
The apartment living section of this hip, youthful retailer has a great selection of home decor items for renters. Find colorful tapestries, rugs, and wall art that will make your apartment feel unique and chic.

The Best Air-Purifying Indoor Houseplants

Even better than store-bought air fresheners, common houseplants are an all-natural way to freshen up the air in your home. Here are some of the best plants to improve the air that you and your family breathe every day.

  1. Aloe. Not only does aloe help to soothe cuts and burns on the skin, it also helps to purify the air that goes into your lungs. This low-maintenance succulent clears harmful chemicals found in many household cleaners from the air.
  2. Spider plants. The long, drooping spider plant is very resilient and very skilled at battling substances like carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.
  3. Golden pothos. You may notice this popular plant in many homes, offices, and businesses, and that’s not only because it’s attractive, but also because it wicks formaldehyde from the air.
  4. Chrysanthemum. This bright, blossoming flower filters out benzene from the air. Benzene is a chemical commonly found in glue, paint, and many brands of clothing detergents.
  5. Weeping fig. If you’re looking for a larger houseplant that still effectively cleans the air, the weeping fig is a beautiful choice. This small tree is a bit finicky, but it’s worth it because of how well it clears formaldehyde and benzene from any room.

15 houseplants for improving indoor air quality [Mother Nature Network]
Best air-filtering houseplants, according to NASA [Mother Nature Network]
10 Clean-Air Plants for Your Home [This Old House]
10 Best Plants to Grow Indoors for Air Purification [True Activist]

How to Plant Your Own Terrarium

If you pay attention to interior design blogs, you’ve likely seen colorful terrariums popping up all over the place. These intricate indoor gardens may seem difficult to make, but with the right supplies and a few slow-growing plants, you can create your own terrarium to make your home look just like the pros’.

  1. Find the right structure. Terrariums should be built inside of a clear glass or plastic container so that you can see what’s going on inside. Something like a fish bowl, mason jar, or even a store-bought terrarium will work best. Do your best to choose the size based on how large you plants are.
  2. Form the garden bed. The success of your terrarium depends on the base. Start by lining the container with a one-inch layer of pebbles for drainage, and then add a ½-inch layer of activated charcoal. A 1 ½-inch layer of pre-moistened sphagnum moss goes over that to prevent the soil from slipping in between the pebbles.
  3. Plant your plants. Whether you choose succulents or herbs, they need to go on top of this well-draining garden bed. Remove your plants from their pots and cut away pot-bound roots. Place a layer of soil in your terrarium that’s just taller than your plants' roots, and plant the plants inside where the leaves won’t touch the glass.
  4. Decorate. Now that your terrarium is complete, it’s time to make it look pretty. Add some decorative rocks inside, and then place it in front of a well-lit window where your guests can easily see it.

How to Make Your Own Terrarium [HGTV]
How to Make Terrariums [About Home]
Terrariums: A Guide to Plants and Care [BHG]

5 Great Home Design Blogs

Are you in need of design inspiration for your space? Well, the internet is a great place to turn for ideas. Whether you're ready to overhaul your master bedroom, rework your kitchen, or re-design your family room, these blogs will provide you with all the inspiration, tips, tricks, and techinques you need to make the final product breathtakingly beautiful!

Pin It on Pinterest