Storage Solutions: Jewelry Organizing for a Small Space

I love collecting bowls, especially from thrift, consignment stores and my favorite home specialty stores. I'm probably drawn to them because of their design quality having both form and function. The bowls I like mostly include woven bowls, ceramic bowls and even wooden bowls. Bowls not only come in handy for pasta, soups and salads, they can also hold travel treasures or seasonal details for a vignette, and they are excellent as a functional solution for organizing jewelry in drawers. Since my jewelry amoire is actually downstairs, I keep a portion of my seasonal jewelry a drawer in the bedroom. When I first did this, I set the seasonal jewelry in wooden bowls in the top drawer of my bedside table. However, this Spring and Summer, I've been wearing more jewelry, and found I needed more space. I'd love to have the amoire upstairs with me, but it would be another bulky piece added in our small bedroom. With a little condensing of a larger drawer from the silver chest, I was able to swap my jewelry from the bedside table drawer to the top drawer of the silver chest, organizing it with simple bowls in ceramic, wood, and woven bowls I've collected over time from my favorite home stores and thrift...

 

The wooden square bowls I thrifted in Florida. The two ceramic bowls I picked up last year at Goodwill. The two small woven bowls I found this year, also at Goodwill. Several of the wooden plus black and white bangles I've also found through thrifting and consignment shops. I wear these bangles more now stacked and wear the cuffs a little less.

 

For the square bowls, one has all rings, one is gold earrings, one is for three gold cuffs, and one is for the turquoise I'll wear most.  The wood platter is holding some of my summer necklaces, but the majority of my wooden beads are downstairs on a dress form next to the amoire - which I actually pass on my way out (through the laundry room to get to the garage) so I can still easily grab one on the way out.

 

This silver chest now gives twice as much storage space as the bed-side table did, plus it's easier to see everything at a glance. With the exception of the wooden beads downstairs, plus a small pedestal bowl on this chest, I don't have any jewelry "on display" or hanging outside of the drawers. If I did, our cat Sephora would ave a field-day playing with them! :)

 

 I love this petite white bowl - it's just the right size to hold another category of jewelry: Lucite & Gold. It was only $2 at TurnStyle Consignment. I like the way it works to complete the trio composition on the rattan platter I'm using as a tray. To layer pattern in the bedroom I've picked up a few new blue & white finds at HomeGoods - a vase for flowers and the jar, with its top is great to stash hair ties.

 

Above is my Summer jewelry organized in the bed-side table last year...

 

Above was how it started out - which is what happens over time living in a new space - You start to learn what does and doesn't work for your lifestyle. Sometimes the concept may be right, but needs a tweak - which a simple shift and shopping thrift can help resolve and help improve home organization functionality, which is very important in a small space.

 

This is what the chest looked like when we were first settling into this house (Nov. 2011) 

The black lacquer box + frame + candle tray (holding cuffs) are from HomeGoods.

 

While the second and third drawers remained relatively the same, the top drawer is what got a serious downsizing, and now fits into the bedside table - so it's all still conveniently located adjacent to each other when getting dressed.

 

A dress form is great for layering wood beads - although it's probably three less today.

 

Don't get offended - it's just for the idea - but a garden statue or bust can also work en lieu of a dress form to display beaded necklaces...

 If you prefer you necklaces hanging, maybe inside your closet if you have the space, I think this idea of repurposing shower-hooks and a towel bar is clever.

 

Ideally though, having a chest of drawer trays, inside your closet is the best solution of jewelry organization. The covered storage will help protect your pieces from dust, or worse yet, getting caught on something and breaking. Drawers also make it easier to colorize... which if you have a small space, and you need to use what you have, small bowls are an optional solution.

If you're not going away for a Summer vacay during the July 4th long weekend, closet organizing may be a task to tackle. Usually, the specialty and department stores will have their end of the season clearance deals (to stock up on more jewelry!!), as they start to get their sales floor cleared for Back To School goods... and... Fall. 

What are some ways you organize your jewelry?

For additional organizing tips, see my prior post: 

Closet Organizing For the Gals

Closet Organizing for Him 

Closet Planning & Organization

Thanks for stopping by!