Winter Accessory Storage

On Sunday, when I completed a post-holiday cleanup of my living room, I finally conquered a minor disorganization situation which had been brewing for months – no, years.  My winter hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves were all stored sensibly in a plastic drawer bin in the coat closet.  Sensibly = not strewn all over the place.  While the drawer certainly kept the mess under control, it was by no means a satisfying solution for me.   Not only did I have to dig through the drawer to find the right hat, I also had to dive deep into the dark closet, past the vacuum cleaner, to even access the drawer.  Not cool, and not ideal.

Goal: Have all my winter accessories easily accessible, and laid out in front of me.

Solution: A $7 over-the-door shoe organizer from Tar-jay:

Over-the-door shoe organizers are, in my humble opinion, a must-have for organized small-space living.  Easy on the wallet and even easier to install, they offer compartmentalized storage for just about any small items. In my closets I use them to store belts, cozy socks, shoes, slippers, and pjs.  I’ve also considering using one in my cleaning closet for storing dusting spray, window cleaner, rags, tools, etc.  They just put everything at arm’s reach.

In implementing the winter accessory organizer, I put my scarves in one row, the hats in the next row, and gloves in the row below that.  I put the less-commonly used items in the bottom compartments, and my large pashima wraps in the topmost compartments.  (The wraps fit just right when rolled up.)

Just for fun, and because I’m OCD like that, I tried to line everything up:  brown gloves, hat, and scarf in one column.  Pink/red gloves, hat, and scarves in another column.  Dressy black gloves and hat in another.  And finally, my ugly-but-oh-so-warm dog-walking gear in the final column.  (Except the white scarf.  That’s cute AND warm.)  Of course there’s also the random bits in other rows, but I love how I was able to put matching bits together.  It’s moblie, too.  When winter is over, I’ll pack everything back into the small drawer, including the over-door organizer.

Since Sunday, every time I’ve reached for gloves/hats/scarves – which is often, since I live in a condo and have to walk the dogs – I’ve done so with glee.  It’s a nice change from the cluttered feeling I’d get when I dove deep into the dark closet in search of gloves.

Do you have any great ideas for clutter-free winter accessory storage?  What about over-the-door shoe organizers – any other clever uses for them?

Also shared at Thrifty Decor Chick’s Before and After party. Hop on over there for a bunch of other great ideas!