While I am not a product-pushing professional organizer, occasionally products do improve order and function. In general, I love to improve your space by adding just that…more space. Usually by way of shelving. This garage project was the perfect combination of both shelves and containment.

This couple moved into their home a couple years ago and we were there to help them unpack and get settled. Since their unpack, we’ve organized many spaces and referred them to other vendors to install custom closets and beautiful garage cabinets / flooring. This time, they were ready for a little fine-tuning in a few spots and the garage was top of the list.

BEFORE

They were hoping to add a couple shelves above the garage fridge…

She’s over 6′ tall and you can see the foundation / steps heading into the house (on the left) are high. Adding shelves here for paper products they could quickly grab was their goal. And still reachable.

She’s an artist and many of her overflow studio supplies are located in the garage but it was a mix of containers that she wasn’t happy with. Also to note, do you see that bowing shelf from the overweight?…

Finally, he really wanted his tool / gardening cabinet to be more functional and orderly…

AFTER

Getting these three spaces in order involved 2 Elfa shelves and a couple different inexpensive bins.

Starting with the Elfa shelving over the fridge, I chose 2 20″ deep shelves to really maximize the depth. The fridge is deep. And while I was installing those, one of my team members, Kim, was sorting out the art supplies…

 

What a difference!…

( Elfa Shelving )

Inside her art supply cabinet, we first started by adding 2 additional shelves. This helped us balance out the weight evenly and provides more surface space for bins. Less stacking!

We sorted into categories and labeled using our thicker garage label tape. She loves being able to clearly see what’s inside each bin.

These are the storage boxes from The Container Store and are INCREDIBLY budget friendly. The bins I used range from $1.38 – $5.38 each. A steal and they last forever!

And look, room to spare! One whole empty shelf…

( storage bins | label maker )

Following the same approach for his tool / gardening cabinet, we added 2 additional shelves and budget-friendly containment to bring it home…

( multi-purpose bins | storage boxes )

My love of these multi-purpose bins never fades! These come in a variety of sizes and are open-topped making it easy to just grab what you need without a lid or stacking. Some items here made sense in these while others were fine in a small bin.

The multi-purpose bins range anywhere from $5.99 – $8.99. Love them!

A dramatic improvement from where we started. These easy systems are maintainable or you can add onto the system as needed since these products will never be discontinued.

You can find the products I used linked throughout the post!

Back soon with more…

xo,

Sam