SPACES

9 Closet Essentials

Buying your first home or apartment is a definite win, so congratulations! You’ve probably already realized that purchasing a home is just the first step to furnishing, decorating, and getting everything organized and sorted. Most people often forget about the closet space.

We’ve put together a few things that should slip your mind when organizing your closet essentials! What you need for your closet will depend on how yours is built, but there are a few items that everyone needs for maximizing storage in the closet.

Closet Essentials

Let’s dive right in – what closet essentials do you need?

Standard Hangers

Wire clothes hangers are a cheaper option when looking for hangers. They may be an excellent way to hold your clothes temporarily, but they do not last long. Wire hangers don’t do a great job providing the grip that your clothes need to not slip off at the slightest aggravation. They are ultra-thin though. If you are looking for something of a space-saver, then this is the hanger for you.

If you have a bigger budget, go for natural wood hangers that last longer and look better. They are strong and durable without taking up too much space! Made of solid wood, they even have a little dip near the edges to hang spaghetti strap tops and other items with a hanger catcher.

Velvet Hangers

Velvet-lined hangers are a great way to veer from the regular hangers. They offer additional options for storing different designs of clothes. If you like your clothes staying in when you put them up, then these are the perfect hangers for you.

Velvet hangers don’t bend under pressure, which keeps clothes from falling off or creasing. They may be a little bit more expensive, but they offer value for money because they last a lifetime. In addition, they look much nicer than other types of hangers.

Wide Shoulder Hangers

This is one hanger that will save you the trouble of hiding shoulder bumps on your clothes. Wide shoulder hangers have thick bases to ensure your outerwear keeps its form. Shoulder bumps are the fashion crisis of the modern world, or at least they should be. Hanging your blazers or sweaters on wire hangers or other regular hangers for extended periods will result in shoulder bumps that could result in a ruined outfit. This type of hanger is a definite must-have!

Pant Hangers

This nifty hanger will save you a ton of space in your new closet. It also makes choosing which pair of pants or skirt you want to wear easy because you can see all of them right next to each other. Pant hangers come in different designs, so you can choose which design and materials work best for your closet.

Over The Door Mirror

You most definitely need a way to know how your outfit looks when you’re getting ready for your day. An over-the-door closet mirror will do just the trick. It will give you the chance to correct any closet malfunctions before you step out in style.

Shoe Organizer

Storing shoes in your closet can be challenging without a shoe organizer to keep everything in place. Shoe organizers come in different sizes and shapes, so you get the perfect fit for your wardrobe. The three main types of shoe organizers for closets are: over the door shoe organizers to hang over the back of your closet door, hanging shoe organizers which hang from your closet rod, and stationary shoe organizers which sit on the floor and have several shelves or slots for shoes!

Plastic Storage Bins

Plastic storage bins are a must-have when moving to your new home and storing away clothes you wear in a different season. Plastic bins are a great way to keep sweaters fresh, away from moths, and avoiding dust!

Lint Roller

A lint roller is one of the most undervalued closet essentials. Nothing can ruin a suitable garment like lint, pet hair, and dust, which is why you need a lint roller to take your outfit from dull to neat and classy in no time.

Garment Bags

Garment bags are a perfect way to protect your delicate fabrics, seasonal items, special occasion dresses, and expensive suits from damage. They are also a great way to make traveling easier. Moving to your new home exposes your clothes to hazardous conditions, and garment bags are just the item you need in your closet to keep your clothes safe. This is one item that affords you peace of mind when moving to your new home and traveling.

Creative Home Basement Design Ideas

Having a basement can be a benefit or a pain in the neck. Basements are one of the places some people tend to neglect as it’s not really something visitors see when they first enter the house. For many people, basements are simply used as space for storage. However, when things are left to collect dust, the basement becomes a space where items have a tendency to pile up. Many of these items, whether they are old books or clothes, aren’t even needed anymore.

Finished Basement Ideas

To revamp your basement and get the full potential out of this space, it’s important to start off with a clear space. So, if you’re currently thinking about all the unused items in your basement you need to get rid of, you can always consider donating them. Furthermore, you can also consider having a garage sale and use that money to reinvest into building the perfect basement space. Here are just a few ideas of what you can do with your basement.

Small Apartment for the In-Laws

Take some of the stress away when your in-laws come to visit. Of course, you don’t want to put them up in a poorly reviewed motel. However, it’s also likely you don’t want to go into debt trying to book them in the fanciest, most expensive hotel either. Converting your basement into a small apartment is a great overall investment. Depending on how big your basement is, you can have a kitchenette area and bathroom fully equipped with all the amenities. Everyone can have their own space without feeling displaced.

Modern Basement Bar

If you’re more of a social light, then having a modern basement bar would be a wonderful way to bring the party back to your place. The bar doesn’t have to be extravagant. Your house will definitely be the place for friends and family to come to have a few drinks and some great conversation. Your basement bar can be more of a lounge or even provide a club atmosphere depending on what you’re aiming for. You can even throw in your must-have pool table to complete your modern basement bar.

Home Theater

How cool would it be to have your very own home theater? Long gone are the days you have to wait in line for a ticket or sneak in snacks you bought at the dollar store so you wouldn’t have to pay $5 for a bag of skittles. Having a home theater comes with many benefits such as not having to worry about the person that’s sitting in front of you blocking the movie screen.

Home Entertainment Center

Entertainment is a huge part of what connects people, enjoying music or television with your friends and family. An entertainment center can also include surround sound speakers, a Jukebox, some cool art pieces, and more.

Extra Storage for Anything

Install shelves in your basement to store just about anything you don’t need right away. You could keep beverages, extra nonperishable food, and even seasonal decorations! You’ve got to store your Christmas tree somewhere, after all. If you’re a decorative or festive person, then it’s likely that you have a bunch of ornaments rolling around somewhere or even a Holloween inflatable nudged in some corner. With all the seasons, festivities, and holidays, it’s good to have all your decor and other items organized. You can use your basement specifically to store all seasonal items such as candles, Easter baskets, Holloween costumes, Christmas decor, and more.

Home Gym / Work-Out Room

Delegating some space in your basement to your very own home gym area will spice up any boring basement. Let’s say you currently use your basement as a storage room. Well, adding a home gym area can help boost the functionality of this space. By turning the basement into a home work-out room, you can stay fit and healthy while making the most of your house’s square footage! A basement workout never hurt anyone!

Guest Bedroom Space

It’s always nice to have some extra space just in case. A guest bedroom gives couples the option of having a place to go and decompress without having to sleep on the couch. It’ll also come in handy for those last-minute calls from the family saying they’re on their way or when your friends aren’t sober enough to drive themselves home. They’ll always have a place to crash at your place – no pun intended.

Game Room for the Family

For more hands-on entertainment and family enjoyment, a game room would be excellent. This is a great option for both adults and children because who doesn’t love a good game? Depending on the ages of the children, the game room can be designed differently. For young children, teens, and adults, you can make the basement into an arcade or gaming room. If you enjoy gaming as well, you can delegate the basement to be your video game sanctuary.

Basement Home Office

Need a quiet place to do your work? Your basement is a good place to have a home office. There’s enough space for your desk, filing cabinets, bookshelf, and all your office supplies. Creating the home office of your dreams will definitely get you in the right mindset to get your work done.

Kids Playroom

It’s super important for children to have a place they can go and unload from the stresses of the day. Just as adults value their space and leisure, children do so as well. For toddlers, you can consider putting a play kitchen or playhouse in the basement. For children, you can include coloring books, puzzles, board games, blocks, beads, etc. This gives kids the opportunity to get a lot of their residual energy out and also express themselves more creatively.

Wine Cellar

For adults looking to bring a more refined and dignified cadence to their home, a wine cellar is a perfect addition. Whether you just partake in a glass of wine every other day or you’re an avid wine connoisseur, having a wine cellar will definitely be a conversational piece when you have guests over to your home. Choose from an assortment of different wine cellar racking styles while designing your own cellar.

---

As you can tell, there’s a huge variety of things you can do with your basement. What’s important is to make the most out of this space by making it functional – or at least fun! These home basement ideas will help your basement reach its fullest potential and allow you to enjoy this below-ground area of your home far more than you currently do.

7 Types of Home Bars Popular with Homeowners

Home bars, also known as wet bars, are built to have fun and enjoy drinks with friends and family without leaving the comfort of home. Home bars could be built in any place or area in the house whether it’s in the kitchen or basement. Designing a home bar means you need to consider all the options. There are several different types of home bars that you can install at home; here are the major ones!

Kitchen Home Bar

Modern kitchens nowadays have a home minibar. It’s a very excellent and convenient idea. It gives additional space to work in and even an extended dining area if you have many guests. You could even set up a buffet with the given space when you built a kitchen home bar.

There are many designs available for a kitchen home bar, and one example is an L-shape bar which provides two functions. You could work on the other side, while the side can be an extended dining table.

Living Room Home Bar

It’s a simple bar located in the living room area of the house. Instead of using the living room area as a place where you can pass time, building a minibar is one way to make the area more inviting and worth staying in. You can build a living room home bar on a nook or a corner area of the living room. You can place furniture on it, either a freestanding type or a built-in stools, cabinets, or even bar carts.

Basement Home Bar

Basement designs are often overlooked and people end up using them with no specific purpose. Building a basement wet bar is one of the best types of home bars to choose. It’s simply a great idea to utilize the wide space of the area. Basement home bars are minibars at homes located in the basement. Basement home bars will add more entertainment and enjoyment for you and your family without driving down to the nearest local pub.

Built-in Home Bar

It’s more like a do-it-yourself idea of building a home bar. You can decide on whatever design or look you would like for your home bar. Either a barn-inspired look, an old English vibe, or even a modern style of built-in home bars. Every idea of each corner is up to your liking.

Bar Cart

A bar cart or what you called a drinks trolley back in the old ages, is a type of cart where various cocktail drinks or beverages, even fancy glassware, are placed. It’s used when drinks are being served to the house owners and guests.

Home Bar Cabinet

A home bar cabinet is a storage cabinet where you can place and store some things like a drinking glass, beverages, wine, fancy glasses, and other essentials you need on your home bars. It saves space on the bar itself and it helps to keep your home bar neat.

You could also use this to store some kitchenware. There are many designs and sizes available for home bar cabinets. You could purchase one or you can even design one yourself.

Outdoor Home Bar

Home bars aren’t only intended for use within the home, but they are also feasible in the backyard. There’s a lot of space in the backyard that isn’t even being used. Building an outdoor bar is also a terrific option if you’re constantly organizing barbecues or pool parties at your residence.

Outdoor home bars aren’t hard to set up since mostly what you will be needing are the bar and chairs. But still, you’re always free to have your ideas when building an outdoor home bar.

Home bars are a great way to have a good time even if you’re staying at home with your family. You won’t even have to worry about getting home on time because your room is just a few steps away if you get sleepy. There’s no need to drive or even call a cab to get here.

With many types of home bar ideas, you could choose your favorites from this list and pitch some ideas to your family or friends when building one. Choose a home area that is not being used and turn it into a fun place to spend time and have fun.

10 Essentials for Every Vanity

For this edition of {essentials}, I’ve chosen ten must-haves for the perfect makeup vanity set-up! It’s easy for a vanity top to become cluttered so I’ve shared a few space-saving products to keep everything tidy and organized.

Vanity Essentials

1. Large Mirror

If one isn’t already attached, you’ll need a large mirror to hang above your vanity desk! Round mirrors are beautiful, but square ones work too. The mirror should span at least 80% of your desk width. The bigger, the better!

 

 

 

2. Fragrance

Even if you’re not big into perfume, fragrances are also nice decorative accessories for vanity tops!

 

3. Clear Trays

I love clear trays for keeping makeup and other small items properly organized and stored.

 

 

 

 

4. Flower Arrangement

Freshen up the space around your vanity and make getting ready in the morning a pleasantly scented experience!

 

 

 

 

5. Comfy Seating

Stools work really well with vanities because they can easily be slid under the desk when not in use. I’d recommend one of the following:

 

 

 

 

6. Candles

I adore lighting a candle while getting ready in the morning or before heading out in the evening! Nothing like a calming scent to create a lovely ambiance.

 

 

 

7. Make-up Holders

Great for holding brushes!

 

 

8. A Close-up Mirror

For applying eye make-up without standing up…

 

 

 

9. Jewelry Stands

To keep your necklaces tangle-free!

 

 

 

 

10. Lighting

A strong, close light source is so important to a vanity. It can really make or break the space!