February 2007

I’m sensing that many Design Mom readers are itching for a little change in their lives. Possibly some spring cleaning/organizing instincts are kicking in. And they’re making lists that will inevitably bring them to Ikea and Home Depot.

How do I know this? I received about one million (really good) Ask-Design-Mom questions over the weekend. So I’m going to attempt to answer one each day for the next little while and I’m crossing my fingers that you’ll contribute your best ideas as well. Thanks in advance.

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
I’m a first-time mom of a ten-month old, and my daughter, Scout, is the happy inheritor of loads of clothes from older cousins. What I’ve never been able to figure out is how to gracefully store what needs to be stored and keep out the right size for now in an accessible (organised even?) way. Seems like there should be some smart system that allows moms to have the right sized clothes for the right season available, and not have to rummage through a big silver Sterilite box. There is absolutely no wabi sabi to stacked Sterilite boxes. Ideas? Thanks for the great blog. I check it everyday. Johanna

Design Mom Answer:
Thanks for the question, Johanna. And I feel you on the clothes storage issues. It’s sort of an unexpected hassle in the first couple of years having a new baby. Although my dreams are filled with pretty closets like in the picture above, this is how I (very imperfectly) manage it:

First, I am hardcore about only keeping the best stuff. Sometimes, I’ve stored something of Maude’s thinking it was so cute, and when I pulled it out for Olive it was all ratty and faded. Basically, I was storing the memory of a cute outfit instead of an actual cute outfit. So I suggest being pretty brutal when you sort through all those inherited clothes. If you’re not going to love putting it on Scout, pass it along or donate it.

Also consider sizes and seasons. Once you have a handle on if your daughter is average size (does she wear 3-6 month clothes when she’s 3-6 months old?) or not, get rid of everything that doesn’t match up with size and season. What I mean is, if Scout is going to be in 6-12 month clothes during the winter months, and there is a really cute 0-3 month coat, well, too bad for Scout, the coat should not be stored.

Once you’ve pared the clothes down to just the really good stuff, my best success has come from using smaller containers instead of larger ones, making them less overwhelming to sort through. Because I put them in closets, I don’t mind that they’re in neat plastic boxes. I use smallish ones, and I use see-through ones. (Something similar to the 6 hanging ones in the picture above from the Container Store.) I designate the boxes like this: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, and then 1 box per year. The first year clothes tend to stay in better shape so I split the year in two parts, but older clothes get pretty thrashed and there’s less to store. Once my box is full, well that’s that.

When the clothes are divided into smaller boxes, I know I can ignore all the boxes except the size she’s currently wearing. I still have to do some sorting, but a lot less. At some point, when she’s growing about a size per year, going through her wardrobe will be just like going through your own. You’ll do it seasonally and it won’t feel like so much management.

That’s one way. Another way: I know a friend with lots of boys who doesn’t store anything. Clothes just pass down from one brother to another until they’re too thrashed and get thrown out. Also, somewhere in my head there is a vague memory of someone mentioning something about using a dresser to sort. . .

What are some more ideas?

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Keep the good ideas flowing, it’s an Ask-Design-Mom double dose today.

Question:
Hi Gabrielle, I am a new reader to your blog — I found you through a link on my daughter’s blog. Now I am a fan a faithful reader. I have a spare refrigerator in my laundry room that is located at the doorway. I am not able to close the door as the kitty litter is in that room as well. I walk by the doorway frequently and would like to look at the refrigerator and smile. Can you help me out with some refrigerator art ideas. I have no children at home. Thanks, Darla

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Darla, thanks for sending in such a great question. It’s interesting for me to look ahead a bit and realize my refridgerator won’t always be covered with notes from school and pictures of, or by, my kids.

I’m only going to offer up one idea, but I think it’s a good one. Let’s cross our fingers that all the lovely Design Mom readers will join in the comments with additional clever solutions.

The idea:
In the last year or so, there are suddenly dozens and dozens of companies that are producing vinyl wall art — both pre-made and custom. There are tons of choices and styles in premade decals/wallpapers and many are gorgeous. I’ve featured some of the child-like versions here at Design Mom, but there are more sophisticated options as well — think silhouettes of flowers and the like. Try sources like Greener Grass Design and modern seed (the sources of the 4 vinyls pictured) or do a search for “vinyl wall art”.

And as far as custom vinyl goes, you can have pretty much anything you like cut in pretty much any color. What’s your favorite poem or quote? Have the lettering cut in vinyl — in large letters — and use the words to fill up the entire fridge in a nice fresh green. Not a lettering kind of person? How about silhouettes of your children or grandchildren cut in various colors. For custom vinyl, try Vinyl Attraction or Graffiti Chic.

I hope this answer has you inspired, Darla. Good luck!

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