7 Clever DIY Home Organization Ideas
By: Lauren Welch
These genius DIY organization ideas using pretty vintage items make getting organized look good.
1. Turn a washboard into a message center. The galvanized metal surface is magnetic, which makes this old-fashioned tool perfect for posting up papers. Use a simple picture hanger to mount it to the wall and attach cheerful magnets to keep track of notes, cards, and receipts.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
Find it fast: Washboard, pungovintage.etsy.com
RELATED: 17 Craft Projects to Help Organization
2. Turn woven baskets into mudroom cubbies. Rethink your exit strategy! Hung from bright yellow hooks ($14 each; anthropologie.com) and personalized with wooden letters, these wicker baskets (a mix of picnic and fishing) transform mudroom chaos into calm.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
Find it fast: Baskets, paintedladyantiques.etsy.com
3. Turn kitchen utensils into crafts storage. From discarded kitchen utensils to cast-off farm supplies, these old finds make for one smart workspace.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
1. Turn berry baskets into bins: Hung on adhesive plastic hooks, farmers’ market produce baskets organize supplies and free up counterspace.
2. Turn a spring into a note station: File away papers and gift tags in a colorful compression coil.
3. Turn flower frogs into desk supply organizers: These ceramic and metal ones store pens upright and business cards within reach.
4. Turn a chicken feeder into a spool holder: No need to keep your best-loved twine cooped up in a drawer. A chicken trough’s feeder holes make a sweet roosting spot for these colorful crafting supplies. (Ours is sitting atop a crate for extra height.) Find it fast: Chicken feeder, jbsmercantile.com.
5. Turn wooden spoons into ribbon wranglers: Hung with drapery rod brackets, this kitchen staple gives order to unruly spools of ribbon.
6. Turn fishing rods into wrapping paper dispensers: Use a handsaw to trim cane fishing poles (or any wooden pole) to desired lengths, then hang with drapery rod brackets.
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4. Turn a soda crate into a potting caddy. No more trips back and forth to the garden shed. With its dividers still intact, this rustic soda crate is ideal for toting around supplies, like 1 3/4-inch terra-cotta pots, bulbs, seed packets, and clippers.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
Find it fast: Crates, thevintageroundtop.com
5. Turn flea market finds into organizational tools.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
We repurposed odds and ends from tag sales and flea markets to create the ultimate tidy junk drawer. Here’s how:
1. Turn yardsticks into drawe dividers: Map out designated zones so you’ll know how long to make each section. Use a handsaw to cut 1-inch square yardsticks into pieces with corresponding lengths. Stack two of each length to create 2-inch-high dividers; affix with hot-glue.
2. Turn gelatin molds into supply compartments: Rein in wayward items (such as rolling batteries) in these tin containers. (Note: Mason jar lids will also do the trick.)
3. Turn wooden spools into cord keepers: Don’t let wily cords wind you up. Instead, tightly curl them around antique bobbins. (Find it fast: Bobbins, thevintageroundtop.com)
4. Turn a muffin tin into a small-parts holder: No more digging around for push pins or paper clips, thanks to this mini muffin tin, spray-painted a cheery bright blue. (Note: Painted muffin tins are no longer food-safe.)
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6. Turn school flashcards into pantry labels. Here’s how to earn an A+ in organization: Catalog food storage containers with vintage flashcards—a nostalgic nod to childhood school days. Affix the cards to glass jars with decorative washi tape and metal crates with miniature clothespins. Fill to the brim with your favorite goodies.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
Find it Fast: Vintage flashcards, ethelusvintage.etsy.com
7. Turn hatboxes into bathroom storage. These gussied-up “shelves” free up bathroom drawers and counterspace, offer easy access to extra towels and toiletries, and add peppy color to boot. Just choose boxes that are 10 to 12 inches deep and nail the backs to the wall.
Courtesy Brian Woodcock
Find it fast: Hatboxes, vintage hatbox.com
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