In an ideal world, we would all have closets and vanities the size of our bedrooms. But in apartments, where space is at a premium, we’ll have to make do with some creative storage. To ensure you never lose an earring again, follow these tips for smart ways to organize your jewelry collection while living in a small space.
Display Jewelry So It Doubles as Décor
Chances are good that some of your jewelry pieces are the brightest, most interesting or most beautiful items you own. Why hide them away out of sight? Have your jewelry do double duty as eye-catching décor by displaying small jewelry items on top of your dresser or vanity. To keep things neat, cull jewelry in small, shallow dishes and pair like with like — a.k.a. store your earrings in one dish, your watches in another, etc. Too often we fall into the habit of wearing the same two or three jewelry pieces again and again; keeping your jewelry out in the open where you can see it all while you’re getting ready will encourage you to don that out-there piece that you may have forgotten about! Plus, if you’re a small space renter, displaying your jewelry thusly means you have one less thing taking up valuable storage space in drawers or on shelves.
Install Hooks for Easy Necklace Storage
Necklaces, however, don’t lend themselves to tabletop display because their long chains tend to get tangled together. Instead, install a couple of hooks near your dresser and hang your necklaces there. I prefer using double coat hooks so that I can hang my long necklaces on the bottom hook and my short necklaces on the top, which makes it easier to grab a necklace off the hook. Again, this is a great way to get your jewelry out of storage (where you never see it anyway) so you can admire your collection every day.
Invest in Pretty Wooden Boxes for Bigger Items
Some of my necklaces, though, are thick and chunky — which means they would add clutter and overwhelm my jewelry collection if I hung them with my other necklaces. That’s why I store these necklaces in separate, stylish wooden boxes. The best part is I can store these boxes anywhere in my apartment since they’re really just an interesting décor item (for example, I store this box on one of the shelves of my nightstand) — which is perfect if you’re running out of storage for jewelry in your bathroom or on your dresser.
Sometimes, though, you have too much jewelry to display in the ways described above — and hey, that’s a great problem to have! If that’s your case, then check out this blog post on how to make a DIY jewelry organizer or this post on turning a vintage printer’s tray into jewelry storage, both from the ForRent.com blog, for more organizing options.
What are some of your favorite ways to store your jewelry collection? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!