OrganizingLA Blog

Actress Lauren Conrad Gets In Trouble for Organizing

 

There is a curious controversy going around the bibliophile universe. Bibliophiles love to read and collect books. And yes, they can amass a massive collection of them. In fact, they are some of our most challenging clients to partner with in our professional organizing business. But we welcome that challenge.

MTV Hills star, fashion designer and author Lauren Conrad (pictured above) recently got the organizing bug (along with co-star Audrina Patridge) and featured some blog posts on her various projects in her new Beverly Hills condo. In one video that appeared on YouTube and on her website, she cut the spines off vintage and popular books and hot-glued them them to a storage box as a craft and organizational project. Well as you can imagine, the video went viral and created a stir in the community of book-lovers. Conrad took the video down.

 

BuzzFeed calls her organizing the world's worst craft project ever. Slate even tracked down one of the authors whose book Conrad used in the video. Lemony Snicket calls her out as a violent lunatic (but we think this was sarcasm).

What do you think? Is this victory for the environment (trees) or should Conrad have just bought some new storage boxes? Does everyone realize that interior decorators and set designers have been quietly using book spines glued to styrofoam in bookcases for decades? And what about hallowing out a book so you can hide something?

 

Image above of Conrad in the living room of her former residence courtesy In Touch Magazine.  Book project image courtesy of Slate.

 

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Sunny Los Angeles Inspires Organizational Solutions by Henry Road

For a while now we've been following the success of Henry Road, a Los Angeles home and decor boutique overseen by designer Paula Smail.

The small shop located in Studio City just off Ventura Boulevard features Smail's global-inspired color-filled pillows and table textiles supplemented by an eclectic, fun collection of home goods, furniture, organizational solutions and gifts. What grabs you at first are the colors and patterns made right here in the City, perfect for the sunny spaces of Los Angeles-- and beyond (they do surely ship). Her inventive use of color and cheerfulness was incorporated not only in her table textiles but in her organizing products.

New Organizing Products Just Announced:

Smail and Company just announced some new items for the summer. We thought we'd bring you a few of the newer organizational solutions and some of their sturdy standbys. With quality comes price, none of these items are inexpensive. But your space is surely going to speak of function and beauty if you choose them. The windowed tins and the wonderful ceramic crate are brand new.

 

White Porcelain Storage Crate (perfect for magazines, small bowls, office paper, nice enough to leave out) $150

Windowbox Storage Tin (great for crafting, tea lights, office supplies, sewing kit, buttons and receipts-- wonderful for folks who need to "see their stuff") $26 (small) - $46 (large)

Wood Bakery Bin (We love these for the kitchen counter, guest room bathroom, or as a mail bin by the front door) $40

Storage Sacks (recycled coffee sacks sewn with Henry Road's own fabrics... fill them with CDs, toys or fruit in the kitchen) $35 (available in four colors).

Ceramic French Road Can (a really nice organic look to store utensils, bathroom accessories or use as a vase) $30

Vintage Film Cases (we're in Hollywood after all... fill these boxes with photos, note cards, markers, DVDs and small games) $55

Read More:

Henry Road - blog

Henry Road - website

Henry Road - facebook

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Flipping Out Star Ryan Brown Curbs Clutter for Daughter Chloe

 

Ryan Brown knows that storage doesn't have to be an issue for small children.

The star of Bravo-TV's Flipping Out says it's important to provide children with "accessible storage" around the house, build low drawers and designate areas areas that are exclusively theirs. We agree.

In a Los Angeles Daily News Home Home & Garden interview, the talented, cool and collected Interior Designer Brown talks about moving from the Sunset Strip to the Oaks section of the Hollywood Hills for a more walkable family-friendly lifestyle. But completely redesigning the house was more than just aesthetic, the home and furnishings had to be functional for his entire family, including 3-year old daughter Chloe and Brown's partner, chef Dale Monchamp. Brown's interview focused on beautiful yet functional interior decorating.

""A lot of people have these boxes that look like obvious child furniture, but with something like this," Brown says, lifting the lid off a woven storage cube in the family room, "you'd never know it, but this is her go-to place for tucking things away."

"[Keep] storage down low... as opposed to on a shelf somewhere," he adds, opening the bottom drawer of the entertainment center where, among other things, Wii remote controls are kept. "If you give your child a designated area, you keep things contained."

So what do you think? Are Ryan Brown's design and storage ideas for children direct from Neverland? Share your comments below.

Images courtesy Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer/Daily News

Read More:

More in store: family fights clutter (L.A. Daily News)

Ryan Brown - blog, website and store.

Related Posts:

Is Jeff Lewis of Flipping Out too organized? (9/07)

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Organizing Mummies

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we have to ask:  have you finished storing your Halloween decorations?

Scott Roewer, Washington D.C. based organizing industry expert shared this picture with us.  Scott says that organizing and storing Halloween decorations, ghosts, black cats, bats, scarecrows, witches, bones and mummies are just another "normal" day at work.  Is this part of your day, too?

Visit Scott Roewer's professional organizing blog, Declutteryou.com, including his wrap up of the recent Peter Walsh/Oprah visit.

So, do you think we're "dead" on with this post?  What's your biggest challenge when it comes to organizing holiday decor?

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Carolyne Roehm Sure Knows How To Organize An Office

One of the more notable contributors to our new book, The Experts' Guide to Doing Things Faster:  100 Ways to Make Life More Efficient, is Carolyne Roehm.

Carolyne Roehm is a celebrated American hostess, designer, and author of numerous books ranging from fashion to flowers.  She is quite notable for her garden "notebooks."  Answers.com has a wonderful bio you can read here.  Her newest book, A Passion for Blue and White, will be in bookstores the same day the Experts' Guide comes out, October 28th.

Roehm has an unusual website where she not only shares her tips for better living, but offers wedding ideas, gifts, favors, beautiful papers, luxury ribbons and more-- all for sale.  Her CRStyle Magazine from this past summer offers a glimpse into her unique style.  We discovered an office organizing piece she wrote in 2006.  We feel like we're on organizing crack.  Just beautiful.  Take a look:

Carolyne calls this "order in the house."  She's organizing her office here, including scrap-booking supplies, ribbons, wrapping paper and stationery.  We call it incredible.

"Every office space should be good-looking and functional. You will be more likely to keep it orderly."  What do you think of these red folders?  Is this something you can do in your own home?

We adore these navy boxes (clients know we're suckers for anything nautical blue.)  Not sure where the boxes are from.  Do you know?  They may be from the now defunt Hold Everything or West Elm.  Notice how Carolyne balances beauty with functionality.  This shot may be staged, but can't you picture yourself reaching for a photo box and getting the scent of those orchids?

You can check out these pictures, and about two dozen stylish workspace organizing tips on her site by clicking here.  You can also sign up for her mailings, which reminded us to write this piece.

Carolyne will be providing her expertise to The Experts' Guide to Doing Things Faster with a chapter on making the process of writing thank you notes more efficient.

Buy:

A Passion for Blue and White, by Carolyne Roehm

Related Posts:

Contributing authors to our book

 

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More Martha Stewart Wonders Await You At Wal-Mart

When it comes to an interest in branding her name through retail outlets, the heiress of homemaking seems to never be satisfied.

First, Martha Stewart conqured KMart, Martha by Mail, Macy's, Michaels Crafts and now she's created her first "collection" for Wal-Mart, a series of "memory keeping products" such as paper, cutting mats, tools, pens, markers, glitter and ribbons, and wedding party papergoods.

"With Martha Stewart Create at Wal-Mart, consumers will experience the satisfaction that comes from making things by hand," said Stewart in a statement. "With Martha Stewart Celebrate, we will be able to provide beautiful, creative solutions for party-giving from intimate gatherings to large celebrations such as weddings."

Just Thursday, The Chicago Sun Times announced that KMart and KMart's parent company, Sears Holdings Corp., could not come to an agreement for Stewart to continue in the Bath and Bed line past the 2010 contract date.  Jaclyn Smith will be taking over that that segment for KMart.

In our opinion, this probably won't hurt Martha in the long or short term.  Martha saved KMart from obliteration.  What do you think?

Read More:

• Martha Stewart and Wal-Mart Craft Deal, Adweek

Related Posts:

• Martha Stewart Good Things Event in Manhattan

• Neat Receipts on The Martha Stewart Show - Video