OrganizingLA Blog

Organizing Emergency: Should You Use Dry Cleaning Bags For Clothing Storage?

 

Can dry cleaner bags really harm your clothes?

 

Barbie B., a Malibu Realtor wrote us the following question recently and agreed to have us feature her on the OrganizingLA "Organizing Emergency" section.

 

"Is it okay to store clothing garments in dry cleaner bags? And for garments that aren’t worn often and are prone to dust or are delicate and need some TLC, what type of bags do you prefer? I would love to use something clear."

 

7 High-End Products To Organize Your Closet

 

 Closet organizing nirvana can be achieved with careful editing, thoughtful closet shelving and rod placement and selecting a blend of functional and stylish accessories.

 

Closets are an expression of your personal style, no matter who you are. Why not invest a little more and pamper your Pradas? We've always believed that if you choose your accessories somewhat carefully, your final look will be luxurious and accommodating to the needs of modern man. Here are a few interesting higher-end closet organizing accessories. Can you add any of your favorites?

 

 

 

Bell'occhio in San Francisco offers these Maison boxes shimmering in matelasse' paper with a "snappy" red trim. Petite boxes start at $18 and love letter boxes $34.

 

 

Chevron gold metallic drawer liners from Hammocks & High Tea. come in the scene of jasmine and bitter orange.  $25 for six 12" x 18" sheets.

 

Quintessence Paris crafts scented tubes designed to be placed inside drawers and through the hooks of hangers to imbue your apparel with a redolence of freshness and spice. Available for $100 through Bridal Guide.

 

 

 

We've written before about these Clearly Glam luxury shoe boxes from Brazilian designer Gracienne. Stack-able and fashionable, the clear boxes with chic black lid come in packages of 12 for $9.95 each. Available here.

 

Kirby Allison's "Hanger Project" offers luxury wooden hangers that eliminate dimpling and collapsed shoulders. Kirby is a former investment banker who virtually re-invented hangers using better components and a signature no-slip purple or brown flocking, brass hardware, birch wood satin finish.  About $55.50 for 12 shirt hangers.

 

 

 

Lisa Adams, an LA-based high-end closet designer offers these decadent hanger clovers on her website, LA Closet Design. Not only will your clothes be protected from dust, but they'll have the lovely scent of French lavender. $54.00

 

If all of this is confusing and you just need the basics of closet organization, you can pick up our book: The Experts Guide To Doing Things Faster: 100 Ways To Make Life More Efficient. Or, download it onto your Kindle. We contributed Chapter 9, "How to organize your closet" with a 7-step process to clear the clutter and bring beauty and functionality to your closet no matter your budget.

 

What products have helped you organize your closet? Do you have any tips for luxury on a budget? We want you to share.

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Set Designers Knock Off 'Sex in the City' Fantasy Closet for Film Fan

The New York Post reports this week that 'Sex in the City' designers Lydia Marks and business partner Lisa Frantz were hired recently to replicate the famous film closet.

The result was a stunning $175,000 knock-off of character Carrie Bradshaw's clotheshorse couture dream closet. In the movie, Carrie (played by actress Sarah Jessica Parker) receives her dream closet as a gift from her fiancée, Mr. Big (Chris Noth). The copy closet designed by Marks and Frantz (pictured below) features:

• The same strips of hand-beveled mirrored glass from the movie closet;
• Vanity designed to accommodate specific hair dryers, curling irons and flat irons;
• The closet doors are made of frosted glass, etched with an Art Deco flower-and-butterfly pattern;
• Built-in cabinetry carefully designed to hold more than 400 pairs of designer shoes, dozens of handbags, racks of clothes organized by label, as well as drawers full of over-sized bling and specialty sized compartments for sunglasses.

If you had your own personal dream come true, what film set design would you like to replicate on your own turf? For us being professional organizers, it's the entire home from Something's Gotta Give or It's Complicated because the movie is based in nearby Santa Barbara and features a favorite new style, Mediterranean-revival. What about you?

Read More:

Better than 'Sex' - Long Island wife gets own Carrie walk-in (New York Post)

Marks & Frantz Design and Decoration (Official website of Lydia Marks and Lisa Frantz)

Related Posts:

"Sex in the City" Meets "Century City" At the Container Store (6/07)

The Experts Guide To Doing Things Faster: Organize Your Closet (our book)

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John Trosko Organizes Shoe Lovers for Better Homes & Gardens

 

Does your personality dictate the way you organize your closet?

Three top organizing experts including Lorie Marrero of the Clutter Diet (Austin, Texas), Meryl Starr (New York, New York) and yours truly answer this question by addressing three different "closet personalities" in the November issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

The 6-page article (pages 78-86) features advice tailored to women who either fold or hang their clothes or a woman with shoes on center stage. Along with our friends at Closet Maid, Hanger City, the Container Store, Organize.com, Caldrea, KangaRoom Storage, OrganizeIt, Hammocks and High Tea, Agraria Home and Elizabeth W, our segment "Shoe Lover" ticked off ideas for maximizing the passion of a "shoe hog" while minimizing the clutter. Closet Maid's shoe cubby inserts helped us maintain a sense of order and accessibility. Did you know the average mature woman owns between 40-60 pairs of shoes?

"If you adore your shoes, put them front and center in cubbies. Plan enough of them to house every pair you own in a season."

There are lots more tips from Marrero and Starr, along with some excellent organizational products the talented editors discovered. Get your copy of the November BHG on newsstands nationwide now.

What kind of closet personality do you have? How many pairs of shoes do you own? Share with us by writing a comment below.

Related Posts:

Vanity Fair - John featured in March 2008 issue of BHG

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Organizing Emergency: A Reader Wants To Buy a Laundry Hamper - Part One

DaneNow on Twitter wants to know where professional organizers get their hampers.

He's just moved into a new house in West Los Angeles and headed to IKEA to shop for a temporary clothes hamper for his closet. We put this together for Dale to get him started (and by the way, you can follow us on Twitter, too-- click here).

What is a Laundry Hamper?

A hamper serves an important function in a home. The unit is a homebase to gather, sort and store dirty laundry. By strategically placing the hamper where you need it most, you'll save time and energy doing laundry. The same kind of container can be used to re-distribute clean clothes back to their origin. Laundry Hampers are usually made of wicker, but are now offered in wood, canvas, fabric, stainless sleel, plastic, mesh and acrylic.

Save Yourself Disappointment, Ask These Questions Before Buying a Hamper:

Before Dane heads out and chooses a hamper, we suggest asking these quick questions. Thinking about them ahead of time will save him and his family time and disappointment.

Luxury Storage Boxes for Your Precious Pumps

Sometimes we discover an organizing product so great we drop everything to tell you about it...

If you're looking for a higher-end shoe storage system with advanced "shoe-vue technology", drop what you're doing and get on over Brazilian designer's Gracienne website for her Clearly Glam shoe storage boxes.

Hollywood Variety's Stylephile profiled them today, which means the boxes are flying off the virtual shelves. It doesn't hurt that the designer's clients include Fergie, Jennifer Aniston, Paris Hilton and Demi Moore.  A quick inquiry to the Blast boutique in Beverly Hills was welcomed with a big question mark.  But they're sure calling Gracienne to inquire about the boxes.

Not a bad idea to have shoe stores carry storage systems for their customers. What do you think about it?  Stylephile says the boxes are made out recycled PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) and they're priced affordably at $9.95/each in packages of 12.  Lids are midnight black with a classic designer logo.

Is advanced "show-vue technology" something you're in the market for to store your Marc Jacobs?

Source:  Stylephile and Gracienne

Related Posts:

Hollywood Costumer needs storage bin labeling help

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