in the closet

organizing my closets this past week has been so wonderful for my mood ~ yes i have a disease of making order out of chaos, and loving it! when all the things are in order on their shelves, racks, & rods my heart goes pitter-pat. but taking things to the next level is what this post is all about. come explore some amazing cloests with me ~ being in the closet never looked so darn good!
{paint and color-coordination can do wonders in the closet-charm department. so maybe all your clothes & accessories aren't shades of green like the california closets image bottom left, but still you get the idea . . . . more of your fave color = more satisfaction. top left: domino magazine, top right: northern living interiors, both bottoms: california closets}

{ah wallpaper ~ the stylish fix-all for boring spaces. using it on the inside of closets as a vibrant backdrop to your clothing & shoes is delightful; adding it to the outside of a closet door for some spark to a boring room is just plain smart. top left: chez larsson, top right: domino magazine, bottom left: house beautiful, bottom right: janna at wish}

{men need fantastic closets too! and usually they want things more specialized than the ladies do ~ tie racks, power stations for phones/blackberries et al, extra large shoe storage, cuff link/watch display, even gun/weapon storage . . . guys rarely let themselves fantastize about closets but once i get them thinking about it they're usually way more giddy than the ladies about the prospects of such. left & center photos: tomar lampert, right photo: richens designs}

{integrating built-in closets into the architecture of your room has a stunning effect. this is very refreshing and soothing to an organize-aholic like myself. top left: nurit geffen-batim studio, top right: harrell remodleing, bottom left: billinkoff architects, bottom right: hughes construction}

{specialized storage closets for things like shoes and accessories is a nice luxury and a great way to show off and preserve ultra-fabulous collections. left: getty images, center: making it lovely, right: martha stewart}


{if you don't have a closet built in to your room's floor plan, try tranforming a piece of furniture like an armoire or a curio cabinet into the new function. it's fairly easy to install rods and shelves, and customizing with fabulous colors and patterns is very satisfying! top left: martha stewart, top right: peacock feathers, bottom left: zimbio image, bottom right: my sweet savannah. }


{when all else fails ~ find a big branch and hang it from your ceiling and neatly place your shoes in a semi-circle beneath! ok, so it's not exactly realistic for most, but it looks pretty cool in this photo. thanks to desire to inspire for the image}

where do you create?

over the weekend i found a fabulously inspiring magazine called "where women create".
from their homepage: whether it’s art, food, music, written works or choreographed dances, extraordinary women know that the process of creating is as important as what ultimately gets created.
amen. three cheers. holy yes.
after this fine discovery i decided to research some of these well-intentioned spaces that women had created for their great works to be envisioned and realized. i've been yearning for such a space of my very own and i find it entirely inspiring to see what others have done. little sparks fly in my brain at the very thought of being able to work in some of these incredible spaces. just see if you don't get some sparks too after seeing these:

{i'm ready to jump into this photo and start making something lovely right now! julochka is a lucky lady}

{this one gets a thumbs-up for packing in the most amount of creative supplies into the smallest space. it's like beatsfantastic said to herself, "i've got one tiny corner and i will have my creative workspace, damnit!" well done lady!}

{i like this one from chelstastic not only for the well-organized bookshelves but for the inclusion of baby goodies ~ the reality of being a mama is you've got tons of baby entertainment items everywhere mingled with your grown-up stuff.}

{this cheery little sewing corner is for my dear friend jenni ~ totally reminds me of you girl! alison rose, where ever you are, you should join our club!}

{what a fun studio the sweet sweet life has made for herself! i really like this carnival theme}

{and sometimes all you need is a glorious sunshiney morning, and some gorgeous green shutters, to get your creative juices flowing! lucotinha wins for the best creative makings room i've ever seen. by the way, there's a train that runs right outside this window.....somewhere in brazil. me, oh my!}

want more? check out these hot groups on flickr {thank the heavens for flickr!}
creative spaces
creative workspace
craft rooms
operation: sewing room organization
handmade spaces

and what about you? do you have such a space you'd like to share with me? it's still on my wish list to manifest the perfect creative space, so until i can make it happen i'll gladly live vicariously through you! please share fine ladies {& gents, too of course!}

{many thanks to jubella for the top 3 photos on the "where women create magazine"}