Organizing Small Spaces with Sauder

Since moving to Texas, I've accepted the fact that I live in a much smaller house than in the past. Not having basements does that to you. While I can't suddenly dig a basement or spend money on a costly addition to add square footage, I can make an effort to make the space we do have work to our advantage. I try to maximize the area we do have however I can to effectively utilize the space without making our house seem cluttered.

I already have any time possible of the built in cabinets and use creative storage solutions wherever possible. Whether you're a type A personality like me, or just wants a sense or order and organization in their personal space know that there are options. In trying to keep my home uncluttered, I've erred a little on keeping it almost too open and have missed out on opportunities for additional storage. We have a very open floor plan downstairs where the entry feeds directly into the living room with a bar going into the kitchen/dining room.

Until recently the wall with the bar on it, has been empty aside from a picture of my grandparents on their wedding day. While browsing for furniture online, I found that Sauder had an Expedition Design tool that helps locate appropriate pieces for your design tastes. I used the tool and was matched with many options but chose the Sauder 3-Shelf Bookcase because the jamocha finish matched the other wood in the room and seemed to be a versatile piece that I might be able to move around if I needed to to suit a different purpose in other rooms.

We've purchased furniture that has to be assembled before with mixed results. With the Sauder furniture, the pieces were labeled, the instructions were clear, and assembly was so easy that Cakes was able to work on some hand-eye coordination with hammering in the finishing pieces.

With all of this new found storage space available, I was a little unsure of what to place there. There were lots of items that my family uses daily that we keep on the kitchen counter or the counter on the bar that would fit perfectly on the Sauder bookshelf. I turned this piece into a daily family command center of sorts. I added a bin for all of our random daily items such as calendars, menus, lists, bills, and pens, as well lunch boxes and water bottles for camp, craft supplies, and bins in the bottom for paper and another for puzzles. Now everything we need is out and easily accessible. We don't have boxes and bins piling up on the counter to be put away. Once we're done using an item, it just goes back on the shelf!

Access Expedition Design on the Sauder website to inspire your next furniture selection. Make sure to follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook to stay up to date on all of the latest design and furniture news!

What area of your home do you need help organizing?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sauder. The opinions and text are all mine.