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Hold on to your hat boxes—especially the cool vintage ones. They make excellent bathroom storage cubbies, as you’ll see in a bit. If fact, you’ll find creative ways to repurpose your flea market and antiques shop finds in just about every room of your house in this fun roundup of DIY home organization ideas. Read on for more inspiration for your home office, garden shed, craft area, laundry room, kitchen, mudroom, closets, and more.
1
Turn an enamelware tray into a bulletin board.
Becky Stayner
Enamelware’s magnetic properties make it an ideal surface to organize and display odds and ends. Simply hang a tray on a wall using Command Strips or double-sided Velcro. Choose some fun magnets to attach photos, mementos, and reminders.
2
Organize seeds in a charming old recipe box.
Becky Stayner
Keep your seed packets organized with this simple DIY idea. Just add dividers to an antique recipe box. It's a pretty and practical way to add some personality to your garden shed.
Stash loose change and errant buttons in the glass vessels. (Bonus points to the Bonne Maman brand for its cheery gingham lids.)
4
Use kitchen utensils for crafts storage.
Brian Woodcock
From discarded kitchen utensils to cast-off farm supplies, these old finds make for one smart workspace.
1. Turn berry baskets into bins: Hung on adhesive plastic hooks, farmers' market produce baskets organize supplies and free up counter space.
2. Turn a spring into a note station: File away papers and gift tags in a colorful compression coil.
3. Turn flower frogs into desk supply organizers: These ceramic and metal ones store pens upright and business cards within reach.
4. Turn a chicken feeder into a spool holder: No need to keep your best-loved twine cooped up in a drawer. A vintage chicken trough's feeder holes make a sweet roosting spot for these colorful crafting supplies. (Ours is sitting atop a crate for extra height.)
5. Turn wooden spoons into ribbon wranglers: Hung with drapery rod brackets, this kitchen staple gives order to unruly spools of ribbon.
6. Turn fishing rods into wrapping paper dispensers: Use a handsaw to trim cane fishing poles (or any wooden pole) to desired lengths, then hang with drapery rod brackets.
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5
Use hatboxes as bathroom storage.
Brian Woodcock
These gussied-up "shelves" free up bathroom drawers and counter space, offer easy access to extra towels and toiletries, and add peppy color to boot. Just choose boxes that are 10 to 12 inches deep and nail the backs to the wall.
6
Make a wood frame into a ribbon display.
Brian Woodcock
We highly recommend this DIY hack for craftaholics. Screw small cup hooks into the back on each side. Thread rolls of ribbon over dowels and place dowels in hooks.
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7
Use metal tins for a tiered supply caddy.
Brian Woodcock
Drill a 3/8-inch hole in the bottom center of each tin (we used three of varying sizes). Insert a 3/8-inch threaded rod through the holes, using nuts and bolts to hold the tins at the desired heights. To provide clearance for the washer and bolt on the bottom, glue the lid of the bottom tin, right side up, to the bottom. Wrap the rod with twine.
8
Carve out an organized work space using repurposed finds.
Brian Woodcock
It's easier to stay organized when you have a dedicated personal work space. We pulled this look together using the framed ribbon display and tiered supply caddy (above), plus these clever DIY ideas:
Turn a pair of ladders into a desk. Affix a plywood board across rungs with screws. (Tip: A work desk should be roughly 30 inches tall.)
Flip wicker baskets into statement lighting. Cut a hole in the basket bottom (pruning shears will do the trick) and add a pendant light kit. Tape off and spray-paint a stripe, if desired.
Create a memo board out of an old sign. Most authentically vintage signs are metal, so use the real deal if you want magnets to stick.
Turn a game board into a winning stool. Secure a Chinese checkers board to a wood round and replace existing seat by attaching with screws.
It'll serve double-duty as a shelf and a drying rack. (Secure with eye hooks and thick twine or chain.)
10
Turn a rickety ironing board into a bulletin board.
Brian Woodcock
Cut a piece of foam board to fit the face, then cover it with a salvageable section of a tattered vintage quilt. Secure the quilt to the back of the board with a staple gun.
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11
Flip ho-hum hangers into decorative hangers.
Brian Woodcock
Wrap huggable hangers in 1/2-inch strips of scrap fabric. Use a dab of hot glue to keep ends in place.
12
Use a cookie jar for dryer ball storage.
Brian Woodcock
Cookie jars are good for storing more than sweet treats. We used a 1-gallon glass penny jar, which you can buy new if you can't find a vintage one.
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13
Make liquid dispensers from soda bottles.
Brian Woodcock
Early 20th-century Bubble Up bottles, from Sandusky, Ohio-based Sweet Valley Products Co., are particularly spot-on for laundry room decor.
Secure a vintage crate sideways to the wall with screws for easy storage.
16
Use spice tins as magnetic sleeves.
Brian Woodcock
Place strong mini magnets on the inside of the tins, then fill with everyday essentials.
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17
Turn apothecary jars into dry goods storage.
Brian Woodcock
Choose jars with wide mouths for easy scooping and filling.
18
Flip a tool caddy into a rustic pot rack.
Brian Woodcock
Flip the tool caddy upside down and hang with eye hooks from the ceiling. Add shower hooks over the handles to hang pots.
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19
Make a temporary vase out of a dish towel.
Brian Woodcock
Fold towel in half and stitch sides to create a pretty "pocket," then clip to twine with clothespins and fill with garden clippings. (Wrap garden clippings in a damp paper towel and plastic wrap before placing them inside.)
20
Make woven baskets into mudroom cubbies.
Brian Woodcock
Rethink your exit strategy! Hung from bright yellow hooks and personalized with wooden letters, these wicker baskets (a mix of picnic and fishing) transform mudroom chaos into calm.
Laurren Welch is a freelance editor, writer, and creative who covers lifestyle, interiors, entertaining, fashion, and more. When she’s not under deadline, you can find her styling blooms over at Garden Party L.A., scouring thrift and antique stores for hidden gems, and reminding her boxer pup, Monster, that he’s a very good boy.
Terri Robertson is the Senior Editor, Digital, at Country Living, where she shares her lifelong love of homes, gardens, down-home cooking, and antiques.
