I recently visited a friend's condo who showed me a spare bedroom that she had transformed into a large dressing room. In her magical room she could have shoes, hats, belts, jewellery and all of her clothing on display.

Most of us can't afford such luxuries as extra rooms, time or the money to create such an extravegancy for our wardrobe. There are however a few places around the house that can offer up extra organized storage to keep our lives a bit more orderly:

Bedroom:

Adding floor-to-ceiling, built-in cabinetry on each side of your bed will replace night tables and offer as much storage as four dressers. Keep the cabinetry open at bed height for easy access to a lamp, alarm clock and books.

Add a second hanging rod in the closet. It will double the hanging space for shirts, pants and jackets.

Install an extra shelf above the top rack in the closet; its a great place to hide away out of season shoes and accessories.

Spare bedroom:

Consider a murphy bed; they are great for tucking out of sight when guests are not around and make the room look larger.

If you are not using the closet for clothing, consider turning it into a home office. A few built-in shelves and a simple electrical installation can give you a work station that can be hidden behind doors.

Kitchen:

Filling a wall with decorative floating shelves can display attractive baskets, ginger jars and containers for storage.

Got a blank wall? Try adding some additional cabinetry for storage. Glass doors on top will make them look lighter and less bulky.

Attic space in a house or 'bonus den' in condos:

As long as you can add a closet you can have a bedroom! I love the open closet project (pictured).

A built-in desk with shelving above will add vertical storage and make use of those weird, unusable spaces.

Don't know where to start?

I suggest calling a closet organizer to come for a visit to your home. They will access the space you've got and create an organized oasis for you and all your stuff. http://www.californiaclosets.com/ is a good place to start as they have professionals in every major city.

Coming on July 9th: Karl takes on the ultimate decorating challenge. See great decor ideas for under $20!

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Got a comment or decorating dilemma to ask Karl? Email us: homedecor@ctv.ca