My husband and I recently redid our master bedroom. We have lived in our home for almost exactly four years, and slowly over time are chipping away at our wish list for home improvements. (A new deck and siding/shutter/trim painting are currently at the top of our list.) So to be able to update our bedroom furniture and decor was a fun and relatively inexpensive redo compared to what we will have to focus on next.
I love jewelry, but after having babies I stopped wearing and even purchasing jewelry to wear on a regular basis. I am gradually getting back into wearing more than just my watch or the occasional pair of earrings and through this process of redoing our master I came across some of the pieces I used to love to wear. Thus churning my organizational and blog writing wheels to come up with a few outside of the box ideas on how to organize jewelry.
Whether you have a lot or a little, chances are you select the same pieces to wear on a regular basis. If you saw the inside of my home, you would see I am not big on leaving things out and like to have categories of items contained and labeled (oh those infant and toddler years where there were toys everywhere were a real struggle for me personally, ha!). However, when it comes to something like jewelry, you will be more likely to wear and switch up what you wear on a more regular basis if your collection is in view.
I have some ideas on how to keep your jewelry organized and sorted while displaying it in a way that will allow you to enjoy your jewelry even when you aren’t wearing it.
Make “Art” Out of Your Collection
Hang some decorative hooks or a decorative rail to display your necklaces. There are so many options out there on the market - every home decor store, along with antique shops and craft stores are selling a variety of wall decor that will double perfectly as jewelry display storage for you in your home.
If you add a floating shelf or 2 above or beside the necklace display, you will have a surface to place jars, bowls or cups to hold your earrings and bracelets.
This will bring all of your jewelry to one spot - weather in your master closet, bath or bedroom.
And since your collection will be in plain sight, it will encourage you to hold on to only the pieces you truly love.
Use a Dish or Two on Your Dressertop
Decorative dishes or plates will help corral your smaller jewelry items, and if you use a few different plates you can easily sort your jewelry by finish.
A year ago, my father gave me a set of 8 handpainted plates that a great-aunt had decorated many years ago. I selected 4 of these plates to keep for myself and gave the other 4 to my sister and her daughters, with the thought that they would make beautiful “trinket plates” - a place to gather earrings/watches/bracelets.
They are small, so this helps to keep what is stored here minimal and easy to locate what I am looking for that day. I have 2 on my dresser and put the other 2 aside for my daughters when they are a little bit older. With these 2 on my dresser, I am able to sort by jewelry finish - one holds gold items and one holds silver.
Look for Storage Inspiration in Unlikely Places
These toilet paper holders have been repurposed into bracelet storage and I couldn’t love it more.
In one of my client’s homes, she uses toilet paper holders to organize and display her bracelet collection. You may think this sounds like it would look silly, but let me tell you the holders she selected are streamlined and elegant (who knew you could describe toilet paper holders as elegant?) and fit perfectly in the space she has carved out in her master closet for her jewelry.
Candlesticks with “arms” (think candelabras) to hang necklaces, teacups and parfait dishes to hold earrings or watches, bud vases to slide bracelets over the “neck” or coffee mug trees to hold bracelets are more everyday items that you can breathe new life into to make a beautiful jewelry display.
Utilize a Top Drawer in Your Dresser or Vanity
If you have the storage space, and would rather not have your collection on display, a top drawer laid out with various sizes of drawer organizers works great to keep jewelry organized and easy to access. You can purchase jewelry specific trays to fit in your drawer, or you can use small gift or stationary boxes to hold your jewelry and keep it from all mixing together.
Lining your drawer with a colorful paper and then using acrylic holders, or lining the insides of the boxes you select will brighten up your drawer and add an extra element of fun to your collection.
Long Live the Jewelry Box
If you are still attached to the concept of a jewelry box and prefer this as your main storage method, consider a glass top and sided one or multiples to store your jewelry.
You will hold yourself more accountable to keeping your jewelry neat and tidy if it is visible. And like the above options describe, this will keep your jewelry collection in view so you will be more likely to accessorize regularly.
I hope you have fun breaking out your jewelry and setting it up in a way that will bring you joy. I would love to see what you do! Feel free to leave me a comment or post a picture and tag me on Instagram @organizedforyou
Happy Organizing!
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