Feeling box-y

I'm back! We have been busy organizing papers in the guest bedroom which doesn't make for very exciting posts and then our computer was acting up for most of this week. After EIGHT phone calls with Apple Care and an erase/restore, my husband has it up and running again! Our Time Capsule to back up files was worth every penny!

I have been searching for the perfect storage boxes to go on top of our bookshelves in the living room for several months now, and I finally found them! They needed to be pretty since they would be out in the open and fit in the space while adding as much space as possible. I also wanted lids to prevent layers of dust from coating everything inside.

Thanks to the Container Store, I now own six of these beauties, also known as Square Havana Storage Boxes!


They measure 12-1/4" sq. x 9-1/2" h, making them the perfect size for my bookshelves! At $19.99 each, they were a bit of a splurge for me. The $45 I had in gift cards definitely helped. Plus, compared to all of the other options I found, they were actually on the less expensive side.


Here are what the shelves looked like before my gorgeous boxes came home with me. The photo albums have relocated to our master closet, the legos are on are bedroom bookcase, and the bottles are now in the kitchen (post on that coming soon!)


Here are the bookshelves now! They look so much less cluttered on top but we can actually store more! It's a win-win! What are we storing in our new boxes? One holds instruction manuals (this freed up TONS of space in the file drawers), my husband and I each have one for random odds and ends, one is for little decorative items that aren't currently being used, and two are still empty for now. I decided to get two gray instead of all black because a) my Container Store only had 5 black and I needed 6 and b) since the shelves are black too the gray breaks things up and adds interest. The black and gray also go with my couch pillows. The tan color they come in also matches my pillows, but I thought black and tan would have a little too much contrast.


You may also notice I have some picture frames leaning in front of books. I did that temporarily to get them out of the way until hang them, but I actually like how they hide some books and make things less busy looking. I will probably make a photo wall over the futon at some point, but for now they look good here.

What is your favorite organization-related splurge? Do you use pretty storage boxes? I am totally in love with mine!