in law school, a few of my classmates gave me the nickname "monica," as in monica geller from nbc's sitcom friends. unfortunately for my husband, the nickname was not given to me because i look like courtney cox; rather, i got the nickname because i share some of her character's personality traits, which in my opinion are less than desirable.
monica was known for being obsessively clean, perhaps anally retentive. i'm self aware enough to realize that i have natural tendencies towards that type of behavior, but my tendencies were tempered (albeit slightly) after getting a dog eight years ago. bo made me care more about spending time with him and mike than making sure the house was immaculate. i'm grateful to have learned that lesson, but after taking a look around the house recently, i started wondering if my inner monica was back.
this will be the first of periodic posts from my inner monica. my goal with these posts is twofold. first, i want to help you become more organized so that your life can become simpler and you can be more relaxed, which i think everyone needs these days. and second, when you are getting ready to put your house on the market, you can utilize these tips so that your house will show better and hopefully sell more quickly and for a higher price.
as i mentioned, my tendencies have been tempered, but i still don't want to walk into my house and see a scene like that captured in the above picture. i don't think my blood pressure or brain could handle it. my solution: hooks.
i get emails from some of my favorite online retailers every morning. last week, www.areaware.com featured these kiel mead wall hooks made from repurposed driftwood that kiel collects from the shores of new york (see www.kielmead.com). the wall hooks took my breath away.
i then started thinking of my all-time favorite wall hook (yes, i have an all-time favorite wall hook)--eames' hang-it-all. introduced in 1953, the hang-it-all was inspired by the eames' love for playful furniture and children's toys.
i've never purchased the hang-it-all since it comes with a pretty steep price tag--$179, and i'd have to buy at least two to make it utilitarian enough for my needs. this pic features four hang-it-alls. i love the look, especially with the herman miller nelson bench, but the look will set you back $716 plus tax, which is more than i'd like to spend for a place to hang coats, scarves, bags, hats, wet socks, and dog leashes.
eames' hang-it-all also is available in walnut with black metal. you can purchase the hang-it-all at many retailers, including minnesota-based room & board (www.roomandboard.com).
now for the hooks i actually have in my house. first is the hand towel hook in our master bedroom. it is cast in resin from artist harry allen's actual hand and is available at www.areaware.com for $65.
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these are the hooks in our back entry. they are the bach large garmet hook in silver and are available at the container store for $9.99 each. i like how they remind me of paperclips.
the sticks multi-hook rack by umbra probably gets the most use in my house and also is available at the container store or from umbra for $25 (http://www.umbra.com/
here's a metal whale tail hook from west elm that keeps a towel handy above my washing machine in the laundry room.
and while this technically isn't a hook, it keeps clothes off of the floor, so i'm including it in this post. i use two of these commercial garment racks in my laundry room to hang clothes to dry when i am concerned that the dryer might shrink same. you can purchase the garment racks at the container store for $69 each.
yet another container store find (there is a store about a mile from my house...dangerous) are these large clipper wall hooks from umbra. there are sold in a package of three for $20. i use them in our workout room to hold my bands, jump ropes, and other resistance tools.
as i was leaving the house, i came upon even more hooks. we have four hooks in our garage for bikes--two for our mountain bikes (check out my old school bike without shocks!) and two for our nerd bikes/cruisers.
and of course the ladders need hooks.
and finally, a hook for the thule cargo rack that we used only once when we moved back to denver from washington dc.
after realizing all of the hooks in the house, i guess i can't deny that some of my monica tendencies still exist, but at least i'm not as bad as i was before bo came into my life (no comments from the peanut gallery).
what types of hooks or other organizational tools do you use to keep your stuff off of the floor?
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