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Yesterday, I finally took the time to clear out a closet in the bedroom so I could use it to store my shoes. Earlier, I had outgrown one of my rooms and my shoes were spilling on the floor in front of the room. I lived with a pile of shoes in front of my closet for an awkward time.
But I finally decided to do a quick and easy organization project, and within two hours, I was able to get rid of the pile of shoes I’d been living with for so long and I had a well-organized shoe. the room
Again, I’ve been living out of a pile of shoes since I finished the closet and we moved into the closet in 2021. Again, this organization project took me two hours to complete. In just two hours, this area of the room was completely headache-free, and I had to step over a pile of shoes to tie clothes or pick out an outfit, which turned out to be an absolute joy. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve walked into the bedroom and opened the closet to stare and marvel at the organization I now have.
So why did this project take me so long to do? Why am I stepping through a pile of shoes to get to my room from 2021?
I think it’s because I’m suffering from Pinterest and Instagram brain. I am used to the simple things in life that should be extraordinary and extraordinarily beautiful because of the content I constantly see on Pinterest and Instagram. I think it’s because I’m suffering from Pinterest and Instagram brain. I’m a continent we constantly see on Pinterest and Instagram so I’m used to ordinary things that should be unusual and extraordinarily beautiful.
I remember the days when a pantry was just a pantry. A pantry is a room in the kitchen with a closed door, and when you open the door, there are some useful wire or wooden shelves. The shelves were stocked with boxes of Raisin Bran and Cheez-Its, packages of Oreos and Nutter Butter, a few bags of chips, a 12-pack of Coke, and a variety of other items.
And then somewhere along the way, Pinterest came along. Then a perfectly functional utilitarian pantry didn’t look so good on Pinterest, so someone decided to come along and wallpaper the pantry. People on Pinterest really liked the wallpaper in the pantry, but the food boxes and bags really distracted from the beautiful wallpaper. So someone thought it would be nice to empty the cereal and cookies and chips out of their original packages and put them in cute containers with cute labels so they look pretty against pretty wallpaper. And then the next guy came along and said that pretty containers with pretty labels might not look so pretty on wire or utilitarian wood shelves, so we had to upgrade the shelves so they looked like they were made by a professional cabinetmaker. . And that trend continued.
And then Instagram came along and it became Pinterest on steroids. And now people have much more elaborate pantries, bigger than my kitchen.
And of course, I know very well that I am a part of it. When it came time for me to make my own pantry, I wanted my pantry to be beautiful and have custom tile and open shelves and teal cabinets and a little sparkly chandelier and all the other things that make a pantry beautiful. Dog treats in cute glass containers.
So when I needed shoe storage, the idea of having some useful shelving somewhere to serve a very basic purpose seemed absurd to me. How can I do simple utilitarian shelving when Pinterest and Instagram tell me that my shoe storage needs to be beautiful and inspiring and Instagram worthy? How can I do less work?
And if I can’t get it, why bother? I mean, the only two options are (1) a pile of shoes in the corner of my front room, prohibiting me from taking my clothes, or (2) a fully customized cabinet with glass doors, glass shelving, lighting, and a beautiful rug. And since I don’t have the time (or space) right now to do option 2, obviously option 1 is the only option for me, right? That’s the brain of Pinterest. That’s the brain of Instagram. My brain has been conditioned since 2009 (the year Pinterest launched) that if something isn’t pretty and Instagram-worthy, it’s not really worth it.
But my new shoe closet really inspired me. It is completely practical. There is nothing beautiful about it. No fancy shelving, no fancy lighting. It’s just two metal tracks, some metal brackets and unfinished pine stair treads used as shelves.
Plus, I’m more excited about that shoe closet right now than anything going on in my studio. I really have to keep reminding myself that not everything should be Pinterest and Instagram worthy. That mindset keeps me from getting things done, especially when it comes to organization. And sometimes getting the job done and organized, even on utilitarian shelving, is a reward in itself.
I can always go back at a later date and add custom shelving and lighting and all the fancy bells and whistles if I want. Or stair walks are enough. But what I do know is that even if it’s not Instagram-worthy, the feeling of things being organized and de-cluttered is one of the most rewarding feelings.
Addicted 2 Decorating shares my DIY and decorating journey as I renovate and decorate the 1948 Fixer Upper that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has MS and is unable to do physical activity, so I do most of the housework myself. You can learn more about me here.