It seems like everyday I leave my Pinterest profile amazed at the creative solutions people come up with to store items, and re-purpose everyday home essentials. My teams latest obsession is tension rods. When I first came across the idea I was shocked at how an item I normally associate with my grandma and outdated fabric could become a staple in organizing solutions for my clients.
We love using tension rods because they solve some of the most complained about problems we deal with on a daily basis from shoes to pot lids. The best part is that you don't have to be Martha Stewart's long lost relative or have alot of experience with DIY to complete this project. And did I mention it only takes a few minutes?
When you start on this project I cannot stress enough the importance of measuring the space you are working with. It's easy to think that you can eye ball the area because it tends to be short lengths, you don't want to double your project time by a quarter inch.
Once you have your measurements you can go shopping. We like to try different types of tensions rods but find that they are almost always white. We have found 18" rods at Home Depot in black as well as chrome with white stoppers. We also like Target, Lowe's, and if you live in Los Angeles were hooked to Daiso Japan. We love all the innovative Japanese products they offer, the tension rods are not visible on their website but they carry some as small as 6" to a yard. They also have pink and floral print, the offerings vary location to location so you might want to call ahead.
As you can see in the photo above one of our clients LOVES to wear flip flops while lounging around her home. She hated the way they looked so sloppy and she always had to be digging through them to find the correct pair. She also wanted to keep them in this drawer to maintain a clutter free look. We found that by inserting a few tension rods we were able to keep all the sandals organized, in pairs, and save space in her closet.
I bet you can think of a place or two around your house tension rods could be useful. Here are some of my favorite solutions from other bloggers.
This under the sink tension rod allows for more efficient storage Thanks to Jen Grant Morris
We finally found a way to organize those pot lids, Thanks to The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking
Cabinet Divider for trays, cookie sheets, and more from BHG