When it comes to spring cleaning, you can scrub it, mop it, dust it and rearrange it. But if you don’t organize it, you might as well place a call to the crew of Hoarders. If you really want your nest to be in tip-top shape for spring, you won’t just clean it—you’ll develop a storage system to keep it that way.

“But I don’t have closet space,” you say. And let me guess: the shed is full, every drawer and shelf is otherwise occupied and you wouldn’t even dream of parking your car in the garage, lest you disrupt the delicate balance of piles. Trust me, I get it. But who says you have to be an “innie” when it comes to storage and organization? Why not be an “outie” instead?

If you’re armed with a slew of attractive storage solutions—if you get your pretty little hands on boxes, canisters and trays that you’re proud to show off—you won’t want to put all of your stuff away. (Not even if you did have room in your postage-stamp-sized closet).

Thanks to a bout of unseasonably sunny weather, I got a jump start on this year’s spring cleaning (with the help of my mister, who has a knack for closet makeovers—yes, I’ve stumbled upon a rare breed, indeed!). So, I’ve officially swiffered and scrubbed my home into submission. Now I’m on to phase two: the hunt for chic storage ideas.

Call me demanding, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect storage and organizational products to fit seamlessly into your decor. (Sorry, Tupperware.) But can a girl ask for more than that? Absolutely. And as these Target finds prove, storage can be stand-out sexy. (Well, at least to those of us who swoon over Mr. Clean—not for his muscular build, mind you, but for his stellar mop skills.)

1. Set of Two Decorative Storage Boxes by Two Lumps of Sugar: If a spoonful of sugar helps the organizing go down, these storage boxes by Two Lumps of Sugar must be the sweetest cure for multiple piles syndrome. Photos, documents, office supplies—if you can name it, you can stack it neatly inside these collapsible boxes in a gorgeous olive branch print.

2. Fretwork Tray: Every functional nest needs a landing strip, which is otherwise known as the place where you drop all of your random stuff upon entering your home. This glossy acrylic tray provides the perfect corral for your keys, mail, dog leash and other trappings that shouldn’t be strewn about your place. Add in something special—perhaps a small bud vase with a single, gorgeous bloom—and your utilitarian pieces become chic.

3. Magazine Stand by Eric Pfeiffer: The fastest way to a tranquil, pleasing place? Showing clutter who’s boss. Instead of piling magazines here and there, why not let them sleep soundly in this birch veneer statement piece? With its curvy, architectural lines and multiple spaces for magazines, books and stray paperwork, this magazine stand has plenty of style—and room—to spare.

4. Dot Folding Hamper by Household Essentials: Despite my most resolute efforts for wardrobe cleanliness, good intentions alone will not increase the square footage of my closet. You see, my clothes are organized by color. My shoes snuggle neatly on racks. But there is no way, no how, not ever that my hamper can join the party. That’s where a good-looking resting place for dirty laundry comes in handy. With its cheery green dots and retro feel, this hamper will do just fine outside of the closet.

5. Canister Set in Guacamole by Room Essentials: Kitchen storage is essential to countertop harmony. And when it comes to kitchen tidiness, canisters are key. Yes, I know that all of your flour, sugar, rice, coffee and so on come in their own containers. But is that packaging cute or appealing enough to display? Didn’t think so. Free up some room in overstuffed cabinets or pantries by placing bulk items in canisters on your counter. Bonus points for housing your cooking essentials in containers the color of fresh-cut grass.

6. Library-Style Storage in Walnut: What? You still own CDs? Well, fret not. This piece of furniture is an entertainment junky’s dream. It holds 456 CDs or 196 DVDs, all while posing as an antique library card catalog. Even if you ditched your college CD collection long ago, this beauty would work wonders for organizing art supplies, crafting goodies or your collection of miniature bottles of airline booze—you know, whatever needs arranging.

(Image: Elizabeth Ulrich for Extrabux)

Interior stylist and author Emily Chalmers is a gal after our own hearts. Her new book, Cheap Chic, due on store shelves on February 28 but available for pre-order here, sings a song we never get tired of hearing: “You don’t need to be wealthy to have a wealth of style.”

With the help of writer Ali Hanan and photographer Debi Treloar, Chalmers proves that swoon-worthy home style isn’t expensive. It’s a notion that is quite a relief to us—and we suspect that you might find it reassuring as well.

As we work to build our nests and surround ourselves with pretties that we can’t live without, many of us have had our “I just don’t have the money to make this fabulous” moments. After all, we’ve logged in many hours gazing at celebrity home spreads in our must-read glossy magazines. They have designers and decorators and such a grand budget, we say.

And the rest of us? Well, we scour thrift store shelves, gladly accept most hand-me-down furniture, pick up things here and there from chain stores and only splurge when we must. But we still want to create the homes of our dreams, and Chalmers gets that. Drawing on expert vision, Cheap Chic explains how to mix chain store basics with individual finds. (Think flea market and garage sale goodies, secondhand lovelies, curbside recoveries and all of the things you already love dearly.)

Why We Love It
When we got our happy hands on our copy of Cheap Chic from the publisher, Ryland Peters & Small, we kindly welcomed a flutter of butterflies into our stomachs. The smattering of 200 gorgeous, light-filled photos—so perfect in their simplicity!—were enough to make to us chipper. But the advice dispensed by Chalmers and company really made us giddy.

The tips found within Cheap Chic strike the perfect balance between practicality and expert inspiration—all dispensed without a hint of inaccessibility. This is real style for real homes and real people (read: those of us who don’t have a personal decorator on speed dial but do have boyfriends, husbands and children who leave beds rumpled and stacks unsorted).

After tucking in to Cheap Chic, we feel a bit more empowered to create a stylish home on our own terms—and with our modest decor budgets. Chalmers guides us where to invest—a proper, supportive bed, a decent couch and other big pieces that are essential to our everyday comfort. And she divulges where and how to spend less for big impact. (Like salvaging rolls of vintage-print wallpaper from bins at second-hand shops. Or buying bright pink saris on the cheap at ethnic shops or street markets and using the fabric as a table runner or whipping it into a gauzy curtain.)

Why We Think You’ll Crush, Too
Whether you live in a spacious country house or a just-big-enough-for-me-and-my-clothes studio on a frenzied metropolitan street, we think you’ll adore Cheap Chic just the same. By our estimation, Chalmers left no decorative stone unturned.

The first section of the book, The Elements, examines color, patterns and fabrics and provides “Why didn’t we think of that?” tips on flooring, lighting, storage, accessories and other essential home materials. While the second section, The Spaces, offers room-by-room insight on how to create a beautiful, comfortable backdrop for daily life.

Of course, no one explains Cheap Chic better than Chalmers and company. With an introduction like this, the book really had us from hello: “…this book is a bible for the budget-conscious who also strive for style. Money, after all, can’t buy good taste. Style is instinctive—and it can come at a snip as long as you have an eye for beauty as well as a bargain. As the interiors doyenne Andrée Putman once put it, ‘[To have] style is to see beauty in modest things.’”

An extra treat for those of you who simply can’t wait until February 28 to get better acquainted with Chalmers: Pick up her Flea Market Style and Table Inspirations books, also published by Ryland Peters & Small.

(Image: Elizabeth Ulrich for Extrabux)