Some Simple Additions

If you've ever visited our apartment, I've probably kept my fingers crossed that you would never ever open the door to the bathroom cabinet. This particular area is one I am not proud of, simply put, because it is a hot hot mess. While there is a semblance of organization below - some boxes on one side and some piles on another, our stuff generally meanders from side to side, slipping around until one of us realizes we can't find it and has to go digging through the piles that exist below. Then, we rearrange, convincing ourselves, "Oh! It's gotten cleaner!"

SO NOT TRUE.

So, where am I going with this you may ask? Well, one day, in my inevitable struggle with the behemoth that is my bathroom cabinet, I decided that it might be helpful to store some of the stuff under the sink elsewhere. Genius! I know.

The first idea that struck was to remove the handful of perfume bottles I had down there. Now, I don't wear tons of perfume. In fact, I wear it maybe only once a week when I remember that I actually own some. However, in my recent blog reading/Pinterest adventures, I begun to take notice of beautifully coiffed dresser tops, such as this one:

Source

The image above captures styling done by one of my favorite bloggers, Emily from Cashmere and Cupcakes. I looooooooooove it. Although, not 100% obvious, what struck me most about the design was the tray holding her perfumes and random pieces of jewelry. After more serious inspection, I concluded that the tray is made of lucite. However, upon first glance, the tray bottom looks like a mirror, and when I saw it, I knew I wanted something very similar. Plus, the entire arrangement looks so unbelievably elegant - the clear bottles, clean white backdrop, touches of gold and the lonely pink flower. I set out to achieve the same vibe for my own space.

On a trip to one of my favorite consignment stores, I spent about an hour or so perusing the many rooms for the perfect tray. Finally, tucked away under a myriad of antique brushes, I found it. It had a mirrored bottom (check!), edged by a gold, lacy trim (elegant, check!). It was $18 and I knew it would look awesome housing my perfume bottles and other accoutrements. I also happened to receive a gift from my one of students around the same time - a jewelry tree! With my two new accessories in hand, I went on my merry styling way. Here is the end result...

Unfortunately, I don't have a before photo, but I love the after. While it is not exactly the clean and pristine look of Emily's dresser, it looks so much more organized and sophisticated than it did before. Now, all I have to do is get a new clock. =)