Space Cadette
organizing your corner of the universe
Behind the Cabinet Door
When looking for organizational solutions, consider paying attention to the ones that conceal your things behind doors. Doors provide three benefits:
- Dust Control—Dust is less able to settle on your stuff when behind doors. Less frequent dusting is always a good thing, and less dust in general is great for those with allergies. With fragile china, collectibles, or knick-knacks, having glass doors permits you to see the items but not have to dust them as frequently and decreases the risk of accidental breakage.
- Light Control—Some things will last longer when kept behind doors. For example, book covers and textiles are less likely to fade and wine will not lose its characteristics as quickly.
- Visual Chaos Control—Seeing all the contents of a cabinet or shelf can be visual chaos. Even if the items in your cabinet are organized, it will be more visually serene to see a row of doors than a row of full cabinets. For most people, a careful mixture of doors and open cabinets/shelves is best because a completely austere space is not necessarily the most comfortable one.
Doors also have drawbacks to consider:
- Expense—Cabinets with doors cost more than open units.
- Space Perceptions—Closed cabinets tend to feel more massive than open ones. If your room is small, you may want to consider using a curtain to hide your storage units. Use decorative curtain rods and curtains to cover open shelves or even closet openings. Curtains give a softer feel and can be more easily coordinated to a room's decor than doors.
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