Jewelry organization.

I don’t own a ton of jewelry, but I almost always wear jewelry. Earrings every day, for sure, and if I’m leaving the house, a couple of rings and a necklace…and maybe a pin. The only type of jewelry I never wear are bracelets, because I inevitably want to remove them the moment I need to use a computer or do pretty much anything with my hands. Wearing jewelry helps me feel put-together. I like being decorated.

Until recently, my organizational strategy for my jewelry was a series of small bowls on the dresser, which was less than ideal. Necklaces got tangled immediately, and everything was always dusty. I was forever having to dig through a bowl to find an earring’s partner, and I wound up defaulting to whatever I could find quickly and not wearing a lot of the pieces I love.

My solution for necklaces was easy: Hang ’em up! I’ve had these yellow mustard-colored wooden Muuto Dots for years (these are the small size, about 3.5″ in diameter), and they’ve been sitting in a drawer waiting for the perfect spot. This is it! I love how happy the color is, and the shape is just so pleasing. I also like how they subtly complement the birch cabinet knobs in the kitchen.

The hook on the left is for chunkier necklaces, and the one on the right holds more delicate pieces. It’s so nice to be able to easily choose whichever one I want to wear and lift it off the hook with no tangling. And they look pretty hanging, too! The key was using hooks that make more of an immediate visual impact than the necklaces themselves—I didn’t want to just have a couple of clumps of necklaces on the wall. The Muuto Dots make them into a sunny focal point.

Umbra’s Stowit jewelry box was recommended to me by Lauren, and after watching this demo video, I was sold. I went back and forth between the mini and the full-size Stowits, and while the mini probably would’ve been capable of holding all of my jewelry, I wanted to be able to spread out what I own and not just recreate the chaotic bowl system I had going previously.

The lid slides open halfway to reveal a velvet-lined compartment for rings and other small items. For me, the ring slots work better for pins! I let my rings roam free, because most of them have bands that are too thick for those slots. I haven’t tried it yet, but I might see if I can use some pushpins in the open area so the rings have something to keep them from shifting around. If I’m mindful when I open and close the lid, though, they pretty much stay put. The important thing is that I can always find the ring (or pin) I’m looking for.

All of my earrings are in the velvet-lined lower drawer. Again, some small pins would probably help keep them tidy, but they stay where I put them for the post part. I had to train myself to take care when putting my earrings away at night, and to not just open the drawer and toss them in. I try to keep Marie Kondo in mind and let everything have its own spot. (Alright, we all know Marie Kondo would never just let her earrings float around like this. She’d have an individual compartment for each pair of earrings. But this is working for me, and I’m sure Marie would agree it’s better than throwing them all in a bowl together.)

I do keep all of the tiny earrings in a little box together, and that’s also been working out well. I don’t wear them often—usually only when I feel like putting extra earrings in (I have a lot of holes in my earlobes, most of which go unused but for a few days a year). I’m a big earring kind of gal.

OK, this is the best part. A SECRET COMPARTMENT!! The right side of the upper level of the Stowit is occupied by a little slide-out drawer. I use this cute spot to stash special, beloved pieces that I don’t wear that often (but should). Hand-painted plaster of Paris brooches made by my aunt Joan and a little mesh jewelry box holding a very special silver bracelet, both of which belonged to my maternal grandmother. I feel good knowing that these things have a place now, and that they’re still accessible while being a little tucked away.

What else? The wooden horse was made by Karl Zahn for Areaware, the vase is from ¿adónde?, the mirror is from IKEA, the macrame plant hanger is from CB2, the perfume is Queen Bee by Good Chemistry, and the little bowl (where my Fitbit and hair ties live) is from Marimekko. There’s too much jewelry for me to link to everything, but please feel free to ask about specific pieces in the comments if you’d like to know where something is from.