Mallory’s Jewelry Storage Problem + A New-Found Solution

Serious question: Why is jewelry so hard to store?? Jewelry boxes are too small to be actually useful and if you go BIG, jewelry armoire storage is generally too skinny and awkwardly sized to make a cool statement in a room (unless it fits PERFECTLY in some architectural corner or nook). Herein lies my current jewelry storage agony. So, should I hang my jewelry like everyone says?? And if that is the case, how do I make it look cool on the wall? If one more DIY site tells me to put a bohemian branch on the wall with dainty chain necklaces dripping off it, I might lose it. My necklaces are not leaves, and I want my wall space back. So if those options are out, then what’s left? Now what? NOW WHAT I SAY?!

Whether your jewelry is small and dainty or chunkier than a double chocolate chunk cookie, jewelry storage poses a problem for everyone. I didn’t understand the depth of my jewelry storage frustration until I started writing this post, so after days of tirelessly researching, I think I’ve figured it out for all of us.

THE PROBLEM

The reason I’ve been thinking about jewelry storage a lot more now than I do on a regular basis is because I just moved into my first real apartment that I care a lot about and I have nowhere to put my jewelry. It’s a studio apartment so I have minimal wall and counter (and floor) space, plus my jewelry is mostly just uninteresting, cheap necklaces & earrings that aren’t that awesome to look at (unless paired with a cute outfit, of course). So any exposed jewelry storage options are out for me (although if you have the space for it it’s great, keep reading, I linked the best ones below). Now I’m left with the question AGAIN: NOW-FRICKEN-WHAT? Excuse my language. Here’s what we want to avoid…

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING. I cannot express the immensely traumatic feeling that overcomes my body when looking at the photo below:

Shivers were just sent down my spine. I’ve lost hours of my life trying to untangle these monsters. Today it ends.

Now I’ve had LEGIT jewelry boxes with the whole necklace hanging compartment and the sides that open and whatnot. Trust me, this thing had ALL the bells and whistles. But you know what? Somehow, someway my necklaces always ended up looking like this. Unless you’re staring at your necklaces 24/7, you won’t even realize that over time this will happen whether you’ve stored your jewelry in a box, a tray, a bowl, drawer, etc. If you own any jewelry at all, this is your fate. In fact, it’s your destiny.

So why then has no one seemed to figure this out? I took matters into my own hands.

When I moved back into my parent’s house after a 6 month stunt “trying out” New York City post-college graduation (that’s a blog post on it’s own), I had no job and therefore, a lot of time on my hands to figure out seemingly meaningless (but also vastly important) stuff like this. For 21 years I had been trying to figure it out, and then one day I cracked the code. MY ART EASEL. YES. I had this art easel (from back when I wanted to be “an artist” in the second grade) that I think has so much potential to be an awesome piece in my still unfinished childhood bedroom. It’s unconventional –– I know –– but it really, really worked PLUS it’s meaningful to me.

When you get past the fact that it needs a lil sandblasting, repainting, art, not to mention the room in general needs a rug, more art, a different blanket, OKAY WE GET IT IT’S NOT BLOG READY AND I’M SORRY. But this is real life and is for the people. Basically, I thought I had it all figured out…then I moved into a studio with my boyfriend and now the problem has come back to bite me since my easel would take up too much of our precious square footage. In true EHD fashion, I turned my hunt into a blog post so we can hopefully all benefit from these jewelry storage solutions. May we never see another tangled necklace wad for as long as we live.

THE SOLUTIONS

EXPOSED JEWELRY WALL HANGINGS

Wall hangings are solid no-tangle necklace storage solutions because you’re staring at them 24/7, so you can stop any necklace knots that might otherwise happen if you are storing them in jewelry boxes or drawers.

These are some of the most stylish wall hanging jewelry storage options out there:

1. Urban Outfitters Jewelry Storage Hanging Mirror | 2. Pottery Barn Wall Mounted Jewelry Organizer | 3. West Elm Hanging Shadow Box | 4. Anthropologie Jewelry Hook Rack | 5. Anthropologie Jewelry Organizer | 6. Etsy Wood Jewelry Organizer

STYLISH ENOUGH TO PUT ON YOUR VANITY OR CREDENZA

This is the cousin to the wall hanging jewelry organizer. The only major difference between the two is that these go on a flat surface like a dresser, vanity, or bathroom countertop. There is something VERY important to note with these (which is true for the wall hanging category too): they both typically work great for necklaces, bracelets, and dangly earrings, so if you own an excessive number of rings and stud earrings, opt for putting those in a separate bowl or tray OR going with an option like #2, which has a place for them already built-in. Another tip to note is that these exposed storage solutions work great for people with smaller jewelry collections. If you have A LOT of jewelry (especially a lot of big, chunky jewelry), head to the next section for some concealed jewelry options.

1. Etsy Marble Ring Holder | 2. Urban Outfitters Jewelry Organizer | 3. West Elm Shadow Box | 4. Urban Outfitters Wood Hand Ring Holder | 5. CB2 Jewelry Organizer | 6. Anthropologie Stackable Dishes | 7. Kendra Scott Necklace Organizer | 8. H&M Metal Jewelry Stand | 9. Jewelry Supply Ring Holder

CONCEALED JEWELRY STORAGE

So, like I said, although I understand the lure of a cool wall hanging option or a beautiful tray, those options don’t work for my current situation. I knew I wanted some concealed storage options, and after hours of searching, I think I’ve found the one. THIS IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS. MY PERSONAL JEWELRY STORAGE PROBLEM IS SOLVED!! I generally don’t want to look at my jewelry unless I need it because I have too many random necklaces and earrings that are not cute but are too sentimental to get rid of, so I have no choice but to hide it all away. As a reminder, the challenge is that I have no drawer space for #1 (below), which would be ideal, and not enough wall space for a jewelry box/full-length mirror-like #6, BUT I have some pieces of art I’m planning on hanging in my studio apartment (as one does). That’s why I’m planning to go with something like #3 which fronts as picture frame. I’ll probably take out the mat board (which has slots for a bunch of small photos) and just have one big piece of art instead, but that’s the basic gist. Here are all of the amazing concealed jewelry options if you’re in the market for secret jewelry storage:

1. Etsy Drawer Jewelry Storage | 2. Pottery Barn Storage Mirrors | 3. Overstock Art Frame Jewelry Storage | 4. Amazon Closet Hanger Storage | 5. Pottery Barn Storage Mirror | 6. Wayfair Infinity Mirror Jewelry Storage

Jewelry Trays + Bowls

I’m no stranger to the tray and bowl life in fact, it’s what I’m using right now. It’s very ideal for the rings, earrings, and whatnot that you need to throw somewhere before a shower or while washing your hands 50+ times a day. Basically what I’m saying is even if you’re going to go with a jewelry mirror, wall hanging or whatnot, I HIGHLY recommend grabbing one of these IN ADDITION to any of the jewelry storage options. It will serve as a “catch-all” for those little jewelry pieces that lurk around the bathroom or on your nightstand so you don’t lose them like I do. But here’s a hot tip: don’t store too many necklaces in here if you’re also traumatized by the beginning photos. Here are the best lil trays and bowls:

1. 2 Tiered Poise Tray Brass | 2. Urban Outfitters Bowl With Lid | 3. Target Terrazzo Tray | 4. Target Grid Tray | 5. Foundations Bowls| 6. Urban Outfitters Rattan Catch-All

JEWELRY STORAGE CABINETS:

If you have the space (and LOT of jewelry), don’t worry I won’t leave you high and dry. There are some super chic jewelry cabinets that will fit all your storage needs. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Rachel Zoe Jewelry Vanity Floor Tower | 2. Gallery White Jewelry Storage Cabinet | 3. Carson Carrington Nykobing Jewelry Armoire

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is my solution a good one? How do you store your jewelry? Is there a better way to fix this problem that I didn’t include? Please join this essential conversation in the comments. See you guys down there xx

Opener Image Credit: photo by Tessa Neustadt | from: Our Master Bedroom Reveal + Get The Look