Inspiring corners

Inspiration and spring cleaning seem to be two emerging themes in my life right now, so how about combining the two? I'm working on taking a fresh look at all of the little corners and spaces in our home, and seeing which ones I'm inspired by and which ones drive me nuts. The goal, obviously, is to create more of the former, less of the latter. I am so affected by the way a space looks and feels, and I notice the same in Mason and Aaron. I love to knit, but a basket full of yarn that I have to dig through and unravel to find what I want does not inspire me to pick up the needles. On the other hand, since I moved my yarn and notions into these glass cabinets I am inspired to knit every time I walk by. (Maybe not ideal to everyone, but I'm loving it.) It encourages me to linger by the cabinet, looking at the colors, feeling the textures, and envisioning my next project (or next 10 projects). The same goes with the kitchen, Aaron's computer space, and Mason' s toys. I'm looking to create more spaces that inspire us to create, relax, play, imagine. We live in a small one-bedroom house, and I have often struggled space for Mason's stuff. At one point we had a large basket in the living room where all of his toys went, but, like my yarn, he either would never want to play with anything in the basket or he would dump everything out at once and then be too overwhelmed to play with anything. (More about what I've learned about kids and toys in another post). So I started looking for little nooks and spaces that could be re-arranged to better organize his toys. This space is one I've played with quite a bit. Currently, most of the space on this shelf is devoted to toys, and they are organized by activity type, each in it's own basket or box. We have the kitchen toys box, the tool box, the tractor basket, the music basket, and some space underneath for puzzles and blocks. He is encouraged to take down one activity at a time...and it really works! He enjoys playing with his toys so much more, and it makes it much easier for him to help with cleanup as well. We also keep some of the books we're currently most inspired by, and the top shelf is always changing. Right now it's kept simple with a few little family touches and a little basket of knitting that I can pick up when I have a minute or two. I've also found that some of the corners I'm most drawn to are very colorful...here are a couple of my favorite right now. My biggest challenge in creating inspiring spaces?? My laundry/utility/storage/mudroom space. Can I create a space that inspires me to clean, do laundry, etc.? We'll see!