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Good Things with Martha Stewart Living
Good Things for Organizing
Who wouldn't like their living space to be more organized? Tapping into the popularity of the "Good Things" column in Martha Stewart Living , Good Things for Organizing provides practical, efficient, and pretty solutions for organizing just about everything, from spools of thread and the silverware drawer to your entire wardrobe and home office.
It is a law of stuff accumulates. Good Things for Organizing shows how to live with stuff comfortably and creatively. In chapters organized room by room, Good Things for Organizing offers a wide range of ingenious ways to tame the clutter, from the basement to the garden shed.
With sections such as "Cleamng Up the Countertop" in the kitchen chapter, "Linen Closet 10" in the closet chapter, and "Organizing Correspondence" in the home office chapter, the editors of Martha Stewart Living have tested all of the possibilities and have created perfect solutions to the most frustrating organizing problems. Included are projects for every level of commitment, from tidying the junk drawer to building the right shelves to display a beloved collection.
It is a law of stuff accumulates. Good Things for Organizing shows how to live with stuff comfortably and creatively. In chapters organized room by room, Good Things for Organizing offers a wide range of ingenious ways to tame the clutter, from the basement to the garden shed.
With sections such as "Cleamng Up the Countertop" in the kitchen chapter, "Linen Closet 10" in the closet chapter, and "Organizing Correspondence" in the home office chapter, the editors of Martha Stewart Living have tested all of the possibilities and have created perfect solutions to the most frustrating organizing problems. Included are projects for every level of commitment, from tidying the junk drawer to building the right shelves to display a beloved collection.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Martha Stewart
456 books571 followersMartha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 3, 2015
Well, I bought this book years ago and liked it, but then got rid of it in a big purge. Over the years, I've thought about it a lot and finally repurchased it. I don't think I've ever repurchased anything I've ever deliberately gotten rid of before, so I guess that speaks to how much I like this book. Martha is the best, giving helpful hints and ridiculous suggestions in equal turn. Definitely more of an inspiration book for me, since I don't have a house, this is still full of good ideas that I either already used it will try out in the future.
February 22, 2014
I know some people can't stand Martha because of course all the houses in the pictures are unattainably pristine and organized, but after I chuckle at the airy laundry rooms and vast linen closets and 18th century armoires (which are apparently available everywhere), I really do feel energized and challenged to see how I can put some of the concepts into practice. Many of the ideas are actually very do-able, and I feel inspired to get busy organizing and decorating with what I have (I can always dream about that mudroom...). :)
February 4, 2008
Ahh, I pine for the good days before Martha tried to be all chatty and approachable. The pages of this book are taken directly from her magazine in the late 90s and early 00s, so if you were a fan, you will not find anything new here. However, there are fabulous instructions on how to archive your photos (and by archive I mean archival folders and acid-free fun) and how to restore LPs to their original luster (for those of us who love the records and have acquired discarded collections).
Read
October 21, 2018This book talks about basic organizing how-tos, storage ideas, and some tips/ideas for organizing.
This book seems to show off many parts of Martha Stewart's houses, but it doesn't seem written by her as she's always referred to in the third person (other than the intro).
Unfortunately a portion of these ideas only work really well when you have multiple, big houses like Martha Stewart! There were a few decent (and some bleh) ideas for smaller areas, but when you have multiple garages, a whole bookshelf for wine, ginormous bathrooms, a craft room, 10 armoires, etc. you can do more things than someone who doesn't have all that.
There were some really good ideas, mainly little "organizing hacks".
I liked how each chapter featured a picture with the chapter title on an organizing set up.
The introduction was good and I enjoyed the quote wall.
However, there were a lot of things I didn't like:
China, china CHINA. 2 things. The author suggests using china dishes for organizing basically anything you can think of (little items wise). They showed pictures with many different china plates on the furniture surface (desk, medicine cabinet, etc.) and this looked so mismatched/put together badly. Did not like this idea - there are WAY better small-organizing solutions out there. That look better - and are more efficient. For some reason Martha Stewart has like 1,000 different china plates in her various kitchens. Nobody has that much china anymore (this book was written 17 years ago). China made up much of the kitchen chapter, so 👎
Armoires x100. The book suggested using armoires for everything - china, dishes, towels, linen, tools, clothes, etc. This is not a bad idea offhand, but most people don't have room for 8 armoires in their house.
Some of the suggestions looked CLUTTERED. For example, Martha hangs her pots [from the ceiling] for display in her kitchens (page 20, 22).. this kind of looked like too much going on.
She suggested piling books on a table/on the floor when you run out of room in your bookshelf (pages 40-41). This looked very cluttered and I think the smarter organizing choice would be to a) donate/give away/get rid of some books or b) build more proper book storage. Lastly, the medicine cabinet with improper, unidealized storage looked SO cluttered (page 70). Not loving this. Many of the desks and tables had so much going on, it doesn't give you the calm, organized vibe but instead the too-much stuff vibe.
Some of the suggestions looked bad, or weren't useful... For example, 'skirted night table' on page 58. Night table covered with a sheet with a tray on top. Looked really bad. The ribbon board (page 95) looked just awful to me.
Martha may be crafty... but we all aren't. She suggests some DIY complicated storage projects that the average person wouldn't have the time, money or patience to do. For those who have great shop skills, and a lot of time, sure, the projects are good. Otherwise, not ideal.
Picture size. This book was generally visually appealing. The picture sizes on a page were often small and medium and it made it really hard to see what was going on in the picture. I get the designer did that for visual variation, but it was sometimes annoying.
One thing that was both a good and bad thing about this book was that it was never once mentioned that you should get rid of some of your stuff. EVERY single organizing book tries to drill this in, but Martha Stewart's book didn't. It was a bit refreshing but on the other hand some of the rooms looked cluttered and packed with stuff, so it also wasn't a full pro.
Hmm... recommendation. You may pick up some good things from this book, but a lot of it was old news that you could find from other organizing books. However it is a really quick read and easy to skim through, so you can just look at whatever chapters you're interested in.
This book seems to show off many parts of Martha Stewart's houses, but it doesn't seem written by her as she's always referred to in the third person (other than the intro).
Unfortunately a portion of these ideas only work really well when you have multiple, big houses like Martha Stewart! There were a few decent (and some bleh) ideas for smaller areas, but when you have multiple garages, a whole bookshelf for wine, ginormous bathrooms, a craft room, 10 armoires, etc. you can do more things than someone who doesn't have all that.
There were some really good ideas, mainly little "organizing hacks".
I liked how each chapter featured a picture with the chapter title on an organizing set up.
The introduction was good and I enjoyed the quote wall.
However, there were a lot of things I didn't like:
China, china CHINA. 2 things. The author suggests using china dishes for organizing basically anything you can think of (little items wise). They showed pictures with many different china plates on the furniture surface (desk, medicine cabinet, etc.) and this looked so mismatched/put together badly. Did not like this idea - there are WAY better small-organizing solutions out there. That look better - and are more efficient. For some reason Martha Stewart has like 1,000 different china plates in her various kitchens. Nobody has that much china anymore (this book was written 17 years ago). China made up much of the kitchen chapter, so 👎
Armoires x100. The book suggested using armoires for everything - china, dishes, towels, linen, tools, clothes, etc. This is not a bad idea offhand, but most people don't have room for 8 armoires in their house.
Some of the suggestions looked CLUTTERED. For example, Martha hangs her pots [from the ceiling] for display in her kitchens (page 20, 22).. this kind of looked like too much going on.
She suggested piling books on a table/on the floor when you run out of room in your bookshelf (pages 40-41). This looked very cluttered and I think the smarter organizing choice would be to a) donate/give away/get rid of some books or b) build more proper book storage. Lastly, the medicine cabinet with improper, unidealized storage looked SO cluttered (page 70). Not loving this. Many of the desks and tables had so much going on, it doesn't give you the calm, organized vibe but instead the too-much stuff vibe.
Some of the suggestions looked bad, or weren't useful... For example, 'skirted night table' on page 58. Night table covered with a sheet with a tray on top. Looked really bad. The ribbon board (page 95) looked just awful to me.
Martha may be crafty... but we all aren't. She suggests some DIY complicated storage projects that the average person wouldn't have the time, money or patience to do. For those who have great shop skills, and a lot of time, sure, the projects are good. Otherwise, not ideal.
Picture size. This book was generally visually appealing. The picture sizes on a page were often small and medium and it made it really hard to see what was going on in the picture. I get the designer did that for visual variation, but it was sometimes annoying.
One thing that was both a good and bad thing about this book was that it was never once mentioned that you should get rid of some of your stuff. EVERY single organizing book tries to drill this in, but Martha Stewart's book didn't. It was a bit refreshing but on the other hand some of the rooms looked cluttered and packed with stuff, so it also wasn't a full pro.
Hmm... recommendation. You may pick up some good things from this book, but a lot of it was old news that you could find from other organizing books. However it is a really quick read and easy to skim through, so you can just look at whatever chapters you're interested in.
December 16, 2018
Hidden Gems
I respect Martha Stewart as an accomplished businesswoman who has a lovely sense of style. I wonder if she is entirely out-of-touch with working-class America, and a bit of self-made snob. She seems to have served her UNDESERVED prison time with great grace and strength. So I approached this book with dread, not sure how I'd react. It's an odd mix of DIY projects which assume people have endless time, offhand suggestions that antiques and custom-built items are easy solutions, and commonplace, commonsense advice. Where she really shines, however, is in her use of outside-the-box, uncommon solutions to annoying but simple problems. For example, she suggests using fleece to line kitchen drawers - it's easy to cut to size and washable. Laminate your recipe cards so they're spill-proof. Have heavy books on your shelves? Make the bookends permanent. The simple little ideas are gems.
Lauren Williams, Owner, Casual Uncluttering LLC, Woodinville, WA USA
I respect Martha Stewart as an accomplished businesswoman who has a lovely sense of style. I wonder if she is entirely out-of-touch with working-class America, and a bit of self-made snob. She seems to have served her UNDESERVED prison time with great grace and strength. So I approached this book with dread, not sure how I'd react. It's an odd mix of DIY projects which assume people have endless time, offhand suggestions that antiques and custom-built items are easy solutions, and commonplace, commonsense advice. Where she really shines, however, is in her use of outside-the-box, uncommon solutions to annoying but simple problems. For example, she suggests using fleece to line kitchen drawers - it's easy to cut to size and washable. Laminate your recipe cards so they're spill-proof. Have heavy books on your shelves? Make the bookends permanent. The simple little ideas are gems.
Lauren Williams, Owner, Casual Uncluttering LLC, Woodinville, WA USA
May 31, 2007
I'm 100% serious here.
May 3, 2010
Martha, you so crazy.
August 14, 2013
Flagged four projects that I want to do. Will probably never do them, but it's good to dream about being organized, right?
January 29, 2020
This is an interesting book that gives you ideas about different ways you can DIY and organize your stuff. It has some good ideas of things to try.
January 8, 2025
Even 20+ yrs old this whole book was still relevant, useful, and smart!
December 15, 2019
Just moved, snatching up thrift store books like crazy! Definitely stylistically out of date ( it always unsettles me how something that can seem so right for the time and years later look embarrassingly gauche) but ultimately better tips than that Real Simple book I looked at which was more click-baity in nature (i.e., tips that look ok but are impractical).
The one thing I don't get -- the diy projects seem expensive and time consuming for little payoff. It makes sense to refinish old furniture, but wrapping up shoe boxes perfectly to use them for storage? Just buy some pretty storage boxes. Time put into it doesn't justify it unless you really love wrapping boxes I guess.
The one thing I don't get -- the diy projects seem expensive and time consuming for little payoff. It makes sense to refinish old furniture, but wrapping up shoe boxes perfectly to use them for storage? Just buy some pretty storage boxes. Time put into it doesn't justify it unless you really love wrapping boxes I guess.
April 30, 2017
Just not my style. I don't live in a house; I do convert some things into storage items, but the photos look like some ridiculous New England set for her show. And a lot of them are NOT practical at all. They would actually waste space for no reason, maybe just to make a design. If you have the time, space, and "craftiness" to do that, go for it.
I think I actually received this book as part of a promotion. I do like to look at different styles for inspiration--some detail can trigger a bigger idea in your mind. The same reason I slog through the IKEA catalogs.
I think I actually received this book as part of a promotion. I do like to look at different styles for inspiration--some detail can trigger a bigger idea in your mind. The same reason I slog through the IKEA catalogs.
October 21, 2009
Some really great thrifty ideas for how to create beautiful storage boxes our of cardboard shoe boxes, how to mount a pots-and-pans rack on your wall, how to create storage under the bed from old dresser drawers and more! A lovely book for anyone who loves creativity and organization. Beautiful pictures as well.
January 31, 2011
i enjoyed this and found a few tips i hadn't thought of. of course, it was also horribly depressing, because martha's so perfect and her billion houses are all so perfect (seems like every feature is of one or another of her homes). i had to keep reminding myself that her daughter hates her, so clearly she's not perfect at everything.
June 28, 2012
This book is rather dated - showing you how to cut a hole in the back of an amoire for a ginormous tv and how to organize your floppy disks. However, I still saw some cute ideas in there. I want to try the idea for mounting a basket underneath my standing desk to hold all the cords. I also liked the tips she showed for organizing drawers.
January 2, 2013
Is organizing a hobby? When Martha Stewart is involved, I believe it is! Love her clever ideas. I really, really want the pot/pan organizer that is really just a grab bar horzonital on the wall with S-hooks. I could do that.
February 8, 2008
the first and the best
October 14, 2008
I LOVE MARTHA STEWART!!! This book was good.
September 3, 2009
Always good ideas from these ones.
January 2, 2010
Pretty and elegant solutions for organizing.
June 29, 2011
Some good basic ideas, especially if you're just getting interested in Martha Stewart.
June 21, 2011
I'm not a big Martha fan, but I keep checking this book out again and again. I love the directions for building a bookcase/window seat found here.
November 1, 2011
i expected more of the book.
December 13, 2011
I think there are a lot of common sense organization tips, but there are a number of tips that I wouldn't have though of. Good book to get inspiration from, and the photos are great.
January 26, 2012
marttthaaaaa!
February 23, 2012
I thought I was just being silly, taking out a Martha Stewart book but there's a lot of great stuff in here - plus all the stuff that's just good plain common sense that never once occurred to me
January 26, 2013
This book was okay. There were some good ideas.
Read
March 30, 2013Borrowed this from a relative. Few tips and ideas applied to me and my space, my way of living.
July 26, 2013
Cool ideas - wish I had the space and money to use them!
February 28, 2014
Some clever ideas, but honestly not much that seemed new to me. Guess I am more organized than I thought!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews