This is another post for my fellow Stella & Dot stylists…

So, you’ve carefully curated the perfect collection of Stella & Dot samples!  Now what?

It’s time to talk jewelry storage!

Because our samples are our #1 business expense and investment, they have to be treated right.  Plus, when everything is organized, you feel organized, in control and ready to take action–and that is going to grow your business!

Let’s dig in…

In this article I’m going to review my top 3 storage solutions for your Stella & Dot jewelry:

• ALEX drawer system ($$)
• KALLAX (formerly EXPEDIT) system ($)
• PAX system ($$$)

There is a solution for every budget and space constraint (I promise)!

I’m going to start with the most popular storage system, that just so happens to be what I’m using now…

IKEA ALEX DRAWERS

Come on…

You know you wanna look in my drawers 🙂

Ikea’s ALEX drawers set seems like it was absolutely made to house our Stella & Dot collections!

May I suggest a formal Ikea name change to STELADOTIK.

With three shallow drawers and three deeper drawers, you can literally fit your entire Stella & Dot business into this 2 foot square space!

You can see what I currently have in my drawers in the pic above.

Drawers 1 – 3:  The three upper drawers house 9 of my 10 trays.  I fit three trays per drawer by stacking the third tray on the other two.  It gives a really lovely finished look to the drawers.

Drawer 4:  This is my “aaaaaaah” drawer.  When I open this drawer I just feel happy!  It gives me eyegasms!

This is the first of the deeper drawers in the ALEX set and it’s where I keep my rings, charms and bracelets.  I also keep my tenth tray in here with my giftable styles.

You’ll be happy to know that our earring stands fit perfectly standing up in the deeper ALEX drawers too!

Drawer 5:  Is the second deeper drawer and is perfect for housing your foldable neck forms extra display items and jewelry portfolio, if you have one.

I definitely recommend having a portfolio to keep your trays clean and minimal but still be able to show more pieces at trunk shows.

Drawer 6:  This is my “business” drawer!

It’s the lowest, deeper drawer where I keep my look books and business supplies.

This makes everything super-easy when I’m transferring my display trays into my rolly bag–never forget your lookbooks or order forms again!

ALEX REVIEW:

This is the perfect mid-level jewelry storage investment.

At $119, it took me a full year and a half to finally “splurge.”

It is roughly 2 feet wide by 1 1/2 feet deep.  You can see the exact dimensions here.  It’s small enough that it could fit in your closet or office.  I have mine set up next to my closet in my bedroom.

The style is minimal and clean–sorry but fresh, crisp white and Stella & Dot just go together!

I love that this set has casters because I can easily roll it out to my living room when I have friends coming over and want a really casual display–it’s almost like a pop-up shop on wheels!

The jewelry is super-easy to get to so you can wear and store without much hassle.  I also love that there’s room for business supplies too.

If I could stick a rolly bag handle on the back of this puppy (and it wasn’t so darn heavy) I would totally bring it along to trunk shows!

• Investment: $$
• Space: minimal
• Functionality: A

Don’t have an Ikea around or in shipping distance?  Check out these alternatives:

• Walmart – Halifax
• Bed Bath & Beyond – Halifax
• Michael’s – 5 Drawer Cube by Recollections

CREATIVE CUBE BOOKSHELF

Okay, if you do live near an Ikea, you probably already have one of these bookcases lying around!

Hello!  They are only $35!!!

They used to be called EXPEDIT but now they are KALLAX.  The best thing is they upgraded the system to now allow for casters–sweet!

We had an EXPEDIT in the kid’s playroom/my office that I borrowed to show you a seriously affordable and hella-cute Stella & Dot jewelry storage solution!

It’s deep enough to house our trays with plenty of room on top for extra display items.  I used a signature bust form and a bracelet bar.

But before we get into all that…

CLIPBOARD JEWELRY DISPLAY

I just have to take a moment to tell you jump on board the clipboard jewelry display trend!

I’ve pinned quite a few of these clipboard display ideas on Pinterest and I finally decided to give it a go for a Facebook show I had coming up.  I always do a video for my online shows and I wanted to have a pretty backdrop behind me!

I found these soft grey wooden clipboards in the dollar bins at Target–they were $3 a piece.  I’ve seen chipboard versions for about $1.99 at Office Depot that could easily be sprayed white.

Since the clipboards are light weight I used these clickable mounting strips:

Just use a measuring tape, ruler, level and pencil to mark out where to hang each board.  I left a 1 1/2 inch gap between boards.  Then follow the instructions on the Command strips for hanging.

I love how this statement necklace display turned out!

Okay, okay back to the storage…

As you can see, everything I had in the ALEX drawers can fit in the cubed KALLAX bookcase.

I did buy two cubed storage baskets for $10 a piece at Target.  I had the marquee ampersand and small white crate from a vendor event I did last year.

KALLAX (EXPEDIT) REVIEW:

I think this is the perfect storage solution for the stylist who’s just starting out!

It’s likely you might have one of these already but even if you don’t, $35 is not a huge investment to make even when you’re starting out.  You can add baskets and containers over time, but at least you’d start off with a designated area for your business.

The major drawback to this system is that your trays are not as easily accessible as with ALEX.  You can certainly compensate by keeping your bracelets, earrings and rings more accessible, as you can see in the pics above.

Even if you start off with this system and upgrade to the ALEX later, I know you’re going to be able to use this bookcase in your home!

• Investment: $
• Space: minimal
• Functionality: B-

I’ve seen these square bookcases popping up everywhere, so here are some alternatives:

• Target – 6-Cube Organizer Shelf
• Office Max – Brenton Studio Cube
• Walmart – Mainstays 6 Cube Organizer

PAX JEWELRY WARDROBE

Okay, who remembers this stunning Stella & Dot storage?

It’s actually my amazingly talented sister-in-law and Star stylist, Michelle Hong’s Stella & Dot wardrobe!

Michelle did a pretty amazing thing–well two things actually.  First, she designed this PAX wardrobe from Ikea to house her changing table for her kiddos.  Perfect height and ample storage for wipes and baby clothes.

Fast forward three years to becoming a stylist (and her youngest out of diapers) the PAX becomes the ultimate Stella & Dot jewelry closet!

I call this the storage option for the stylist who has everything!

Literally, this wardrobe can house a lot of jewelry.

Let’s check it out…

1. PAX OVERVIEW:  The PAX system comes with two different size options.  Let’s call them single-width and double-width.  As you can see, there are tons of drawer and storage options that fit in the PAX system.  Because there are so many customizations you can make with this system Ikea has a special PAX-building program to help you configure.
2. DIY CUSTOMIZATIONS:  Mass-produced doesn’t have to look mass-produced!  Check out this painted (and pimped out) PAX redesign at Domino.com.  The key to getting the most out of this system for Stella & Dot, is to create a vanity area by installing one of the Ikea shelves at counter height.  I love the idea of adhering a mirror to the back of the wardrobe.
3. GO SLIM:  If you don’t have the full 40 inches in width to house a double-wide PAX, go for the single!  You can still have that counter-height vanity area, and fit a bust form or two.  With 23 inches of depth, your Stella & Dot trays will more than fit, and you can still have drawers for easy accessibility!
4. FUN LITTLE TOUCHES:  My sis-in-law used a pretty silver metallic paper to line her PAX drawers and it gives a beautiful, personalized effect.  Check out this white leopard wall paper used by blogger Jen Ramos on her PAX wardrobe.  I also love how Jen added her own gold hardware to the system.

PAX REVIEW:

I don’t personally use or have this system but I have seen it in use at my sister-in-law’s.

It’s exactly what it looks like–the ultimate in Stella & Dot storage, but for a pretty steep price and premium square footage.

If Stella & Dot is your full-time gig, then jewelry storage of this magnitude makes complete sense!  If you have been meaning to redo your closets or add a wardrobe then this could be a beautiful thing!

• Investment: $$$
• Space: premium
• Functionality: A+

ELFA SYSTEM

I have heard stylists rave about the Elfa system from The Container Store.

I have no personal experience with this system but, from what I’ve seen online, the fact that it’s modular is wonderful because it can be built as big or as small as you need it to be!

Whatever Stella & Dot storage solution you choose, I can promise you, having a designated space for your business is going to get you fired up for more action!

Which means more moola and more bling in your future!

Stay sparkly my friends!  xo, Kristen

Did this help you?  I want to know!  Please leave a comment below, I love getting feedback!

Also, make sure to follow my popular Stella & Dot Pinterest board for trunk show ideas and stylist tips and tricks!