This $28 IKEA Staple Instantly Made My Morning Routine 20 Minutes Faster

Like so many renters, I’m always looking for more creative ways to store my belongings. I tend to move every couple of years, and I need pieces that can move with me (and fit into varying home layouts). While it’s easy to think of the most high-impact elements of a home as furniture, wall hangings, or color choices, I have found that cultivating a home you love all comes down to the systems you create.

While browsing the long, winding aisles of IKEA one day, I found my dream system: the IKEA SKADIS pegboard. It may sound simple, but it was the perfect style for my ever-changing needs.

The IKEA SKADIS pegboard comes in black, white, and tan, and ranges in size (14×22”, 22×22”, 30×22”). It’s simple to install, and the accessories make it the most versatile piece in my home by far. It’s compatible with different accessories to organize and store your belongings and has a modular layout to keep everything neat and tidy. Whether it’s a basket, hooks, clips, or even small drawers, you can customize your pegboard to create a functional display in any room — without having to make more holes in the wall.

Recently, I’ve been using the pegboard as what I’ve been calling an “out-the-door” station, which I keep in my front coat closet. It holds everything I need as I’m leaving my house: keys, sunglasses, bag, phone charger, Chapstick, sunscreen — you name it, it’s there. I created this system because I have ADHD, and finding my most useful items has been historically difficult for me, so seeing them all in one place has completely lightened my mental load.

I no longer have to spend my mornings searching for my keys (which I have probably done hundreds of times at this point), and I know that when I need to go in a hurry, packing up won’t take more than 30 seconds.

Although I’ve used mine in my front closet, there are so many creative ways to use this tool to make your life easier. I’ve seen it used in kitchens to store whisks, spoons, and spices; in garages to hold batteries, hammers, and nails; and even in bathrooms for skincare, toothbrushes, and medical needs. 

I can’t wait to inevitably reorganize it a few months from now when my tastes change and it needs a creative rework!

Buy: IKEA SKÅDIS Pegboard, $27.99