Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » diy wednesdays: drawer divider

drawer1
we’re always looking for ways to better organize our lives. and after years of starting each day with a visit to one of the most disappointingly disorganized spots in our home we’ve finally decided to do something about it. as shop owners constantly awash in packing materials, the cardboard and giftwrap needed for this project were right under our noses. this diy is a good example that even if no one else in the world (other than a couple bazillion design*sponge readers) is ever going to see it, the simplest of craft projects can make a big impact on your daily routine.

have fun!
lauren & derek

tips:
**you can very easily add more sections to your drawer depending on your specific needs.
**for an even simpler solution you can place a shoebox in your drawer to keep smaller items in order.
**this technique works well for all kinds of drawers, like that crazy “catch-all” one in your kitchen.

CLICK HERE for the full instructions after the jump!

Drawer Divider

here’s what you’ll need:

-gift wrap
-measuring tape
-cardboard
-double-sided tape
-ruler
-box cutter, metal straight edge, cutting mat, or scissors

1. measure the interior of your drawer (ours was 25” x 14”, and 5” deep).

2. cut a piece of giftwrap to that size, lay it in your drawer, and secure with a few pieces of double-sided tape.

drawer2

3. based on the size of our drawer, we cut two cardboard pieces for the dividers: one measuring 25” x 5” and another measuring 14” x 5”. then we cut 2 1/2” notches in the center of each piece so they would slot together.

drawer3

4. place the cardboard in the drawer and load up your stuff in a pleasantly organized fashion.

drawer4

You don’t know how perfect this DIY is! For the past month or two I’ve been itching to get some of my dresser drawers organized but I didn’t want to buy any ugly plastic dividers… this tutorial came at a great time! Thanks!

I’ve gone through so many similar renditions of this project including throwing shoe boxes in to hold socks separate from underwear. I’ll have to try this on a larger scale to keep my T-shirts neatly stacked.

I did this in a drawer that has both underwear sets and tights in it, but I used just one piece of cardboard to stop the tights/nylons from constantly tumbling into the rest! It works really well and is definitely an “anyone can do this” DIY.

Holy smokes, could this be any simpler and yet any more inspired? The top drawer of my desk is in dire need of organisation and I was thinking of all these complicated solutions involving plastic trays and figuring out how to fit them to the drawer dimensions when DER of course dividers are far easier, and totally customisable! Thank you thank you thank you :) I might actually cover teh cardboard with the paper as well, as a variation on the theme.

I can’t believe it. I was lookign for days a few months ago for something like this.- in the end I cut some boxes that had held beer and nappies, but the result is noweher near as visually satisfying and simple as this — duh!
Design sponge, I love youse

What a smart idea! If you really wanted to be an overachieving craftress, you could even cover the cardboard with a contrasting pattern or color. Not sure if I’ll go that far, but I’ll definitely try this idea on an old desk I’m fixing up.

Thank you !!! I have been looking for drawer compartments for a while now and nothing out there suited my requirements… i thought of making something, but needed ideas.. This article really helped. Thanks !!!

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