D.I.Y. desk drawer dividers

My West Elm parsons desk is beautiful in its design but is definitely is a case of form over function. In terms of storage function, its two drawers are very shallow. Like 1.25 inches shallow. Despite this organizing challenge, I was determined to make it work and got the desk anyway. As predicted, the drawer size made it hard to find drawer dividers for my office supplies that didn't block the drawers from opening and closing. Since I couldn't find a product I liked that also was the right size, I decided to make my own. I wanted to share how I made my d.i.y. drawer dividers for anyone who has similar shallow drawers at home that could use a little zhuzh.

What you'll need:

An assortment of small jewelry and accessory boxes

A pencil

A ruler

A sharp exacto knife

Contact paper

A cutting mat to protect your work surface

Here are the steps:

1. Take everything out of your drawer.

2. Set aside anything that you have multiples of. Most people will only need a handful of paper clips, staples, or pencils at a given time (or in their lifetime, let's be honest). Keep only the absolute minimum you need. With the rest you can create a "backstock" office supply box, or even better--you can donate the extras.

3. Corral any empty cardboard jewelry and accessory boxes you might have. I have a bunch of these that I hang on to for these kind of projects.

4. Arrange them in the drawer to see which combination fits best. This is my favorite part--I find it oddly satisfying.

5. Cut the tops off the boxes with a sharp Exacto knife so they are roughly the same height and do not exceed the height of the drawer.

6. Measure and cut your contact paper to fit each box. This is the most time consuming part. It took me some trial and error but the method that worked best for me was to cut three pieces of contact paper per box. Two small rectangles to cover the two long sides, and one large rectangle that will cover the bottom of the box and fold up and over the two short sides.

7. Apply the small rectangles of contact paper to the two long sides of the box first. Then apply the large rectangle of contact paper to the bottom and remaining sides. Remove the backing paper and carefully place the center of the contact paper in the center of the bottom of your box and smooth out from the middle, folding over each side. Take your time with this step to avoid any air bubbles/wrinkles.

8. Repeat steps 6 & 7 for each box. Place back in your drawer and arrange your supplies to look super organized and happy!

Here is my finished result...

It isn't 100% perfect but hey, sometimes you have to accept the wabi sabi nature of d.i.y. projects. I love that it was so cheap to make--just about $6 for the contact paper, the rest of the supplies I already had. I'm really happy with the clean all-white look and how everything fit together so snuggly. The best part about crafting d.i.y. drawer dividers is that every time you open your drawer you see your handy work, you'll remember the effort it took to put together which brings a sense of pride and satisfaction that will inspire you to keep it tidy.