Latest news with #Yulia
CBC
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Max Richter's music put dozens of soldiers to sleep
This year marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most streamed classical records of all time: Sleep by the acclaimed composer and pianist Max Richter. It's an eight-and-a-half-hour epic that you're meant to listen to while you're asleep. In an interview with Q 's Tom Power, Richter says the project got its start in 2013 or 2014, when 4G technology was making the internet more accessible and convenient for the first time. "I was talking with Yulia, my partner, and we were thinking about how creative works can, in a way, function as a kind of alternate reality," he says. "So we thought about this idea of a piece of music as a kind of a pause, or a holiday from this kind of 24/7 data blizzard. And so that's kind of the origins of Sleep." WATCH | Max Richter's full interview with Tom Power: At some performances of the piece, audiences could sleep or lie in a bed as they listened to the music. Richter says Sleep tends to operate on people in very meaningful ways. "The piece works a lot on subsonics," he explains. "Very low frequencies — you feel it physically. In a way, it sort of lulls you, you know, neuroscientists would call it 'rhythmic entrainment.' It sort of synchronizes your body's tempo, in a way, with the tempo of the piece. "The other thing is that the spectrum of the piece mirrors the spectrum that the unborn child hears in the womb because the mother's body filters out all of the high frequencies. So this low frequency pulsing, which is at the heart of Sleep, reminds us of something. It reminds us of something that we've all experienced, even before we knew we were a person." In October 2019, Richter gave a historic performance of Sleep at the Great Wall of China. "We get to the venue and it's surrounded by soldiers with guns, you know, really quite hard-core, scary security," he recalls. "It's kind of stressful, everyone is a bit freaked out. So we start playing the thing and after about two hours I get a break … and I see all these soldiers with their guns asleep on the floor. Dozens of them, just sleeping. And I was just like, 'Yeah. That's it. That's why we're doing this.'" Though Richter made Sleep to be experienced while sleeping, he says many fans have told him they listen to the piece at the office, while doing yoga or while studying. He says music is an art form that you feel, and it can have a real effect on your day. "Maybe this is sort of naive, but I do have faith in music," Richter says. "That sounds, maybe, slightly crazy, but I do sort of believe in the potential of creative work to elicit changes in the world. I experienced that in my own life. If I get out of bed in the morning, I'm making the coffee, I stick the radio on, and it's like [Beethoven's Eroica symphony] or something, my day is going to be a bit better. It just is. One per cent better. But, you know, I really believe in that one per cent."
Daily Maverick
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
In Ukraine, there is no option but to feel South African shame at our war stance
Hearing firsthand stories from Ukrainians about Russian atrocities can't help but leave you ashamed of Pretoria's stance on this awful war. At 5.48am, my first night's sleep in Kyiv is punctured by the eerie wail of the air raid alarm, accompanied by a robotic voice over the hotel intercom instructing us to proceed to the hotel's bomb shelter. Our Ukrainian handler, Yulia, tells us it indicates an incoming drone strike and suggests that we get dressed. 'No rush,' she writes on WhatsApp. 'You have about 7 min in case it reaches central part [of Kyiv].' These statements – 'no rush' and 'you have about 7 min' – are decidedly contradictory in my view, but then again I have not been living under this threat for more than three years, as has been the experience of Yulia and all other Ukrainians. During that period, many have developed a kind of defiant indifference to the alarms. Some now even sleep through them. 'If you spend your whole life hiding, you will not live,' Yulia tells us later. At the foot of our hulking Soviet-era hotel lies the fabled Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, the stage for revolutionary activities for centuries. In the warren of shops below it, you can buy rolls of toilet paper printed with the face of Vladimir Putin. Independence Square is now home to a sea of planted flags. Each one represents a life lost since the beginning of what Ukrainians call 'the full-scale invasion' – to make the point that the origins of this war date back eight years earlier, to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 – by Russian soldiers in February 2022. Amid the flags is a sculpture that reads: I love Ukraine. On the side, someone has scrawled in Ukrainian: 'Is it worth living?' *** Ivan Polhui lived the quietest possible life in Yahidne, a forested village about two hours outside of Kyiv, where he worked as a janitor at the small local school. Yahidne was home to 200 houses and about 300 inhabitants on 5 March 2022, when the Russians arrived. Its residents, Polhui told us through an interpreter this week, 'were so apolitical that they didn't even know what was going on in their own village'. But they had heard, of course, that the Russians had invaded and were trying to seize Kyiv. Nobody in their right minds thought the Russians would bother themselves with this rural backwater. In fact, some Kyiv residents with family back home in Yahidne moved back there after the invasion, on the grounds that it was hard to imagine a safer place. Then the Russian soldiers arrived – and for reasons known only to them, decided that Yahidne would make a perfect base. At gunpoint, they rounded up the village's 300 residents, took their phones from them and herded them into the school's basement. There was no light, says Polhui. There, in the dark, the people of Yahidne, including at least 60 children, would be held captive by Russian soldiers with almost no food or drink for 27 days. What happened in Yahidne is now considered one of the worst war crimes of the Russian invasion. The youngest villager was a month-and-a-half-old baby. The oldest was 93. The villagers were split between three underground rooms, normally used for storage. In one of the rooms, in which 19 adults and nine children were kept captive, space was so tight that there was room only to stand. Visiting that room now, in spring, it is still cold and damp. But Polhui says that in March 2022, when the weather outside would have been significantly colder, the heat in that room coming off so many bodies cramped together was so intense that people had to strip off their clothes. He points to a makeshift clothes line. Polhui was kept in the main basement room with his family. When they begged the Russians for food, they were given pasta contaminated with petrol. At one stage, he says, the village kids came across some old discarded bread, crusted with mould, and were so hungry that they tried to swallow it down without chewing. The Russian soldiers laughed at the spectacle of the ravenous kids and recorded videos on their phones, Polhui claims. The bodies of the elderly began to give out. At least 16 villagers would die in total. Through the interpreter, Polhui describes how the Russians would not always permit the dead bodies to be removed from the basement immediately. 'Sometimes, the dead body would stay here with people for days. And after that, even when they were allowed to take the body out, there was no place … so they would have to carry the body over the heads of the people,' says the interpreter. Briefly overwhelmed with emotion, she turns away. Today, a list of the dead scrawled on the basement wall is still visible. Polhui shows us a newspaper. It appears to be the well-known Russian publication Pravda and on its front page is a picture of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hugging a Russian soldier. The Russians gave the villagers this newspaper and claimed that Zelensky had surrendered. Ukraine was Russia's. The newspaper was fake, a mock-up. And though the villagers might have been politically naive, they didn't believe the news of Ukrainian surrender – mainly because they could still hear the muffled sounds of shelling through the forest. Yet still, says Polhui today, 'We thought there was no hope.' When the Russian soldiers eventually withdrew from Yahidne, villagers finally exiting their basement prison grew dizzy from the sunlight, with some fainting. Others could not leave the basement. They had nowhere else to go. The Russian soldiers had looted the village down to women's underwear on their way out, with many houses burnt to the ground. Asked how he feels about the Russian soldiers today, Polhui speaks at length in Ukrainian. The interpreter pauses, and then responds: 'He would like the families of the Russians to go through the same thing [that the villagers of Yahidne did] and for their children to suffer as [Yahidne children] have.' *** The shot-up and shelled Palace of Culture in Irpin outside Kyiv. (Photo: Rebecca Davis) The Ukrainian victims of this war are some of the most frustrating interviewees I have ever encountered. We journalists, vultures of tragedy, prod and pry: But how did you feel? We ask this to a man in Irpin who was in his flat when it was bombed; to a 23-year-old who looks no older than 16, whose father died in the Bucha massacre; to the villagers of Moshchun who dug trenches and made Molotov cocktails to defend a battle in which 118 Ukrainian lives would be lost; and to a young woman with a thick blonde plait who was captured at Mariupol, kept in a Russian prison for a year, and had her teeth punched out when she made a sarcastic joke to her Russian captors. How did you feel? Their stoicism, their refusal to express self-pity, or simply the emotional armour they have been wearing since February 2022, shames our attempt to harvest their trauma. They will not emote on cue. At a dinner with Ukrainian journalists, they ask, with real intensity, whether our home countries understand what is happening here. That there is no 'grey area'; that this is a black-and-white moral catastrophe; oppressor and victim. I think of the fact that South Africa's Defence Minister Angie Motshekga was one of the foreign politicians who dutifully jetted out to sit on Putin's diplomatic platform in Moscow and applaud Russia's Victory Day parade, just a few days earlier, and I wonder how the hell we will explain this. To these Ukrainian journalists, but mainly: to history. DM
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘I learned of my mother's death on Facebook': Ukraine's traumatised children rebuild shattered lives
The explosion was deafening. But before 14-year-old Katya could react, a stranger threw himself over her and everything went black. When she came to, she struggled to free herself from under the weight of the man's body. He had been killed outright in the blast but had given his life to save hers. Katya had entered the station a few minutes earlier with her mother. They were travelling together to flee the fighting in Donetsk. Now, just a few feet away, she also lay dead. 'I heard people screaming and saw injured people all around. There was blood everywhere,' she said, recalling that fateful day on April 8, 2022, which left 63 civilians dead and injured 150 others. 'There was too much going on. The man who covered me did not survive. He died from the attack. He saved me. I will never forget it.' The missile that killed 34 and injured 117 in Sumy on Sunday morning, was a near facsimile of the Russian outrage that orphaned Katya in Kramatorsk. Both were caused by ballistic missiles fired by Russia into densely packed civilian areas seemingly deliberately and with the aim of spreading terror. The missiles are notorious for their lethal precision, largely because they can deploy cluster munitions that scatter deadly shrapnel across a wide area. Locals attending Palm Sunday services in Sumy, including two children, were caught in their path. The attack has been denounced as a war crime. Katya is one of roughly 17,000 Ukrainian children orphaned by the war in Ukraine. Many children in Ukraine have suffered since Russia invaded Ukraine. Their homes have been destroyed, families separated – and some have been abducted by Russia. Katya and her 12-year-old sister Yulia are among those who have been orphaned. The Telegraph met Katya, now 15, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where she lives with a woman who took them both in. In many ways she's a typical teenager: She shared photographs of her artwork, scrolled through her Instagram page and laughed about her sister misbehaving. But behind the deep brown eyes were signs of trauma that may never fade completely. Almost 222,800 children have been forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine. Shortly before the missile strike on the station on April 8, 2022, Katya became one of them. When Russia invaded their village Druzhkivka in Donetsk, Katya and her family were trapped in their home without a basement to hide in. She recalled sheltering at her school, her classmates' paintings falling onto the floor with every explosion, hiding for up to seven hours at a time. 'We would call our friends to let them know we were alive,' she said. 'We would make sure to tell them where we were so that if a missile hit, they would find our bodies.' After weeks of shelling, her family decided to leave everything they knew behind. Katya recalled grabbing her friendship bracelet collection before they rushed out of their home with minutes to spare. They reached Kramatorsk train station – an area supposedly safe from Russian attacks – but when Katya and her mother left the station shelter to get tea, tragedy hit. She was spattered with shrapnel as the Russian shell hit, some of which remains in her leg today, and her knee was shattered. 'My leg still hurts now. I have not recovered,' she said. At first, Katya was unaware that her mother had been killed. It wasn't until she began recovering from surgery and was given her phone back that she learned the truth. 'When I checked my phone, I saw a Facebook post from a family friend,' she explained. 'They said that my mother was killed in the attack. I learned my mother had died that way.' Even now, the number of children like Katya in Ukraine is unclear. It is impossible to record accurate figures of the number of children orphaned by the war, especially in areas under Russian occupation. 'These numbers are not just statistics: Behind each one is a specific child – carrying pain, trauma, and a life that will never be the same again,' said Daria Kasyanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. Ms Kasyanova told The Telegraph that she believes current estimates of 17,000 are far from the true toll. Children in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have suffered due to the hostilities there since 2014. 'There have been cases where children, after being deported or held in the occupied territories, were made to believe that their parents were dead,' she said. 'They were deliberately told this and placed in Russian institutions, where they were repeatedly told that no one needed them and that their parents were either dead or missing.' It is believed that Russia has forcibly transferred nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children to territories under its control, assigned them Russian citizenship, and placed them in Russian families through forced adoption. 'The child is left in a state of complete powerlessness, unable to influence the situation or protect themselves,' said Ms Kasyanova. Ms Kasyanova added that the situation in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is far more complex as it is near impossible to access affected children. Olga Leus has dedicated herself to helping these children, working long hours as a family assistant at the Children of Heroes charity foundation. At any one time, she is responsible for 320 children who have lost one or both parents, 24 hours a day. Her youngest ward is just one year old. Ms Leus' husband was shot dead by a Russian sniper outside of their home in Mariupol in 2022. His body was left in their doorway for five days while she and her two young sons, along with her mother-in-law, hid inside, unable to step outside without risking death alongside him. After burying her husband in their garden, the four fled to Kyiv. It was there that the murder of her husband and the devastation of her family fuelled her determination to support the war effort in any way possible. 'I hope I inspire them that there is life beyond this loss and that this life is not as hopeless as it seems,' she said. 'My own experience comes through when I speak to the families.' Ms Leus explained that each child requires extensive and complicated psychological support. 'Many of the people I speak with do not know what to do, where they are heading or what to do next,' she said. The Children of Heroes charity foundation has 28 psychologists specialising in anything from grief to supporting teenagers specifically. They currently support around 13,000 children. According to Ms Kasyanova, children orphaned by war suffer severe psychological issues and will require support for years to come. 'Such trauma leaves a profound imprint on the psyche, fostering feelings of helplessness, fear for one's life, anxiety about further loss, and the instinct to conceal one's true position as a means of survival,' she said. Ms Kasyanova has encountered numerous children whose parents were killed in front of them, as well as two children who were left alone with their father's body for three days until they were rescued. 'Some children, for instance, stop speaking for months, completely withdrawing into themselves,' she said, referring to that case. 'After that, work with the child begins: psychologists, speech therapists, and other specialists help them process and overcome their traumatic experiences.' Katya was taken to a series of hospitals after the death of her mother. She received numerous surgeries in Dnipro before being sent to Lviv for four months for physical rehabilitation and finally to Vinnytsia. Her happiest memory is a recovery trip sponsored by a charity to Lisbon. 'It was wonderful to see the sea. It was beautiful,' she said as she scrolled through photographs of the sun and beach on her phone. While she required support for her physical scars, her younger sister requires ongoing psychological support. 'I suffered physically, but my sister suffered a lot mentally,' said Katya. 'She has seen many doctors and psychologists.' As we returned to the topic of her mother, Katya opened another photograph on her phone. In it, her mother, dressed in a pink top, smiled softly at the camera. Katya said it is her favourite of all of the photographs she owns. 'I remember how we played games together. My mother looks so young in photographs. My mother was beautiful.' Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
18-04-2025
- Telegraph
‘I learned of my mother's death on Facebook': Traumatised orphans pay the price for Putin's war
The explosion was deafening. But before 14-year-old Katya could react, a stranger threw himself over her and everything went black. When she came to, she struggled to free herself from under the weight of the man's body. He had been killed outright in the blast but had given his life to save hers. Katya had entered the station a few minutes earlier with her mother. They were travelling together to flee the fighting in Donetsk. Now, just a few feet away, she also lay dead. 'I heard people screaming and saw injured people all around. There was blood everywhere,' she said, recalling that fateful day on 8 April 2022, which left 63 civilians dead and injured 150 others. 'There was too much going on. The man who covered me did not survive. He died from the attack. He saved me. I will never forget it.' The missile that killed 34 and injured 117 in Sumy on Sunday morning, was a near facsimile of the Russian outrage that orphaned Katya in Kramatorsk. Both were caused by ballistic missiles fired by Russia into densely packed civilian areas seemingly deliberately and with the aim of spreading terror. The missiles are notorious for their lethal precision, largely because they can deploy cluster munitions that scatter deadly shrapnel across a wide area. Locals attending Palm Sunday services in Sumy, including two children, were caught in their path. The attack has been denounced as a war crime. Katya is one of roughly 17,000 Ukrainian children orphaned by the war in Ukraine. Many children in Ukraine have suffered since Russia invaded Ukraine. Their homes have been destroyed, families separated - and some have been abducted by Russia. Katya and her 12-year-old sister Yulia, whose father died when they were young, are among those who have been orphaned. The Telegraph met Katya, now 15, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where she lives with a woman who took them both in. In many ways she's a typical teenager: She shared photographs of her artwork, scrolled through her Instagram page and laughed about her sister misbehaving. But behind the deep brown eyes were signs of trauma that may never fade completely. Almost 222,800 children have been forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine. Shortly before the missile strike on the station on April 8, 2022, Katya became one of them. When Russia invaded their village Druzhkivka in Donetsk, Katya and her family were trapped in their home without a basement to hide in. She recalled sheltering at her school, her classmates' paintings falling onto the floor with every explosion, hiding for up to seven hours at a time. 'We would call our friends to let them know we were alive,' she said. 'We would make sure to tell them where we were so that if a missile hit, they would find our bodies.' 'I have not recovered' The Telegraph met Katya, now 15, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where she lives with a woman who took them both in. In many ways she's a typical teenager: She shared photographs of her artwork, scrolled through her Instagram page and laughed about her sister misbehaving. But behind the deep brown eyes were signs of trauma that may never fade completely. Almost 222,800 children have been forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine. Shortly before the missile strike on the station on April 8, 2022, Katya became one of them. When Russia invaded their village Druzhkivka in Donetsk, Katya and her family were trapped in their home without a basement to hide in. She recalled sheltering at her school, her classmates' paintings falling onto the floor with every explosion, hiding for up to seven hours at a time. 'We would call our friends to let them know we were alive,' she said. 'We would make sure to tell them where we were so that if a missile hit, they would find our bodies.' After weeks of shelling, her family decided to leave everything they knew behind. Katya recalled grabbing her friendship bracelet collection before they rushed out of their home with minutes to spare. They reached Kramatorsk train station – an area supposedly safe from Russian attacks – but when Katya and her mother left the station shelter to get tea, tragedy hit. She was spattered with shrapnel as the Russian shell hit, some of which remains in her leg today, and her knee was shattered. 'My leg still hurts now. I have not recovered,' she said. At first, Katya was unaware that her mother had been killed. It wasn't until she began recovering from surgery and was given her phone back that she learned the truth. 'When I checked my phone, I saw a Facebook post from a family friend,' she explained. 'They said that my mother was killed in the attack. I learned my mother had died that way.' Even now, the number of children like Katya in Ukraine is unclear. It is impossible to record accurate figures of the number of children orphaned by the war, especially in areas under Russian occupation. 'These numbers are not just statistics: Behind each one is a specific child – carrying pain, trauma, and a life that will never be the same again,' said Daria Kasyanova, Chairperson of the Board of the Ukrainian Child Rights Network. Ms Kasyanova told The Telegraph that she believes current estimates of 17,000 are far from the true toll. Children in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have suffered due to the hostilities there since 2014. 'There have been cases where children, after being deported or held in the occupied territories, were made to believe that their parents were dead,' she said. 'They were deliberately told this and placed in Russian institutions, where they were repeatedly told that no one needed them and that their parents were either dead or missing.' It is believed that Russia has forcibly transferred nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children to territories under its control, assigned them Russian citizenship, and placed them in Russian families through forced adoption. 'The child is left in a state of complete powerlessness, unable to influence the situation or protect themselves,' said Ms Kasyanova. Ms Kasyanova added that the situation in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is far more complex as it is near impossible to access affected children. Olga Leus has dedicated herself to helping these children, working long hours as a family assistant at the Children of Heroes charity foundation. At any one time, she is responsible for 320 children who have lost one or both parents, 24 hours a day. Her youngest ward is just one year old. Ms Leus' husband was shot dead by a Russian sniper outside of their home in Mariupol in 2022. His body was left in their doorway for five days while she and her two young sons, along with her mother-in-law, hid inside, unable to step outside without risking death alongside him. After burying her husband in their garden, the four fled to Kyiv. It was there that the murder of her husband and the devastation of her family fuelled her determination to support the war effort in any way possible. 'I hope I inspire them that there is life beyond this loss and that this life is not as hopeless as it seems,' she said. 'My own experience comes through when I speak to the families.' Ms Leus explained that each child requires extensive and complicated psychological support. 'Many of the people I speak with do not know what to do, where they are heading or what to do next,' she said. Profound trauma The Children of Heroes charity foundation has 28 psychologists specialising in anything from grief to supporting teenagers specifically. They currently support around 13,000 children. According to Ms Kasyanova, children orphaned by war suffer severe psychological issues and will require support for years to come. 'Such trauma leaves a profound imprint on the psyche, fostering feelings of helplessness, fear for one's life, anxiety about further loss, and the instinct to conceal one's true position as a means of survival,' she said. Ms Kasyanova has encountered numerous children whose parents were killed in front of them, as well as two children who were left alone with their father's body for three days until they were rescued. 'Some children, for instance, stop speaking for months, completely withdrawing into themselves,' she said, referring to that case. 'After that, work with the child begins: psychologists, speech therapists, and other specialists help them process and overcome their traumatic experiences.' Katya was taken to a series of hospitals after the death of her mother. She received numerous surgeries in Dnipro before being sent to Lviv for four months for physical rehabilitation and finally to Vinnytsia. Her happiest memory is a recovery trip sponsored by a charity to Lisbon. 'It was wonderful to see the sea. It was beautiful,' she said as she scrolled through photographs of the sun and beach on her phone. While she required support for her physical scars, her younger sister requires ongoing psychological support. 'I suffered physically, but my sister suffered a lot mentally,' said Katya. 'She has seen many doctors and psychologists.' As we returned to the topic of her mother, Katya opened another photograph on her phone. In it, her mother, dressed in a pink top, smiled softly at the camera. Katya said it is her favourite of all of the photographs she owns. 'I remember how we played games together. My mother looks so young in photographs. My mother was beautiful.'
Buzz Feed
16-04-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
27 Organizational Products From Wayfair That'll Help You Get On Top Of Spring Cleaning
We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page. What is it about warmer temps and sunshine that makes me want to open all the windows and clean all the things? 1. A framed medicine cabinet to give a little order to your bathroom chaos. Upgrade your daily routine to start every day on the right note. Yulia / Wayfair Promising review:"We are obsessed with this surface mount med cabinet. This is the 3rd or 4th one we have purchased. It's a non-invasive install on finished walls and provides great storage and a stylish look in small spaces." — Kassy Price: $139.99+ (originally $159.99+; available in three sizes and four colors) 2. A stainless-steel motion sensor trash can you'll be thankful for when you're deep cleaning the fridge and throwing out those questionable items from wayyy in the back. Wayfair Promising review:"I love my new sensor trash can. It works beautifully and I like that I don't have to touch it or step on a pedal to open and close it. The sensor works great, it's not too sensitive. No complaints." — Beverly 3. A stylish and useful wooden spice rack that includes 18 labeled jars and — believe it or not — free spice refills for the next five years! You can finally get your spices organized, and never run out of cinnamon when you're craving French toast! Wayfair Promising review:"I was so excited when my spice rack came, it is very well- made and has a wonderful variety of spices. And there's even an order form where you sign up and you get free spices for five whole years. That is so amazing. I've never had anything like that so being able to get free spices is really a wonderful surprise bonus." — Rhonda 4. A tool holder to wrangle brooms, Swiffers, mops, and more into one tidy lineup. They're ready to go when inspiration hits and you're mopping your home and humming a tune like a true Disney princess. Promising review:"I got this for my dad and he has it in our garage. It makes it so much easier to store bulky brooms and rakes. Rather than shoving the brooms in the corner, now they are taking up less space, flat against the wall. They are organized better now and so easy to take off and put back on. This definitely helps keep things organized in a garage, shed, or basement." — Nikki 5. An entryway bench with hidden storage perfect for finally corralling your shoes, dog leashes, hats, etc. No more tripping over your life when you walk through the door. This bench keeps everything tucked away while doubling as a spot to plop down and tie your sneakers. Wayfair Promising review:"Love this hall bench! Sturdy and not too big. I purchased two more for my kids after I received it." — Judy Price: $85.99+ (originally $99.99+; available in two colors and two sizes) 6. A chic makeup organizer saves your countertop from the chaos of your seven-step skincare routine. With compartments in a variety of sizes, it has a designated spot for everything — from tall skincare bottles and makeup brushes to eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks. Your morning routine just got way more streamlined. Wayfair Promising review:"I am really enjoying my Keaisha makeup organizer. The size is perfect for the space on my counter and even though it is on the small side, it holds so much! Highly recommend." — Mary 7. A seven-piece food storage set complete with customizable labels to make your pantry look oh-so-Pinterest–worthy. Each container is perfectly sized for common pantry staples — think pasta, cereal, flour, snacks, and more — and the airtight lids keep everything fresh and organized. Promising review:"Love this seven piece storage set! This was my first set purchased. Have since bought others. My son likes to use these for storing his cookies, muffins, crackers, cereal, nuts, snacking foods. My dogs get excited when they see me grab one with their treats inside! Great for storing pasta, coffee, flour, sugar, spices, seasoning, and gravy packets." — Carol 8. A sturdy metal storage shelf strong enough to hold all your bins, boxes, and borderline hoarder supplies. Great for the garage, basement, or anywhere you're in need of vertical storage salvation. Wayfair 9. An under-the-bed storage bag with handles and a clear plastic cover for safely tucking away bulky sweaters until it's time to rewatch Gilmore Girls next fall. Wayfair 10. A water-resistant, lockable deck box keeps your outdoor essentials dry and secure rain or shine. Bonus: it doubles as extra seating or a surface for your iced tea during springtime lounging. Wayfair Promising review:"I ended up buying four deck boxes, which are easy to assemble. Lots of storage for the outdoors, and great for all mail packages and seat benches, and looks decent. I have delivered groceries and put them in these boxes. So many uses, and they look great." — Roy 11. A six-drawer storage chest to tidy up your arts and crafts supplies to have a mini Michael's right at home. Wayfair Promising review:"Perfect! This storage bin has large and small storage and fits neatly in the kitchen. We had all the crafting supplies in one box and it was hard to find things. It's pretty sturdy. I opted to leave the wheels off." — Juanita 12. A set of six vacuum-seal bags shrinks your bulky clothes, bedding, or seasonal decor into neat, stackable packs. Watching them deflate is weirdly satisfying, too. Wayfair Promising review:"I live in a small home and don't have a lot of storage space. These bags are wonderful. Big quilts, pillows, and blankets can be easily stored under my bed." — Cheri 13. A sliding pot organizing rack to stop clanging around every pot and pan to find the small saucepan. Just slide, grab, and go, and your kitchen will feel like a cooking show set. Promising review:"I love this organizer! My goal in my new kitchen was to not have lids sliding all over the cabinets and not have 4-5 pans piled on top of one another. This organizer works perfectly. I can remove one pan without having to disturb anything else. I keep my most used lids here and I love that everything is easy to find and grab. The slide out feature works well. It was very easy to install. As others have stated, I wish it had another divider or two, but it's still a great product at a good price. Thank you!" — Cheryl 14. A stacking silverware holder that uses half the space of a regular tray while holding just as much. You'll feel like you've unlocked a kitchen cheat code. Wayfair 15. A skinny rolling cart to make use of the small awkward spaces in your home. Use it in the laundry room, kitchen, bathroom, closet, or really anywhere to fully utilize every inch of storage space available. Promising review:"This thing is just the best! I've got it in the laundry room in the space between my dryer and the wall, which would otherwise be wasted space. It rolls in and out very easily and stores quite a bit. Very happy with my purchase!" — Ellen 16. A 12-tier over-the-door shoe organizer that can hold up to 36 (!!!) pairs of shoes and keep them accessible while also out of the way and off the floor. You'll finally have the space to justify one more pair (or five). Promising review:"I really like this! It fits perfectly on my door and accommodates all my shoes (except tall boots). I had it put together by myself within five minutes. It's been in use for nearly a week now, and I haven't had the problem some people have had with the rack lifting away from the door and the shoes sliding off. It's very firmly against the door without any additional attachment methods." — Kelsey 17. A honeycomb-inspired drawer divider to keep the small but essential items in your sock/underwear drawer from getting lost wayyyy in the back, never to be seen again. It's also a perfect excuse to finally toss those beloved-but-holey socks. Promising review:"Great! I was a little unsure when I ordered but this organizer was just what I needed. I bought two sets for two drawers. One for socks one for undies. I have one partition left over from each set. I am trying to minimize my stuff and these really helped to put my overabundance into perspective. A great buy on my part!" — Marcella 18. A 16-piece set of refrigerator bins that'll tame your unruly fridge or pantry and find your snacks without playing hide and seek. Plus, it's like meal prep motivation in container form. Promising review:"I'm using the containers in my pantry and fridge. It is a great way to reach in and grab like items all at once. Starting my year off and checking my resolutions on my list — organizing everything!" — Lisa 19. A set of shelves to wrangle your growing collection of emotional support water bottles. Now buying new ones? (Nah.) Promising review:"I am SO HAPPY with this. We have so many water bottles and going into this cabinet is a bit of a death trap, normally…but this simple shelf has made it nice and tidy. A pleasure! It's nothing fancy, and my water bottles don't match like the item photo (lol), but it's solid and the shelves click into place securely. Highly recommend!" — Lara 20. A sleek file folder bin because spring time is also tax time, and this is the perfect spot to keep all those documents that seem important. (Who knows if you'll actually need a paper copy of that ever again. 🤷) Wayfair Promising review:"I downsized and had to do away with my file cabinets so I bought a few of these. They match the room decor perfectly and provide enough storage for my hanging files. Sturdy and well-made." — Patrice 21. A cute over-the-toilet cabinet turns wasted wall space into sneaky storage for bathroom must-haves. Cleaning supplies? Hidden. Style? Elevated. Promising review:"Very nice! This cabinet looks good in my bathroom and is easy to assemble. I love the little windows at the top. One thing I do suggest is to mount it to the wall because if you don't, it will move and won't be sturdy to go in and out of the cabinets." — Dawn 22. A velvet-y, machine-washable slipcover to breathe new life into your well-loved couch by covering up pesky stains and scratches (and protect from any new ones). Plus, it's a great excuse to try a bold new color! Wayfair Promising review:"This slipcover is the nicest and most reasonably priced I have ever I've bought many! I am using it on a sleeper sofa in guest room. It fits perfectly. The fabric is VERY soft and velvety. Truly makes the sofa look brand new, and so inviting you want to take a nap on it! Initially, I was skeptical about price vs. quality. But, if you want excellent quality for a good price, buy these!" — Wayfair reviewer 23. A set of shelves for your desk brings a little zen to your WFH life. With several tiers and compartments, it's perfect for organizing pens, notebooks, sticky notes, and even cute plants or calming knickknacks. Who knows? That unread email might actually find you well. Wayfair 24. A closet system starter kit is the new home for your fresh spring wardrobe. It includes two adjustable hanging rods and 10 shelves, giving you tons of flexibility to create the closet of your dreams. This is your first step to closet envy (even if you're the only one who sees it). Promising review:"This is so perfect for my bedroom. I didn't want another clothes cabinet with doors. It will be so easy to change the clothes over to summer or winter. The things you will mostly want out for that season are easily accessible for those months, and are not squashed in with all the clothes. I use the left side of the lower bar to hang light blankets over and small boxes are behind on the floor. Plenty of shelves to use for all my stuff! I love the design and is very sturdy. My unit expanded to 78 inches. It is nice that it came with plastic squares to set on the shelves, otherwise, I would have put cardboard squares. I did put the security straps on for extra safety. Super idea! I would recommend this item to everyone, be it in the bedroom or laundry room. Very handy." — Lynn Price: $119.99+ (originally $139.99; available in two colors) 25. A peg board that's infinitely customizable to fit your needs. Whether it's tools in the garage, craft supplies, or your mug collection in the kitchen, this board makes it all look intentional. Disney mugs, we're looking at you. Jamie / Wayfair, WR / Wayfair Promising review:"We have a small kitchen and wanted to free up cabinet space. These steel pegboards were the trick I needed! They were very easy to install. Our studs were not in the correct spot for where we wanted them, so we used the drywall anchors, which were very sturdy. I have four cast iron pans plus our Calphalon pans, and it hasn't budged. This set doesn't come with hooks, so I ordered those elsewhere. Highly recommend, and I will consider these again if we need more wall storage in our home or garage." — Evelyn Price: $46.99+ (available in nine colors) 26. An over-the-door cabinet organizer to keep your most-reached-for cleaners and sponges ready to go at a moment's notice. Wayfair Promising review:"Great quality for such a simple concept! I really appreciate the interior rubber lining that prevents door-top damage via long-term scraping of the hanging hooks." — Michael Price: $16.99 (originally $32.99) 27. A bike rack because they take up SO much space and topple over like dominoes. Keep them out of the way but easy to grab and enjoy every warm day after the loooong winter months. Wayfair, Elaine / Wayfair One genius reviewer also used this rack to hold up their ladder and brooms! Promising review:"This bike rack was very fast and easy to install. It came with two racks. We hung one low enough so that kids can easily get down their bikes themselves. It will be so nice to now have our bikes out of the way since our garage is storing so much already." — Nicole Price: $50.33 (originally $69.99) Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
