Judy Gilroy: 'If we get organised we spend more time enjoying our space'

Shopping more thoughtfully prompted the Ireland AM fashion stylist to devise her eco-friendly and versatile storage collection

Thu, 22 Jun, 2023 - 18:42

Carol O’Callaghan

I hadn't really thought about this, but good fridge storage means being able to see exactly what you have, so there’s less food waste and more focused supermarket shopping.

It is something I am discussing with Judy Gilroy, Ireland AM’s face of fashion for the last 10 years, who has developed Clossy, a collection of storage containers bringing order around the home.

Launching the collection — and in the midst of a full schedule of styling Christmas fashion shoots (yes, in June) — the Virgin Media Television morning show personality is telling me how and why a successful fashion stylist decided to venture into interiors.

“I was still working during covid doing fashion on Ireland AM with mannequins rather than models,” she says, “but I started doing home hacks on my Instagram and really saw that people were just as interested in my house as the dresses I was showing.”

These versatile containers keep drawer contents under control and items segregated by type.

Like the rest of us home birds with a love of order, she was tuning into home organisation shows and restocking videos, but she says: “When I went to organise my own home, places selling storage were very disorganised.

“I found myself wading through containers. I had to go to the supermarket for one and another store for something else. There wasn’t one company that had everything I wanted in one place.”

This set the wheels in motion to design a range of storage containers to corral everything from toys to cosmetics, and kitchen cupboards, bedrooms and bathrooms.

“I wanted to be able to provide for every area of the home, but I started with the kitchen,” she explains.

“I find it’s really helped me. It cuts down on waste. If you can see what you have, you buy less.”

Handy cylindrical jars with wooden lids store biscuits, tea and coffee, sugar and other dry kitchen staples, sitting in style on an open shelf.

Referencing her own food buying, she says: “We shop more thoughtfully now. The berry drawer means we have washed berries to hand. It’s easier to pick a berry rather than a biscuit.”

And the containers are made of transparent plastic so everything is easy to see.

Judy assures me they’re food-safe, BPA-free and recyclable should you ever decide to dispose of them, but versatility and multi-function make future disposal unlikely.

Any recycling would simply amount to repurposing from room to room as needs change. I’ve tested out a selection chosen with the fridge specifically in mind, but already I’ve moved one container to a cupboard to marshal a selection of unruly condiments hiding behind taller oil and vinegar bottles. I love the practicality and multi-function, and hoping for a future free of locating long-lost pots of jam growing fur.

Other features include stackable containers for narrow, more vertical spaces or placed side-by-side in more horizontal, wide spaces. Dividers can be slotted in and adjusted as needed or removed altogether.

At the moment, I have the happy dilemma of deciding whether I put them in the under-sink cupboard or in the bathroom for makeup.

Plumbing can make the under-sink cupboard tricky to organise, but stackable storage keeps everything moisture-free and orderly.

You can buy just one product or a preconfigured bundle for a particular area or function — a beauty bundle, for example, or a fridge bundle.

Judy does her own multi-functional approach using larger containers with handles for storing her toddler Stella’s items, under the sink for cleaning materials, and bringing order to the medicine cabinet.

“We look at these amazing homes on TV but we can all have a slice of our own dream home with a clearout,” she says. “It’s something we can all do today. We don’t have to wait for a builder. And it will feel a million times better. It’s a simple idea that if we all get organised we spend less time cleaning up and more time enjoying our space.”

Typically, storage purchase is motivated by necessity, but this collection’s combination of practicality, versatility and style offers gift-giving potential.

Larger containers bring order to children's belongings, with everything visible for easy access.

I’d be looking at a starter bundle for €70. For more of a splurge, the pantry bundle retails at €230 with 10 everywhere containers and 12 glass jars of multiple sizes.

Extensive though the collection is already, Judy has closet storage next on her list to delight fashionistas with bulging wardrobes but no will to dispose of anything

First, though, for inefficient suitcase packers, myself included, Judy has just rolled out her Clossy Cubes for summer trips. “It’s a set of six cubes,” she says. “It means Stella and I can share a case but our things are separate and easy to find.”

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