Five Home Organization Trends with Staying Power

We know that home organization trends come and go, and come back again. Some stick, some fade away after a very short period of time. Such is the nature of trends, which is why we are writing this article: we want you to have five tips that will never fail you when it comes to home organization. Classic organizational advice, if you will, that will never go out of style.

Timeless Home Organizing Trends

In the case of organization, to be timeless, a tip, trick, or trend has to work and function again and again, on a continual basis — and on top of that, work well and remain effective over the long haul. We did some searching and although we propose different organizational routes for different personality types, our aim is always the same: do whatever works for you. That’s why we include a little section called ‘Universal Solutions’ before every chapter in our book, Organize Your Way: Simple Strategies for Every Personality.

So sit back with some tea, and read all about the universal ways in which anyone, including you, can organize their homes. The advice might sound familiar, but tried and true often is your best bet when it comes to home organization.

Keep colors neutral if in doubt

It’s fine to let your colors shine if that’s your style, but if you are indecisive about which color scheme to go with for your home office or kitchen, know that neutrals are always in style. Neutral colors are not just browns and beiges anymore, either. The colors are typically different shades of beige, brown, black, white and gray. These colors can come in warm (richer and with more orange in them) or cool (icier with more blue in them) tones, and you can mix and match them in very interesting ways.

For example, imagine an off white kitchen wall with black window trim and a rustic brown wooden farmhouse table in the middle. These are all neutral colors that can work well together. We are talking more decor here than organization, but both are equally important, as they influence the other. The way you paint and decorate your kitchen will affect what sort of hanging hooks you’ll put up for utensils or pots and pans. What sort of magnet system, or bulletin board you might purchase to pin grocery lists on, etc.

Think vertically for storage

This is not just a golden rule for those with tiny living spaces — it’s a must for everyone who aspires to get and stay organized. Particularly for types who pile as a way of keeping things organized, mounted baskets or filing systems can work wonders. The reason vertical storage is so necessary is that floor space will become chaotic and cluttered faster than it takes to say ‘boo’. Vertical storage can keep spaces feeling less cluttered and more open, which can be soothing and calming.

Think about every room in your house and how it could potentially benefit from ‘going vertical’. The nursery, for example. Picture an open shelf (attached to the wall, of course) that is expressly for Barbie dolls. Make a game with your child of setting the dolls sitting up on the shelves, and you’ve got yourself a retro-style piece of art, instead of a bruise on your knee from tripping over a pile of these plastic icons. Your bathroom? Please. How much wall space do you have? And how much junk is in your medicine cabinet? And how much makeup is cluttering that said cabinet? It’s time for a) a purge and b) a mounted shelf where you can organise by item. Perhaps using shelf dividers and things like tiny cups to hold your makeup brushes. Just imagine the lack of chaos. Doesn’t it feel like a deep breath of fresh air?

Decluttering

Decluttering, or purging, has always been on every household’s To Do list. It’s just tough for some to actually carry out this exercise. We use that term because decluttering is not a one shot deal — it requires dedication, planning, and follow-through, because it happens periodically, not just once. Think of decluttering as toning a muscle. If you stop suddenly for a period of time, the formerly toned muscle will become atrophied, and all that work that you did will fall away. Does this sound familiar?

We have a number of decluttering techniques and tips for each personality type in our book, but a few primary and all-encompassing ones are: a) Schedule purges annually or bi-annually, or monthly — as long as you are consistent, it doesn’t matter how often you declutter. Just get it done. b) If you have trouble letting go of things, solicit help from a trusted friend, or make a Later Box. A Later Box is something you can fill with things you just cannot part with but are taking up space in the functional areas of your house. Put the box in the attic and revisit it after some time has passed. You might be more ready to let go of those things then. c) Think about how much you actually use the things that are cluttering your space, and then think about how useful they might be to someone less fortunate. Donate. Donate to whatever organization you choose, but donate when you purge, and this should help with some of the desire to hold onto things.

Color code your filing system

This one is easy. Just find colored folders that you like and label them into categories. HGTV suggests this tactic: Green = Financial, Red = Medical, Orange = Personal, Yellow = Insurance, Blue = House, etc. Obviously you can code them however you like, but for a few personality types (Funs, we are looking at you), color-coding is the way to go if you’re looking to keep things simple.

Organize your books

If you have the money to do built-ins, by all means, do it. Having random bookshelves all around the house means having disorganized books laying around and not knowing where they ultimately go. One entire wall in one room devoted to bookshelves, or two walls in one room, or one wall in two rooms  — you get the idea — will help you keep all your books together. Organize these by genre, size, or color, but avoid alphabetizing. No one does this anymore, and unless you’re a Classic Structure, you won’t benefit from bending over and scanning the titles to find what you’re looking for. Besides, it makes the books look messy and disorganized, and aesthetics are important, too.

These are only a few home organization tactics we’ve come up with to keep things tidy around the house, but rest assured, they’ll prove useful time and again when it comes to maintaining order.