A week of overcast skies and daily thunderstorms has kept me close to home this week. I have been attacking long neglected closets with a vengeance. In the past, several readers have asked how I store all of my various home decor accessories. My answer was “a little here and a little there” and this was not a great solution. I thought about how various shops I really loved displayed their wares and came up with my own solution on how to organize home decor accessories.
How To Organize Home Decor Accessories
- Empty out your closets and cupboards containing all of your home decor accessories.
- Pare down decor by eliminating/donating any items you no longer want.
- Select a designated closet, clean and paint it if necessary.
- Place a cushioned liner on the shelves that will hold breakable objects.
- Group like items together. This can be done by color, height, what purpose they serve, etc.
- Put trays to use to contain various collections.
- Store messy materials in covered bins. I like clear bins so you can see the contents.
So let me start with the first item on the list by sharing my shame.
Empty out your closets and cupboards containing all of your home decor accessories.
Yes, this was my guest room closet. Insert red face of shame emoji.
When my cousin L came to stay a few weeks ago she literally couldn’t even hang up her clothes because of the numerous gift bags, tablecloths, plates on the floor, and other general mayhem contained within it. She accused me of hiding Jimmy Hoffa. I told her I was channeling my inner Monica Geller from Friends.
Select a designated closet, clean and paint it if necessary.
I had my home decor accessories spread out over three various closets. This caused a lot of problems when I was trying to find something. Such as, the closets would get torn apart when I was frantically searching for an item, and in my haste the clutter was not repaired, leaving a big mess. It was also frustrating because sometimes I couldn’t find what I was looking for so I would have to go buy it again. #spanishmoss
By selecting just one closet I am hoping this will eliminate those two areas of frustration.
I chose a closet of shelves in the family room that wasn’t being used to the best of its ability. It had recently been cleaned and painted after we had our new flooring installed.
The storage is very generous as the shelves go beyond just what you can see in the doorway. The top and bottom spaces allow for the storage of tall objects.
Pare down decor by eliminating/donating any items you no longer want.
Three large boxes were filled with objects that I donated to a local thrift store. Most of the items had not been used in several years; puffy fabric photo album anyone? Don’t worry, I kept the dog. He’s the best accessory.
Place a cushioned liner on the shelves that will hold breakable objects.
Using a non-adhesive shelf liner on some of the shelves provides a cushioned surface for your glass and ceramic accessories. It’s just a quick and simple way to provide a bit of extra care for breakables.
Group like items together. This can mean color, height, what purpose they serve.
Here I gathered together various small pieces of artwork that I use in vignettes and seasonal decor.
Put trays to use to contain various collections.
Repurpose the trays that are currently not in use to help contain similar objects. Here a long white tray holds various pictures frames.
Store messy materials in covered bins.
Earlier, I alluded to buying Spanish moss on more than one occasion. I like to use this material in my fall and spring-themed decor but boy is it messy. By placing it in covered bins the untidiness is contained. This method works well for single floral and fauna stems too.
The end result of having a designated accessory closet has brought me such happiness and contentment. It will make decorating my home so much easier. Although the overall look maybe not be “pin-worthy” you can see how I grouped tall items on the ground and contained different groupings in bins and boxes.
Do you have designated closets in your home?
Laura
Great job! I have been purging and purging since we moved. We had a giant closet that was more than two doors wide in the last house that was mine. No such thing here…plus, I just had far too much stuff. Purging is making me take a hard look at what we really love and what was just hanging around. I like your idea of adding a little padding to the shelves.
I know you feel great having accomplished this task! I do have a designated closet for seasonal decor, but right now it has been overrun with Shelley’s stuff for her dorm. All the dorm stuff will be gone on Tuesday, so maybe I can reorganize it later next week.
Great job, Laura!
I do have designated closets, but I went and took a look and realized they are in bad shape. I’ll be re-doing them soon. Thanks for the inspiration.
Looks great Laura. I too have designated areas for such things. While not all in one place, it works. I have a closet for entertaining, my grandmother’s chest contains all my small seasonal items (Christmas is stored all together on shelves in the basement), my foyer chest holds all my candles/candle holders, and a cabinet in the basement all my glassware (vases and such). Need to get through my niece’s bridal shower tomorrow, but then plan to go room by room and weed out as our neighborhood garage sale is next month. Hope you stay dry this weekend.
I’m sure glad you kept the dog!
Great job. Everything looks fabulous. I have a big shelve area in the garage. I just need to organize it better.
Good advice, Laura! I have so much stuff to go through and so many decisions to be made. 🙂
Great post! Gotta go – I’m off to organize my decor, hahaha!
I wish! This was good inspiration, tho! mary in Az
Awesome organizing ideas! Thank you! Also I’m praying for you and your family ahead of Hurricane Harvey. Hope you, your family and friends and your home remain safe!!!! Love from Pennsylvania ❤️
Janet for some reason I could not respond to you personally. Thank you for your prayers. We have both friends and family members near the Texas coast. They know our doors here at Storybook Cottage are open to them. The rain has stopped today but due to start up again and we are specifically praying that the levees hold.
I have often wondered how you store all your decor items. Now I know. Thank you. I most enjoy your posts on organization, something i struggle with, and the ones on home improvement like your recent tiling job which looks fantastic. Also, I am wishing you an event-free passing of Hurricane Harvey.
Great tips, Laura. Don’t feel too embarrassed by your before picture… I bet most of us have one of those closets.
Pinning for reference! Hope your weekend is going well.
Cecilia
Bravo for you! This is something I sorely need to do (my guests have the same closet problem which holds all the table linens and I really don’t need that many, the gift bags and who knows what else!) I like the idea of repurposing unused trays. Very smart. Every so often I tackle the so-called linen closet which is sheets, yes, but some of the home decor. And looking to donate a good bit of those things soon as you are.
A never ending process but you do it well!
Oh lordy, you just made me want to organize my decor closet. Wow, isn’t it funny that we even have “decor” closets? HAHA