By 
Every few months, I go through a phase in which I decide I’m going to organize my home even better than I did the last few times this spirit overtook me. For me, this usually involves snooping around online, seeing what magical products are available to fix my entire life, and buying them on the spot. The truth is, there are a lot of organizational tools out there for every room and need—but some are better than others. Of course, that’s subjective, but as someone who has bought so many of these shelves, storage containers, and random organizers, I want to share the ones that have made the biggest difference for me.
Big, open shelves
I am a big believer in the concept of “storage as decoration,” which is party by necessity (I live in a small space) and partly by vanity (I have a nice things and they deserve to be out in the open). I’m also the kind of person whose object permanence is a little shaky, at least when it comes to what I own. If my accessories, clothes, tools, or whatever else aren’t at least a little visible, I can forget I have them.
One of the smartest things I did two years ago was pick up some big shelves for my living room area. Keeping everything in containers that are hidden away is great for a decluttered look, but for me, having my possessions well-organized and within reach is better for functionality. I am a stickler about my decorating and color scheme, so I got these pink ones:
By sticking with the color scheme I like, I trick myself into using the products more often. I have noticed that when I had shelving units that I bought just because they were cheap but they didn’t match my decor, I didn’t use them as much. Some people—my mother—would say that is ridiculous, but the first step to organizing is actually figuring out how you can maximize the use of your stuff by attuning your strategy to your personality. I am not always a practical, pragmatic person. I’m dedicated to whimsy and quick hits of joy. When I stopped fighting to turn myself into someone more rigid and embraced that about myself, everything got easier. Pink shelves it is.
Cube shelving everywhere else
I’ve mentioned this before, but cube shelves are an absolute necessity for me. For the most part, I do try to stick with organizational principles that say similar items must be stored together and should each have a designated spot, so having shelving units that are divided up makes it easier to hyper-categorize things. It also helps me declutter, since I know there is just one small cube’s worth of space for each category, so I have to be discerning about what I keep and buy.
I have cube shelving in my closet, underneath where my dresses and jumpsuits hang, to make the most of all the empty space. I also have a row in my kitchen, which helps me keep utensils and tools in order (and gives me a little extra workspace along the top). You can get a 12-cuber for $39.99, but mess around with the configurations to figure out which amount is right for you.
A free-standing clothing rack
Try as I might, I can’t fit all my clothes into my closet—at least not in a way that keeps them wrinkle-free or organized in any meaningful sense. A year ago, I just gave up and ordered a clothing rack. Again, this sets me up for a “storage as decoration” approach, so I wanted to make sure it was nice enough to be out in the open. I got a beautiful gold one on which I keep my nicest dresses and my coats, freeing up space in the closet and displaying a bit of finery (or at least that’s what I tell myself).
This has been a lifesaver for me because big dresses take up so much closet space and squishing them in is a terrible idea if I want them to look nice when it comes time to wear them. The gold tone is pretty, not tacky like the standard-issue silver one I used to have in my old apartment, and the built-in shelf is perfect for shoes that don’t necessarily fit anywhere else, like over-the-knee boots.
A shoe tree
I recommend over-the-door shoe racks a lot and I do stand by that recommendation because making use of the wasted space behind the door of your closet is a smart organizational choice. You can put all kinds of things in those, too, like belts, scarves, gloves, and other tiny accessories. Still, I love—love—my shoe tree because it holds so many more shoes than an over-door rack and takes up such little space.
Right now, the one I got is under $40 for a rack that holds 24 pairs of shoes vertically. It spins, so I can easily access the ones in the back, and it holds them upside down so they maintain their structure. I put all my nice shoes on here and stick my everyday ones in the pocketed over-door holders. This was my first major purchase when I first moved into my own apartment and this thing has lasted for six years and been consistently helpful ever since.
Nermeen Nabil Khear