It starts by knowing which organization mistakes you need to avoid to make sure your home looks its best. Here are the top organization mistakes everyone makes, and how you can fix them and organize your life.

1. Storing Clothes Out of Season

One big organizational mistake we see all the time is keeping clothes in your closet that are out of season. You may be asking why you shouldn’t keep all your clothes in your closet all year round. This is a good question that also has a simple answer.

The reason is that clothes can quickly take up a lot of space. This is especially true when it comes to winter coats and other seasonal items. Parkas and winter coats may look luxurious after Labor Day, but they look out of place in the middle of July.

It’s hard to make your closet look organized when it’s so full that it’s about to burst. Make room in your closet to give your clothes and your closet room to breathe. Store your winter clothes away during the spring and summer months to make more room in your closet for a cohesive and organized look you can love all year round. Not only will your closet look better, it will also be easier to find seasonally appropriate clothes for your outfit too.

2. Holding on to Things You Don’t Wear

Another organizing mistake people make is hanging onto things they don’t use or wear. We know it can be hard to let things go, but you’re not doing yourself, or your closet, any favors by holding on to clothes that either don’t fit, need to be repaired, or you just don’t like anymore.

Go through your closet and perform an inventory of your wardrobe. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing for six months to a year, it’s probably time to donate or recycle it. You don’t need space in your life taken up by things that just weigh you down. Clear out your closet to make room for you to organize the clothes you actually care about.

3. Letting Piles Pile Up

No matter how nicely you stack things, a pile is still a pile. This is true whether it’s your clothes, mail, papers, or books. A mantra for good organization is “a place for everything and everything in its place.” A pile is not a good place for anything.

Items in piles can’t look organized because that’s obviously not where they belong. By adding bins and other storage solutions to your closet or home, you can keep lose items like scarfs, belts, bracelets, and more organized and out of sigh.

Even if your pile is more of a stack, it’s important not to let it get too high. Depending on the clothes, a stack on your closet shelf should never go more than three or four items high. Once you reach a certain height, it stops looking organized and looks more like you don’t have a place for all your clothes.

4. Clutter That is Out of Control

Clutter can be tricky because of the way it sneaks up on us. It starts as a shoebox or shopping bag here and there. Before you know it, there are things commandeering every closets in the house. Even if you’ve carefully arranged each knick-knack, a closets packed to the brim doesn’t look organized. It looks like you have too much stuff!

Try to pare down your items so there are only a few, specially selected things occupying each shelf. That doesn’t mean there isn’t space for your little Picasso’s masterpiece. It means you should be discerning with your decorations to make sure you see all your bric-a-brac in its best light. You can also teach your kids how to be clutter busters and build good habits.

5. Using Your Closet as a Storage Unit

We’ve all been there before. A few extra boxes, maybe some holiday decorations, or a Halloween costume make their way into your closet for a quick fix, with promises that you’ll move them later.

A few days turn into a few weeks, which turns into a few months. More things keep getting added to the closet. Before you know it, you don’t have any room for your clothes!

There is plenty of storage space in your home you didn’t know you had, which means there’s no excuse to let junk pile up in your closet. Save your closet for your clothes instead of turning it into a glorified storage unit.

Let Closets by Design Find Your Organization Solution

It’s easy to make a lot of these simple organization mistakes. That’s why sometimes the best solution is to trust the professionals! A professional designer with Closets by Design can help you set up the perfect system to organize your home and make sure it stays that way. Schedule your complimentary appointment with Closets by Design and start getting organized today!

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It turns out that the colors and shades we surround ourselves with can have a profound impact on our lives. In fact, the colors in your home do more than reveal your personality traits; they can affect the mood and behavior of you and your guests.

Depending on the room and how you use it, you may want to adjust the color of your cabinets and closets to better reflect what you want from your space.

Here is what you need to know about what your cabinet color is saying and how you can pick the right color to perfectly complement your home.

Browns and Woodgrains Convey Security and Sincerity

Brown is a popular color when it comes to cabinets and closets. However, this isn’t just because of the materials! Brown is a color people find in nature, so wood grains and browns can communicate feelings of security and reliability. This is a big reason why browns go a long way to helping your house feel like home!

Decorating your home with a lighter woodgrain can help conjure a feeling of genuineness in your room. Meanwhile, darker browns evoke a natural warmth in the home that also communicates comfort. Be sure to balance browns with other, brighter colors to create a room that feels both positive and protective.

Use Warm Colors to Create Cheerful Rooms

When planning a color scheme for your home, it’s important to consider what you want to achieve with each room. Is this a room for quiet and relaxation or a lively living room where people gather and talk? Make sure you’re choosing the right color for your cabinets to send the right message.

For example, if you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, especially with your family, then you may want to opt for a motif that is bright, cheerful, and conducive to happy and positive attitudes while cooking and eating.

Lighter and brighter colors on the warmer end of the spectrum convey a sense of happiness and well-being that can extend to both you and your guests. These include reds, yellows, and oranges to help you feel active and alert.

Bold Black Represents Elegance and Perfection

Black is always a bold choice when it comes to colors. There’s no question that black is always a strong statement, but the choice to go with black also reveals a lot about you and your own personality. If you love the look of a sleek black finish for your cabinets, then you may be a powerful perfectionist at heart!

While some people may view black with negative connotations, many people see black as symbolizing power, elegance, and formality. Another great thing about black is that it goes with everything! Just like how your “little black dress” is the most versatile piece of clothing in your closet, black cabinets and doors are the perfect complement to any room.

White is a Blank Canvas for Purity and Goodness

White is another option that says a lot with a minimalist look. Traditionally, white has come to symbolize purity and innocence in Western culture. This is a major reason why the color is so associated with wedding dresses. But it wasn’t always that way!

Actually, white wasn’t a popular color for wedding dresses until 1840, when Queen Victoria wore a white dress when she married Prince Albert. At the time, white was worn as a color for mourning. Of course, once the royals started a new trend, everyone wanted to get on board, just like today!

And white does more than represent a world of possibilities and a fresh start for every room. White also has a practical application by making rooms feel larger and more spacious. This is especially helpful if you’re dealing with an apartment or smaller room.

Connect with a Designer to Find the Right Color For You!

What do you think you want your cabinets and closets to say about you? Do you already have an idea of the kinds of colors you want to work with on your next upgrade? That means it’s time to speak with a professional Designer at Closets by Design! Schedule your free design consultation and find the perfect palette for your home today!

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Closets often become cluttered and disorganized, containing not only clothes and accessories, but anything that doesn’t have its own place somewhere else in the house.

Would your dream closet really have golf clubs or soccer balls snuggled up next to your shoes? Maybe it’s time to actually design your closet space to get maximum usability, beauty and function.

Closets by Design has been helping people organize closets and other home storage areas for over 30 years by providing custom designs tailored to specific needs. It all starts with a free, in-home design consultation.

Our Designers Come to You

Rather than trying to access your needs with an online questionnaire, we send an experienced, professional designer to your home to spend approximately two hours focused on determining your specific needs. You may have definite ideas going in or you may be wide open for suggestion, like these clients:

• “I had no idea what I wanted in my closets. She came out, looked at the space in each closet and asked questions as to how the closets were being used and what my needs were. As she was designing she showed me what she was doing. The finished product is great.”
• “I didn’t want to have to deal with anything. Just knew I needed a better closet ASAP.”
• “With small spaces, she explained my limitations and helped me work within them.”
• “Really was able to help us maximize our space and keep the costs down.”

The ultimate goal is to design the perfect closet for your needs, to your specifications, reflecting your personal style.

In other words, to design a closet you will love.

Design With an Eye to Function, Style and Budget

Closets by Design offers three custom closet designs: Everyday, Classic and Regency, each offering an array of custom options and features.

Your design consultant will show you the range of our products, photographs of styles and designs as well as samples of the materials and the finishes available so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting, ensuring that your system will compliment your home’s style.

Your consultant will work with you on every detail so that the final design is the perfect closet system to meet your needs and beautify your home while staying within your budget.

Schedule your consultation today!

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Personalized Design Considerations

While your lifestyle will dictate what is in your closet, e.g., business suits, workout gear, and casual or formal wear, you have options for how to manage your wardrobe and design your closet. For instance:

• Shoes and boots: shelves, hanging bags, marked boxes or a shoe wall/shelves
• Folded sweaters/shirts/jeans: Shelves for stacking or pull-out drawers
• Pants: Fold-over hangers or full-length hangers
• Purses and hats: Stacking shelves or wall hooks
• Hangers: Color coded and space saving
• Individual garment bags or space bags for storage
• Accessory drawers for scarves, gloves, jewelry, sunglasses
• Belt and tie hangers
• Foot stool or ladder to reach high shelves
• One or two-tiered garment rods, valet rods
• Standing or tilt-out hampers
• Additional lighting

If you have a large walk-in closet or entire room, you may even consider the options of an island containing shelves or drawers, a storage bench or ottoman, dressing table, boudoir chair, full-length mirror, glass display cases, fancy chandelier, luggage storage, pullout packing table, wall-mounted or pullout ironing board, or a security drawer for valuables (check out the closets of the rich and famous!).

As you can see, there are many options to discuss with a design expert to help you achieve the most perfectly matched closet features specifically suited to you.

From Dream Design to Closet Completion

The time you spend with your Closets by Design consultant is the first step toward relieving the stress of closet and storage chaos. Complete organizational relief is in sight!

Once the design is finalized and all measurements are confirmed, your custom closet is built in our own state-of-the-art factory to ensure highest quality construction and best value. Each unit is built to your specifications and a Closets by Design installation team will install the units quickly and professionally.

All installers are bonded, licensed and insured employees of Closets by Design; we never send contract labor to your home. Most installations take just one day and can be accomplished within 7-10 days after final design agreement.

Don’t wait any longer to get organized! It’s as easy as a phone call. We also design storage systems for garage, home office, kitchen pantry, laundry, utility and hobby rooms and more.

Call 1-888-500-9215 to set up your free, in-home consultation or use the online form at http://closetsbydesign.com/ScheduleRequests.

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