Clutter never feels good, and as we prepare for bringing out the flannel sheets and wooly throws and all the wintry decor items that come with fall decorating, organizing your home during a seasonal change actually feels right. Whether you're heading back to the office, kids are heading back to school, or you're just staying put working from home, an organized space can feel like the reset you need to kick off a new season, a new job, or just a new schedule. We rounded up some designer inspo for clearing the floor and finding spaces for backpacks, fall jackets, keys, mail, kids' artwork, even hula-hoops. Happy organizing!
Baskets And Hooks
House of Jade Interiors | Becky Kimball Photography
"As we approach back-to-school season we are seeing more and more of our clients trying to carve out designated spaces for their kids to do schoolwork in their homes. Whether it's a desk in the kitchen or a separate homework room it feels nice to have a landing zone for all of the papers, backpacks and school projects to live," says Kirsten Krason from House of Jade Interiors.
Minimize clutter by prioritizing what you want to keep, display, and hide for later use. Baskets are a great way to keep smaller items off tables, desks, consoles, and others surfaces you might use regularly. Making sure they're uniform can make them more visually appealing too.
Living With Lolo | Photo: Life Created
Hooks, especially in the bathroom and entryway, are an organized way to keep things off the floors. Got kids? Keep hooks low to the ground so they can hang up their own jackets, backpacks, and more, saving you the time and stress of always being the picker-upper.
Bench Storage
JL Design | Reagen Taylor Photography
Storage benches are also an elegant way to keep outdoor items, board games, and things you don't need all the time out of sight. They're a great cleanup hack when you're expecting last-minute guests too.
Kids Artwork And Toys
JL Design
Don't feel guilty about tossing what you might consider your kids "practice" artwork on the sly, but hold on to the treasures by putting them in frames or getting creative with a DIY gallery wall.
JL Design
Turn colorful and kitschy toys like hula hoops into wall art by hanging them out in view. For toys you would rather *not* see day to day, baskets and storage trunks are your go-to.
Makeshift Office Spaces
Maestri Studio | Jenifer McNeil Baker
If you're still working from the kitchen table, consider other spots in your home so you can take back your kitchen for meals and gatherings. Turn a closet space into a desk space with statement wallpaper and try some of these IKEA hacks to make it work for you.
Living With Lolo | Life Created
Give kids their own study space in a well-lit spot, even if it's just the corner of their room. We always say add plants too. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that plants in an office setting can help maintain your attention, improve the indoor air that you breathe, and make a study space more calming.
Brianne Bishop Design | Anthony Tahlier Photography
Committed to working from home for the long term? Consider turning a whole room into your home office with shelving, natural light, and even a lounge area for when you're taking calls or need to break away from the computer.
Shelving
House of Jade Interiors | Kate Osborne
Going tall is one of the best ways to keep floors clutter-free. Look for shelving units that fit neatly into an unused space that store baskets, books, and other decor items. If you have a laundry room or utility room, shelving units can keep clutter at bay in more entertaining spaces too.
