When form meets function, your home will look and feel more organized than ever
If you’re tired of your ugly Christmas sweaters and your kid’s basketballs collapsing into a sad pile every time you open the linen closet, you’re in luck. The second season of Netflix’s hit show “Get Organized with The Home Edit” features tons of tips from professional home organizers Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer to help you tackle even the trickiest home organization conundrums.
In case you missed it, Joanna and Clea are the co-founders of The Home Edit, a popular home organization company with an ever-growing list of famous clients like Reese Witherspoon, Neil Patrick Harris, and Khloe Kardashian (yes, they organized that pantry). Before you start streaming the latest episodes, check out our 10 favorite tips from season two to help jump-start your next home organizing project.
“Setting up zones is the key to maintenance,” Joanna says. This advice means that you should organize your space around your daily routines after downsizing your items and categorizing your belongings in their appropriate group.
This step is as simple as using the cabinet above your dishwasher to stack your most used plates and bowls or placing your breakfast snacks closest to the pantry door for the best grab-and-go access. Your organizational zones should make sense for your household’s natural workflow and lifestyle.
Whether it’s your pantry snacks, phone chargers, knickknacks, or even your socks, every item should have its own home. Make baskets and bins your new best friends so that everything from silverware to office supplies aren’t rolling around aimlessly in busy drawers. Invest in long-lasting storage systems—not cardboard boxes—to help maintain your newly organized home. Here are some top-notch storage options.
A favorite of both Joanna and Clea, clear plastic containers are affordable and preferable for homeowners who need to see what’s inside so they don’t forget about their stack of extra toilet paper. Plastic bins are easy to wipe down and clean, which is perfect for messy art supplies and dirty children’s toys. If your house has high shelves or deep cabinets, using bins will make it easier to access what you need. They’re especially useful if you live in a historic home, which traditionally lacks built-in storage.
Opt for Montauk bins if your organizational aesthetic is more minimalistic or you prefer to neatly tuck away your everyday items. This type of cloth-lined woven storage is excellent for storing your sentimental items like photos and travel trinkets or seasonal items.
These mini lazy Susans are perfect for storing several items of the same group in a tight space. Place your spices, sauces, and oils on a turntable for faster meal preps, or use one to store your rings, earrings, and bracelets for easier accessorizing.
Plastic dividers or racks help store items vertically versus stacked, another win for accessibility. Clea loves to use them in kitchens to prop up cutting boards and lids so you can pick what you need instead of lifting up a pile of pans each time you want to get your cooking on.
If you have an open-concept or large walk-in closet with lots of shelves, consider hiring a local electrician or handyperson near you to install spotlights on top of your shelves. This addition will help illuminate your favorite pieces and add more visibility to the space for that chic boutique vibe. You can even opt for motion-sensing lights that will make grabbing a sweater from hard-to-reach shelves easier.
Do you have an outdated makeup table with broken drawers that your inner supermodel has outgrown? Embrace your inner Winnie Harlow and don’t be afraid to let old furniture go to maximize your limited storage options. For example, replace that 15-year-old vanity with one that can hold all of your makeup and skincare supplies, or swap a too-large bed in your kiddo’s room for a loft-style bed to take advantage of the vertical space so you can put a cozy reading nook underneath.
It’s all about height when deciding where to place your items. For toddlers, this could mean placing their favorite stuffed animals and books on the lowest shelves so their little arms can reach them more easily. You can also apply this advice by hanging your favorite clothes at eye level in your closet so you can see them clearly when it’s time to figure out what to wear every morning.
This method also works for promoting healthy eating habits. If you struggle to grab an apple instead of a frosted strawberry Pop-Tart for your post-workout snack, place a bushel of apples in open-front wooden bins in your pantry to make them appealing. Ready to try out this organization method but don’t have enough storage space? Consider hiring a local cabinet maker to build custom shelving in your kitchen, closets, or any other space in need of a refresh.
The Home Edit ladies live by their rainbow system, which is their preferred way of smart—and bonus: aesthetically pleasing—organization. “The Home Edit for us is about marrying form and function in the world of organizing,” Joanna says. “Most importantly, having fun while doing it because organizing in the past has been seen as such a chore, and it’s been in the cleaning world versus the design world.”
Keep your home orderly using color-coding to make your space beautiful and bright while keeping organization intuitive and simple to maintain. Color-coding your children’s books, toys, and clothes can help teach them colors and train them to know the importance of putting things back where they belong. It’s a win-win for kids and adults alike.
When you’re stacking bins on your bookshelf, heed the advice given to fashion designer and TV personality Lauren Conrad: Follow the shape of a pyramid. Place heavier or larger bins at the bottom and work your way up to lighter items. Not only is this a safer way to place significant weight on your shelves, but the cohesive grouping will also be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Tidying up your home doesn’t mean you need to tuck away your beautiful belongings. Let your favorite boots look like they’re made for walking by filling them with shapers to display them upright, or use plastic risers to stack your favorite stilettos so you can showcase their beauty.
You can even stuff your bags, purses, and totes to retain their shape on the shelf and help them avoid creasing over time. If you need more space to display your favorite accessories, hire a local handyperson to add custom shelving to elevate your closet.
Sometimes, the best way to maximize space is to start over. Don’t be afraid to hire a general contractor to help you configure an outdated area with limiting walls and features no longer needed, like how Florida Georgia Line frontman Tyler Hubbard converted a room with a wet bar into a playtime-ready room for his children.
Decluttering your home can be incredibly empowering, but it can also feel overwhelming to see all of your papers, pots, and shoes strewn about your home. That’s why Clea and Joanna recommend sticking to organizing one area at a time to avoid juggling too many projects at one time. Mastering the tenets of home organization takes planning and time, so don’t take on more than you can chew and focus on one project at a time.
If you’re ready to get organized but need some extra support to help get started, consider hiring a local professional home organizer to help you edit your way to the home of your dreams.
