I'm a Home-Decor Writer — Here's How I Keep My Space Organized

Want to make the most of your limited cabinet space? Add this Made by Design Punched Metal Riser Shelf ($8) to your e-cart. This clever design fits nicely in your cabinet, creating a new shelf out of thin air. Since you won't have to precariously stack your glasses on top of each other — there's no way I'm the only one who has done this — you can easily organize your drink ware.

Locating the mate to your favorite booties is the fashion equivalent to finding the needle in a haystack. Fortunately, this Room Essentials 2-Tier Fabric Shoe Rack ($10) will organize your footwear collection and make your closet somewhat civilized.

My fiancé and I share closet space, so we're working with a lot of shoes. We typically place his dress shoes, my heels, and our sneakers on the aforementioned rack. But, as for our flip-flops, slippers, and flats? They belong in these Bullseye's Playground Water Hyacinth Woven Storage Baskets ($10). These baskets are sold as a set of two, so I've picked up a couple and used my extras to stow hats, umbrellas, and winter essentials.

Trust me when I say that nobody wants to spend five minute looking for one dinner fork — especially when there's a delicious meal plated and ready to be devoured. My kitchen doesn't have built-in compartments for my utensils, so I picked up this Room Essentials Drawer Organizer ($2). This ultra-affordable item makes it easy to locate spoons, forks, and knives. (Pro tip: I use that horizontal compartment to store chopsticks and charcuterie knives.)

As someone who really embraced my inner Julia Child during quarantine, I've amassed a slightly overwhelming selection of spices. And, since shoving them all into my cabinet and hoping for the best was no longer doing it for me, I picked up a proper spice rack. Instead of succumbing to a spinning style — which would make locating my garlic salt considerably more challenging — I opted for this Lynk Professional Slide Out Double Spice Rack ($60). That way, all my spices are ready and raring to go.

OK, I know a set of hangers isn't exactly a new addition to anyone's organization or storage situation; however, I swear by these Made by Design Suit Hangers ($18). Not only do these uniform hangers keep my closet looking super polished, but they also have a velvety finish that keeps my clothes from slipping and falling onto the floor.

Between visiting wine country and receiving bottles as hosting gifts, my fiancé and I have a lot of vino. And up until we snagged this Whirlpool 25 Bottle 2.7 cu ft Wine Fridge ($200), we would awkwardly line our bottles along our dining room's perimeter. I love how this storage solution keeps our collection in one place, plus I can even organize each shelf by varietal. Oh, and did I mention this fridge keeps our vino perfectly chilled? I'll toast to that!

When my fiancé and I moved in together a few years ago, we decided to pick up a new ornament at every destination we visited. Problem is, we collected a lot of ornaments pretty quickly. Elf Stor's Premium Red Christmas Ornament Storage Chest ($26) makes it easy to keep our mementos safe and organized before and after the most wonderful time of the year.

Blame it on the rise of the sweatsuits, but I've really beefed up my loungewear rotation this past year. (So much so that my T-shirts, sweatpants, and pajamas no longer fit my bedroom's dresser.) Fortunately, I store all of my overflow pieces in these Iris Plastic Storage Drawers ($63). To make getting dressed even easier, each drawer is attributed to a specific category. (Think: swimsuits go in one drawer, extra T-shirts in another, and so on.)

Another thing I bought far too much of last year? Disinfecting wipes. And multipurpose spray. And, OK, just about every other cleaning item you can think of. To help organize my sanitizing surplus — and take an audit of what we already have — I picked up two of these Made by Design 5 Tier Wide Wire Shelves ($80). The clever, five-tier design offers ample storage space, plus I can easily hang reusable tote bags on the top rung.