When Organisation Becomes Art
Add design cred to your organisation system with colour coding, the mess-taming method with masses of style
Organising is all about simplifying your life and making it easy to find things, and one of the most efficient ways of doing this is to arrange things by colour. This takes order to the highest level, and you’re probably thinking, great, but who has the time? Well very few of us, but if you think of it as a fun project, you may well find a few hours to devise some colour-coding systems, and make your home look gorgeous at the same time.
Get creative with your crafts
The objects we gather for arts and craft hobbies, such as fabrics, yarns and paper, are often beautiful in themselves. So why not get creative with how you store them?
By grouping fabrics, thread, paints and pens by colour, you not only create a visually impressive space, but you can also keep the area tidy. As creative hobbies require so many small items, a good organised system will make it easier to find everything when you need it, freeing up more time to spend doing what you love.
Get your craft corner in order
The objects we gather for arts and craft hobbies, such as fabrics, yarns and paper, are often beautiful in themselves. So why not get creative with how you store them?
By grouping fabrics, thread, paints and pens by colour, you not only create a visually impressive space, but you can also keep the area tidy. As creative hobbies require so many small items, a good organised system will make it easier to find everything when you need it, freeing up more time to spend doing what you love.
Get your craft corner in order
Work the wardrobe
For some people, arranging clothes by colour on the wardrobe rail works, and it sure looks amazing. Especially if you add in matching hangers too.
However, I often find it hard to differentiate the clothes if I’ve grouped them by colour. The whole point of organising your things is to make life simpler, so if it causes a delay the system isn’t working. It’s a personal preference though, and colour coding your clothes is certainly worth trying out.
The alternative is that you colour code your hangers. You may like to put all your work wear on one certain colour, leisure on another, evening on another.
Or if you share the wardrobe with your partner, you could differentiate your clothes with colour-coded hangers. For example, you could hang all your clothes on a dark wooden hanger and your partner’s items on a lighter one.
For some people, arranging clothes by colour on the wardrobe rail works, and it sure looks amazing. Especially if you add in matching hangers too.
However, I often find it hard to differentiate the clothes if I’ve grouped them by colour. The whole point of organising your things is to make life simpler, so if it causes a delay the system isn’t working. It’s a personal preference though, and colour coding your clothes is certainly worth trying out.
The alternative is that you colour code your hangers. You may like to put all your work wear on one certain colour, leisure on another, evening on another.
Or if you share the wardrobe with your partner, you could differentiate your clothes with colour-coded hangers. For example, you could hang all your clothes on a dark wooden hanger and your partner’s items on a lighter one.
Sort your shoes
Placing footwear, bags, scarves and other accessories in colour order isn’t essential for making life easier – to organise these items, the most important thing is that they are in one area that’s easy to access. If you achieve that then you’re organised enough.
However, for an added bit of fun, going on to colour code your shoes and accessories is really display organisation at its best. Do it just because it looks good. I mean, why wouldn’t you?!
Placing footwear, bags, scarves and other accessories in colour order isn’t essential for making life easier – to organise these items, the most important thing is that they are in one area that’s easy to access. If you achieve that then you’re organised enough.
However, for an added bit of fun, going on to colour code your shoes and accessories is really display organisation at its best. Do it just because it looks good. I mean, why wouldn’t you?!
Tempt kids to tidy by themselves
Toys can become messy very quickly. It’s difficult to keep them organised, and even harder to get the kids to do the tidying up. To encourage children to clear up, try using colour in the organisation of their toys.
For each child, assign a different coloured bin. Use these bins to create a ‘tidy-up’ routine. At the end of the day ask each child to gather up their toys in their own bin.
In their bedrooms, you could go one step further. Have toy storage the same colour as their tidy-up bin. This makes it so much easier and fun to put toys away, because they associate the storage with colour.
See more colourful kids playrooms
Toys can become messy very quickly. It’s difficult to keep them organised, and even harder to get the kids to do the tidying up. To encourage children to clear up, try using colour in the organisation of their toys.
For each child, assign a different coloured bin. Use these bins to create a ‘tidy-up’ routine. At the end of the day ask each child to gather up their toys in their own bin.
In their bedrooms, you could go one step further. Have toy storage the same colour as their tidy-up bin. This makes it so much easier and fun to put toys away, because they associate the storage with colour.
See more colourful kids playrooms
Allocate storage
Coats, shoes, bags, hats and gloves often get lost around the house. But by colour coding their organisation and storage, you can keep them tidy. Colour is more obvious to us than written instruction, and probably more appealing than constant verbal instruction.
Here, the hallway shelves have been painted in different shades. Each member of the household has their own zone, with enough space to keep all their outside items near the door.
Coats, shoes, bags, hats and gloves often get lost around the house. But by colour coding their organisation and storage, you can keep them tidy. Colour is more obvious to us than written instruction, and probably more appealing than constant verbal instruction.
Here, the hallway shelves have been painted in different shades. Each member of the household has their own zone, with enough space to keep all their outside items near the door.
Beautify your bathroom
Organised, neatly folded towels make me very happy. Add colour coding to it, and I’m in organised heaven. You can buy a different set of towels for each member of the household, and another set for guests. This will prevent any arguments over who has taken someone else’s towel.
If you prefer your towels in a neutral colour, try sewing different shades of looped ribbons to each towel. Install some hooks to hang them on and allocate a colour to each person.
Organised, neatly folded towels make me very happy. Add colour coding to it, and I’m in organised heaven. You can buy a different set of towels for each member of the household, and another set for guests. This will prevent any arguments over who has taken someone else’s towel.
If you prefer your towels in a neutral colour, try sewing different shades of looped ribbons to each towel. Install some hooks to hang them on and allocate a colour to each person.
Organise your cables
Another great way to use colour is to organise your wires and cables. With each new item of technology comes a charger, USB cable and earphones. Sometimes it’s hard to know which cable belongs to which piece of media.
This can be helped by assigning a colour to each category of technology. For instance, all your computer cables could be green, your TV ones could be red, and your camera could be blue. To differentiate, either wrap a colour label on the wire itself, or place the cable into a clear bag and put your allocated shade of sticker on the outside.
Colour coding the actual cables is particularly helpful if you have a few of them plugged into a multi-socket. When the phone, TV and laptop are all connected at the same location, the colours will help to make sense of a tangle of cables.
Another great way to use colour is to organise your wires and cables. With each new item of technology comes a charger, USB cable and earphones. Sometimes it’s hard to know which cable belongs to which piece of media.
This can be helped by assigning a colour to each category of technology. For instance, all your computer cables could be green, your TV ones could be red, and your camera could be blue. To differentiate, either wrap a colour label on the wire itself, or place the cable into a clear bag and put your allocated shade of sticker on the outside.
Colour coding the actual cables is particularly helpful if you have a few of them plugged into a multi-socket. When the phone, TV and laptop are all connected at the same location, the colours will help to make sense of a tangle of cables.
Order your filing
Usually it’s achievement enough to get your paperwork organised into a filing system that allows for easy retrieval and storage. So if you manage to find the time to colour code the files, consider yourself graduated to organiser extraordinaire!
There are two ways you can colour code your files. You could assign a different colour for each category of paperwork in your suspension file. For example, all your files for finance could be green, marketing may be pink and social media could be yellow.
The problem is that coloured suspension files usually come in a pack of five, with one of each colour. So you would have to buy many packs to obtain enough of one colour.
A more practical idea is to buy the suspension files in one shade and colour code the tabs instead. If you need to add or remove a suspension file, then you just swap the tab.
10 inspiring home office ideas
Usually it’s achievement enough to get your paperwork organised into a filing system that allows for easy retrieval and storage. So if you manage to find the time to colour code the files, consider yourself graduated to organiser extraordinaire!
There are two ways you can colour code your files. You could assign a different colour for each category of paperwork in your suspension file. For example, all your files for finance could be green, marketing may be pink and social media could be yellow.
The problem is that coloured suspension files usually come in a pack of five, with one of each colour. So you would have to buy many packs to obtain enough of one colour.
A more practical idea is to buy the suspension files in one shade and colour code the tabs instead. If you need to add or remove a suspension file, then you just swap the tab.
10 inspiring home office ideas
Make business a pleasure
If you work from home, it’s important to keep business items separate from those that are associated with the running of your home. Many of us use the kitchen table as a desk, so papers, stationery and media that are for ‘office-work only’ should be kept neatly stored somewhere accessible and out of the way of other household members.
To help make this division clear, buy storage boxes and files in two different colours – one shade for household things and the other for work items.
TELL US
How do you keep your home organised? Are you a fan of colour coding? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments below.
MORE
Read more organisation stories
If you work from home, it’s important to keep business items separate from those that are associated with the running of your home. Many of us use the kitchen table as a desk, so papers, stationery and media that are for ‘office-work only’ should be kept neatly stored somewhere accessible and out of the way of other household members.
To help make this division clear, buy storage boxes and files in two different colours – one shade for household things and the other for work items.
TELL US
How do you keep your home organised? Are you a fan of colour coding? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments below.
MORE
Read more organisation stories
Quite honestly, colour coordinated books are one of the prettiest things you can do for your shelves. It’s also the easiest place to begin taking your organisation to the next level.
Books arranged this way are not filed by author, so if you have masses of books and you like to find them like this, you’ll need a system. To bring your bookcase to super dream-like organisation, create a spreadsheet with three columns – author, book, colour. Fill in the books on the shelf by colour and place them in alphabetical order, by author. Then in the third column write in the colour of the spine. Print the sheet and put it somewhere neatly on your bookshelf so you know what colour section to go to when you are looking for a particular book.