How Organizing My Home Decor by Color Saves Me Time (and Money)

Storage doesn’t have to be boring; it can be colorful and efficient, too. For example, most of my smaller home decor items are stored in an old hutch in my basement. I’ve got candles, candlesticks, vases, and random ceramics (among other trinkets) behind glass panels. By organizing them into rainbow groupings, I’ve made my home decor treasures more fun for the eye (and enjoyable to sort through). Not to mention, it’s added some visual interest to my dark basement, too. 

Here are more reasons why having my home decor organized by color instead of by season, type, or holiday works so well for me.

I’m a mom with two kids, so interior decorating often gets put lower on the priority list. I love it, but it’s sometimes hard to fit in. So when the home decor designer inside me feels inspired, I want to switch out items in 30 minutes or less. And by organizing my home decor items by color, I can act fast.

If it’s white candles I need, I know where to get them. If it’s a darker blue vase to contrast against some lighter backgrounds, it’s wedged between the green faux stems and other blue Mason jars. I don’t have to spend time searching for what I need. My items are all sorted according to a bright system that’s visually hard to miss, which is a massive time win for me as a mom.

When decorating, I often know a color I want to emphasize. Keeping all my smaller decor pieces in their appropriate color family constantly reminds me what I need to use and gives me new ideas (like pairing color combos I haven’t thought of).

I can see if my white- and cream-colored candles are piling up too high (I mean, can you ever have enough?) or if it’s time for that random wooden owl to find a new home. Before buying more decor items, grouping what I have by color reminds me to use it or part with it (a bonus with staying on top of decluttering, too).

And knowing what I have, I tend to buy less. Or at least I know when to donate specific items to make room for new ones. A color organization system helps make it more obvious. I can see which groups are overflowing in my cabinet, and that’s a red flag to me not to buy anymore.

My on-the-spot purchasing decisions feel more intentional, too. I find myself not buying similar decor items I already have, which means more money in my pocket for other home projects or anything else my kids need.