Nate Berkus is no stranger to beautiful spaces. As one of the most recognizable names in interior design, he’s built a career on creating homes that feel both curated and deeply personal. But when it comes to staying organized, his approach is refreshingly down-to-earth and easy to execute.
Rather than complicated systems or endless storage hacks, Berkus sticks to a three-step routine that takes the stress out of storage.
I gave it a go in my forever-chaotic closet, and I have never found organize clothes so simple – here’s why.
Nate Berkus’ 3-step organizing routine
Nate's three home organizing golden rules are simple: Sort by color, Sort by size, Sort by usage. ‘It’s a system that works every time’, Nate writes on Instagram.
I tried it in my chaotic closet
I have always struggled with home organizing, especially in my bedroom, where my awkwardly-shaped and small closet lives. My closet, and three-drawer dresser is also shared meaning there is very little space in my home for clothes, including long-term clothes storage for seasonal pieces.
So, I decided to give Nate's tiny tweaks for a more organized home a go.
Bear in mind that, as a Solved content editor, I have tried countless organizing and decluttering methods around my home, and my closet is one space that always returns to chaos.
So I didn’t expect much from such a simple approach. However, it turns out that taking things back to basics was exactly what I needed, helping me avoid the common home organizing mistake of over-organizing a home.
Although I failed to declutter without making a mess by taking every item of clothing out of my closet, I found that getting everything out in the open and freeing up my usually-cluttered clothing rail gave my brain a little more room to breathe, so to speak.
I then started putting items back one by one, grouping pieces based on the type/size of item (e.g. large oversized sweaters, then fitted sweaters, then long-sleeved tops and blouses, then short-sleeved, etc.).
As I worked, I also made an effort to maintain a color-organized closet, slotting items in between others. As my wardrobe is fairly monotone (ranging from whites and creams and chocolate browns and blacks, although with the occasional blue or burgundy), this was pretty easy.
For such a simple home organizing idea, I found it to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing ways of organizing a closet, in keeping with Berkus’ generally effortless but put-together vibe.
Nate Berkus is beloved for his elegant, narrative-driven interiors that are layered and deeply personal. In this beautifully photographed book, filled with Nate’s years of knowledge, he shares his Four Tenets of Good Design. They are not a recipe to follow, as much as they are inspirational ideas to help get you started.
The ‘hardest’ part of this method was sorting my targeted space by usage. Nate’s idea is to put the items you use the most in the most accessible spots for everyday convenience, with items you use the least in the more awkward spots.
The way I put everything back meant that I had some winter season clothing mixed in with spring and summer pieces, and given the current heat surges, there is very little use for heavy knit real wool sweaters, even if they do fall towards the middle of my closet when organized by size.
Luckily, it’s a pretty simple fix – I created two ‘zones’ in the closet, and used the same organizing principles of size, color, and usage for my set of fall/winter garments, and then my set of spring/summer clothes.
I think adding in some clothes rail dividers, available in packs of 40 from Walmart, would make this division a little clearer, especially when organizing a small closet with lots of clothes.
This way, my currently most-reached-for lighter linen clothing is all right in front of me when I open the closet door, ready to grab and go on swelteringly hot mornings. Now all I have to do is get my other half on board to better organize a closet when living with a partner.
Why it works
This method works so well because it is so simple. Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden shares, ‘Nate’s three-step solution removes the opportunity of overthinking home organization, no matter where you are using it in a house. It can just as easily be used to organize a bedroom as it is to organize a kitchen without much alteration in the approach.
'I will be trying this in my slanted and awkward under-stairs closet, which is a mish-mash of coats, jackets, purses, and miscellaneous items that do not have a home anywhere else in the house. Nate's simple organizing trick is going to make accessible the things we need most.'
Pair this laid-back approach with the best clothes storage ideas, and you are on to a real winner. Angelia York, professional home organizer and VP at Saint Louis Closet Co., suggests, for example, adding velvet hangers, available at Target in packs of 30. ‘Switching to slim, velvet hangers truly saves a surprising amount of space and they keep delicate fabrics from slipping. It’s a great way to balance your wardrobe visually while keeping everything accessible.’
You can apply the same size-color-usage approach to organize a dresser, too. Courtney Cummings, professional organizer and owner at The Stylish Organizer, suggests, ‘Turn any unruly drawer into an Instagram-worthy space with adjustable drawer dividers [The bamboo dividers, available at Walmart, help limit plastic use in your home]. Then, use the file folder method to enhance the visibility of clothing items in your drawers.’
What to shop
Under bed storage is a great way to expand on your existing closet space, be it for storing your off-season items, or offering a place for your bulkier pieces that need folding, but take up too much space in dresser drawers. These bags on wheels make them easy to pull out quickly and access as needed.
You would be hard pressed to find a pro organizer who doesn't love velvet slimline hangars to organize a closet. They keep clothes in place without taking up too much space.
Shallow baskets like these are perfect for corralling small items on counters, in cabinets, closets and on surfaces prone to clutter.
This brilliant and versatile organizing set works out just 76 cents a piece, and the non-slip bottoms makes them perfect for drawers, shelves and cabinets. Eight colors options.
After testing it out for a month in her home, our head of solved Punteha fell in love with this laundry hamper. It banished the previous physical pain she was suffering when having to manually sort all her washing on the ground or when reaching into the bottom of a basket.
Save space by going vertical, whether that's in your closet, the entryway or under the stairs in that awkward storage area.
Meet the experts
So long as I stick to the discipline of putting pieces back in their spots and avoid the things that make a closet look cluttered, I doubt I will be spotting the signs I need to reorganize a closet again anytime soon.
