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How To Color Block Your Closet

August 26, 2014 /
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Did you know that before I was a spreadsheet wielding, account checking, employee in Accounts Receivable, I was a manager of the Men’s Department at Robinson’s-May/Macy’s?

That’s right. I spent my days organizing ties, suits and a lot of men’s chonies. Glamorous, I know!

I won’t bore you with the details or share any retail horror stories (yes, people poop in fitting rooms and yes, a customer screamed at me on Christmas Eve and my friend James found me crying under a folding table).

Retail is not for the faint of heart.

One of my favorite organizing tools I learned while navigating the world of retail sales was color blocking! This method of displaying merchandise makes a table or fixture look like a color wheel and oh-so pretty.

Color blocking is something I have done in my own closet for the last 12 years and I find it keeps my stress level low when everything is organized and easy to find as I get ready in the morning. (Hello OCD). I got a ton of comments from friends about my organization when I did my closet tour right after I moved and when I posted this photo on Instagram.

So, how do you color block YOUR closet? Allow me to explain.

1. Sort your clothes. Yes, all of them. Pull everything out of your closet and start with a blank slate. You can sort clothes by season, popularity or any common style. – I have chosen the latter. I have sections in my closet for the following:

  • Long sleeved sweaters and blouses
  • Tank tops
  • T-shirts
  • Dresses
  • Pants
  • Skirts
  • Other – Jackets, robes, etc.

2. Decide on a color block. This step is easy… all you have to decide is whether you want white on the left and black on the right or vice versa. Worst case scenario? You don’t like your first pick and decide to change it later.

Color Order: white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green, and black

3. Put your clothes away. Not rocket science, I know, but this is where you actually color block. Put your clothes away in their respective categories in color order working from left to right. Now, repeat with each category of clothing as necessary. I only have dark pants and skirts, so it makes for easy sorting of those items. I have thisawesome space saver in my closet that allows me to have sweaters on the top row and tees and tanks underneath them. Best apartment/tiny closet investment ever!

White Hangers // Closet Doubler

4. Upkeep. Now this is the tricky part… once your closet is an organized rainbow, you have to keep it that way! That means that after you do laundry you have to actually hang the clothing where it belongs and not just where there is available space.  It takes an extra two seconds, but I promise it is worth it!

Extra closet organizing tips:

  • When you wear something, place the empty hanger to the side – it makes space in the closet for your clean clothes and gives you organized hangers for more laundry.
  • Try to keep all the clothes facing the same way – it will help them “nest” inside each other.
  • Tank tops are best on hangers with notches in the top (so they don’t slide off).

Good luck with your color blocking, friends! Send me your before and after pictures and use hashtag #pdbjayColorBlock. I would love to see them!

This post contains affiliate links which result in an affiliate commission. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own, as I only recommend items I personally love.


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