How To Use The Simple Straight-Line Technique To Easily Organize Your Home

If your home is messy, there are a few things that could be causing the problem. Maybe one of your family members isn't putting their items back where they belong, or perhaps you just have too many possessions for your space. On the other hand, maybe you need all of your belongings and everything has a designated place in your home, but it all just looks a bit disorganized. If the last option is true, you may be feeling overwhelmed and simply want to make your home look tidier. Fortunately, there is a simple way to make things appear a lot more organized without having to declutter your home, and it's called the straight-line technique. The trick is to organize everything in your home in straight lines.

By "straight lines," we mean keeping your items at the same height and in line with one another horizontally. Essentially, having furniture, artwork, and shelving that lines up means that the eye doesn't need to take in as much detail. This creates the illusion of having less clutter in a space, even if the actual belongings aren't reduced at all. There's no question that clutter can be hard to beat. That said, by straightening your shelves and storage boxes, your home will look a whole lot tidier. It's a decidedly easy fix, but a very effective one. 

One way to create straight lines with cabinets and bookcases is to choose identical furniture pieces that are all the same height and all have shelves at the same levels. However, replacing cabinetry and other furniture can get very expensive, so getting rid of what you already have in the name of reducing clutter might not always be possible. Luckily, there are ways to create that straight line in your space even without removing pieces that have different heights. For starters, in open cabinetry or bookcases, you could adjust the shelves so they're all in line with one another.

If that's not possible, look no further than some carefully curated storage boxes. Take some measurements to ensure the top of your boxes will all hit the same point on the wall in your horizontal rows, even if they're different heights. Your shelves still won't be perfectly lined up, but at least the storage boxes will create the impression that they are. Alternatively, if your shelves do line up horizontally and the items you have in them are what's contributing to the visual clutter, you're in luck. Simply buy or make boxes that all reach the same height, then organize the items inside each container and place them on your uniform shelves for a neat appearance. 

Besides ensuring your shelving and boxes all align, there are also other ways to use the straight-line technique in your space. For instance, you can still create the perfect gallery wall, but ensure that all the frames are the same size and that they're aligned in perfect rows. Another example is with your decorations. Place books that are all the same height next to one another or try decorating with vases that are all the same size and shape.

In addition to creating straight lines, your storage solutions should also fit seamlessly with the rest of your space so they don't draw attention to themselves. This would add visual clutter and negate the progress you've made with straight lines in your home. Because of this, we'd also caution against using bins with busy patterns or loud colors. Therefore, if your home has been decorated in the bohemian style, opt for matching rattan boxes. Alternatively, if your style leans more towards the brutalism home design trend, you could shop for basic black boxes, or if you're crafty, give the boxes a cement makeover using Feather Finish (available on Amazon for $37). More on the Scandi end of the spectrum? Take a look at IKEA or browse through Facebook Marketplace to see if you can find any second-hand ones at a lower price point.