HGTV Star Nate Berkus' Best Closet Organization Tips & Tricks

Nate Berkus might be known for his traditional yet eclectic design aesthetic, but he's also known for his organizational skills. Not only does he have his own line of organizational products in collaboration with mDesign called Nate Home, but the closet he shares with his husband Jeremiah Brent has captured eyes all over the internet. Not only is it immaculately designed with built-in shelving for staples like shoes and sweaters, but it's also perfectly organized. Berkus even has a beloved hashtag, #triplevirgo, that he uses to highlight his Instagram posts, showing off his passion for all things orderly.

While the couple's closet is aesthetically stunning, Berkus utilizes his own organization tips to ensure it's always neat and tidy. Because, as he tells Homes & Gardens, "How can you be creative when you can't get dressed in the morning ... How do you take care of yourself and your home?" You too can use his expert tips to take your closet (and the start of your day) from frustratingly frantic to organized bliss. Here are his top closet organization tips.

Overhauling your closet can be a daunting task, especially if you have a large walk-in or it's been a bit since you tidied the space. So, Berkus advises not putting off your organization project but also not trying to tackle the whole thing in one session. In an Instagram post, he advised against lofty organizing goals that may leave you overwhelmed, explaining, "Don't try to do it all at once. Pick a drawer or a cabinet and make that your goal for the weekend."

So, break down your closet organizing project into mini benchmarks to make it a more manageable task. Maybe you plan to tackle shoes on your day off, or you might set aside time to get your shirts in color-coded order. Come up with a closet organizing plan and write it down, with each mini task as its own action item you can mark off when you're done. There's actually some psychological evidence that checking items off your list gives you a boost of satisfaction. That sense of accomplishment can motivate you to stick with your schedule until you've organized your entire closet.

They say that the best learn from the best, and the same is true about Berkus and expert organization. When professional organizers visited his home, he learned that while he was using bins to keep items organized, he wasn't using them to their fullest potential. The visit taught him that spaces looked more orderly when the bins matched, and that being able to see what was inside was paramount. So, when Berkus launched his own line of bins and baskets, he made sure to include plenty of transparent and wire options, ideal for organizing clothing. He tells Homes & Gardens, "My children's drawers have all of my mDesign bins inside because I don't want my son, who gets himself dressed, to have to dig through a messy drawer to find what he wants."

You can use this strategy in your own closet to keep it tidy while being able to quickly grab items you need. Nate Home mDesign Wide Plastic Bins are ideal for sorting smaller items like socks and children's clothes. Plus, they come in various sizes, so you can create a customized, cohesive system. The Nate Home by Nate Berkus Large Perforated Metal Bin, is the perfect shape to store folded linens or a row of rolled t-shirts. As you tackle your closet step-by-step, just make sure the bins you choose are transparent or shallow enough to easily see what's inside. If you need to mix and match materials to get the right sizes and shapes, stick with one color family to create a pulled-together look.

If you follow Berkus on Instagram, you know he's a huge fan of the label maker. He even demonstrated how it transformed his closet organization in one of his posts, showing how he labeled the tops of his drawer fronts so he could read what was inside before opening the whole thing. This gives each category a dedicated space. Not only does this make finding items quick and easy, but it also makes putting laundry away a breeze. Plus, by affixing the label on the inside of the drawer front, he keeps his closet looking refined rather than covered with stickers.

To make this work in your own space, try a smart label maker like the Phomemo D30 Label Portable Bluetooth Mini Label Printer. To mimic Berkus' labels, purchase a product like Waterproof Transparent Clear Label Maker Tape to create durable stickers that blend into your closet space. You can put this strategy to work in children's closets as well. With a smart label maker, you're able to create custom stickers from an app on your phone. So, for the littlest organizers, print ones with images of the clothing items instead of words. This allows them to keep their own closets tidy, even before they learn how to read.

Berkus invests a lot of time honing his organizing chops, and he proudly admits to watching lots of videos on folding techniques. One tip he's found marries his love for folding and his affinity for comfy sweats. He explained on Instagram, "So, sweatpants never go well in the drawer. You cannot organize them well." However, he demonstrated a trick he had learned that changed that. By folding them in half and tucking in any extra fabric, you can create a rectangle. Then, he continued, "You then fold it again and again. So, what you have is a little brick without this side sticking out. And then it goes right in the drawer."

But what happens when you master this technique, yet don't have drawers to stash your neatly folded sweatpant bricks? Containers, like LayerSpace Store's Fabric Storage Bins, are an ideal way to keep these on closet shelves. You can also apply these pro-level techniques to other clothing items, like those perfectly-folded sweaters and tees seen in Berkus and Brent's space. With tools like the BoxLegend Shirt Folding Board, you can easily make your closet shelves look like those in an attentively-staffed boutique.

Berkus shows off a genius closet organizing hack, thanks to his friend and fellow organization-lover Marjorie Gubelmann, who shared another great folding tip. This time, it brings order to belts instead of just hanging them from hooks or a rack. The technique, which Berkus shared on Instagram, involves slipping the end through the front of the buckle, creating a circle. Then, starting from the other end, he rolls the entire belt up and tucks it inside the loop. As Berkus points out, this keeps the belt tightly coiled, allowing for a neat and orderly drawer.

To take this trick to the next level, you can add a tray like Coorganisers Store's Fabric Belt Organizer to the drawer, giving each one its own compartment. However, if you're moving your belts from a rack, you might not have the drawer space to accommodate them. A display case, like Femeli's Acrylic Belt Organizer, can be placed on any flat surface and allows you to show off your rolling prowess.

Your first thought may be getting your clothing storage in order, but your linen closet deserves some love, too. Since you likely don't access it as often, a seasonal check-in can keep the space in tip-top order. As he demonstrated on Facebook, Berkus refreshes his with the season, swapping out relevant linens and keeping the storage organized. And, of course, he clearly labels the shelves with what linen belongs there, giving each blanket and sheet set a home.

To make sure your linen closet stays decluttered and organized, add a task reminder to your calendar around each seasonal change. Take the time to look through your linens, purge any that you no longer need, and restyle your bed for the current season. Once you have everything neatly folded and back in the closet, label the shelves with the size and types of linens. If you have wire shelves or don't have a label maker, tuck the sets into boxes like SpaceAid's Bed Sheet Organizers. These can be clearly-marked so you can change the sheets or grab extra linens for guests without searching through piles.

Once you come up with the best ways to tidy your closets, commit to it long-term. As Berkus recommends on his Instagram, "You have to develop a system, and you have to stick with it." The designer recognizes that every home is different and that every closet can benefit from varying strategies. He points out the importance of habitually keeping it tidy, saying, "It's so tempting to just fold the sheet in a different way and throw it in the closet and close the door. But if you have a system, just take the extra 30 seconds to put things back the way you decided you wanted them to go, and your house will run so much more smoothly than it ever has before."

While Berkus stresses that this is one important habit to keep your space tidy and organized, it's easier said than done, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. To stay on top of it, create a to-do list each week, making straightening your closets and properly putting away laundry a priority. Enlist others in your home to help as well, stressing the importance of keeping the organization systems intact. At the end of each day, take a few minutes to make sure your closet looks its best as part of your bedtime routine. You'll sleep more soundly, knowing you'll be greeted with a neat and organized space to get dressed in the morning.