STYLE Savvy: Shopping for Solutions

In search of containers to organize the spaces in her home, Lisa Hess browses with a mission. Kind of.

A key strategy in winning the organizing game is finding the right tools. Unfortunately, what makes them “right” is a complex mélange of disparate factors, ranging from our personal and organizational styles to our home décor, tastes, and the space we have available. And, to further complicate matters, if these tools must also be used by other family members, their styles need to be factored in as well.

In Search of the Perfect Fit

If we’re lucky, we head to the store (or online) with a clear idea of what we want — size, shape, color -— the whole picture. The perfect container that’s the perfect fit for both the space and our styles. And, if we’re really lucky, when we get to the store, whether brick and mortar or virtual, we find the item that matches that picture.

And we all live happily (and well-organized) ever after.

This, however, is often a fairy tale. Much of the time, we don’t know what we want (except to cull the chaos) or, when we do, we can’t find it or, if we do find it, it’s expensive. Sometimes, we can find a close approximation. Other times, we return home, empty-handed and dejected, wondering where all that clutter will be contained.

Reining in the Desire to Try It All

When I was still teaching organizing to elementary-school students, I acquired quite the supply of, ahem, examples, which explains why one corner of my basement still resembles a satellite branch of Organizers R Us. These days, I’m in search of organizers only for myself (and occasionally my daughter, but not unless she explicitly okays them first) and my goal is to streamline both my stuff and my supply chain.

I’m always on the lookout for a good organizing tool, even when I don’t have that fairy-tale perfect solution in my head, but these days, I rarely make a purchase unless I know exactly how I’m going to use it. It’s taken me a long time to get to this sweet spot — the one where I know with a high degree of accuracy which tools to take a chance on and which ones to leave at the store — and my success in this area comes from two things: lots of practice and a few key considerations.

Know what needs replacing.

I have a clear idea of which spots in my home are functioning well and which need an upgrade. This keeps the list of organizing contenders streamlined; there’s no need to replace something that’s already working.

Know what works for you.

I’m familiar with (and have embraced) my styles and proclivities (exactly how many steps I’m willing to go through to put something away, for example). This enables me to rule out anything I stumble across that doesn’t fit those styles and proclivities. I have a particularly visceral reaction to anything that promises to do the work for me. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Know what will fit.

I’m aware of how small my home is. This means I can immediately (if a bit sadly sometimes) rule out gigantic organizers, no matter how cute they are. It also means I either travel with a measuring tape, or don’t buy it until I can make sure it will fit (or that I can return it if it doesn’t).

Practice Makes Perfect?

Do I still fall prey to the occasional container that’s just too cute for its own good? Guilty as charged (I’m looking at you pretty floral box that’s too small to be very helpful). I’m happy to report, however, that thanks to the guidelines above, this happens much less often than it used to.

Sometimes, we find the right container. Other times, it finds us. In either case, it’s important to engage both our brains and our hearts, lest we end up bringing home too many strays, and the containers become part of the clutter.

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Copyright 2026 Lisa Hess
Images: Canva