You’re stuck at home, you’re on your couch, you’ve made it to season 3 of Ozark in three days, but there’s something looming in the background. You can’t relax. It’s driving you crazy. No, it’s not the Stay-Home order or the pandemic—well it kind of is—it’s the horrible, messy terror that is your closet. 

You should be reorganizing your closet in April, says Adrian Dueñas, CEO of Houston’s BeDESIGN, a luxury interior design company, as its right before summer hits. To aid you in your spring-cleaning quest, we spoke with Dueñas about his best tips and tricks for organizing your closet right now. 

Now is actually the best time to organize your closet.

“In Houston, in particular, we have learned that the best time to organize your closet is before each season hits,” says Dueñas, who custom-designs hundreds of closet spaces annually. “Go through your closet in advance of the season, pull out your linen clothes and nice, sock-less shoes—all things that need to be first-hand. If you do that organization now, you will know what you need to buy, giveaway, and where your closet has gaps.”

Buy some storage bins.

Online, that is. While everything doesn’t necessarily need a bin, Dueñas does say that investing in such receptacles and other organizational tools will make your life easier. Bins, he says, can range from anything, like vacuum-sealed bags that shrink the puffiest of winter jackets to the size of a sheet, drawer organizers for jewelry, and, yes, actual bins for your sweaters. 

While you don’t need a bin for everything, everything should have a place. 

And if you can’t find one, does it really need to be in your closet? “If you give everything a home and a place where it belongs in your closet,” Dueñas says, “you will get rid of the clutter that ensues with throwing clothes and accessories in random places.”

Dueñas recommends that when determining where to put things, go through your routine—though that might look a little different these days. “Figure out what [items] that you use the most and when, and how you spend most of your time in your space,” he says. “Your closet is supposed to adapt to your life. If you are a jeans collector, display them properly. If you change your jewelry often, organize it in a way that's easy to maneuver.”

Yes, Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method is a highly effective model for better organization and a happier life.

“You can never go wrong with Japanese organization advice,” Dueñas says. “I am obsessed with Japanese design, as we all know how minimalistic it can be, and that absolutely translates to the organization of our closets at BeDESIGN.”

He does admit, however, that it can be difficult to discard things. “Come on!” he says, “Let's get rid of that jacket you have not worn in three years—we know it's there, and it's time to say bye.”

Doesn’t spark joy? Baby, bye, bye, bye. 

“Why would anyone like to have something boring?” Dueñas asks. Do we needn't say anything else?

He says whenever you purchase a new item that sparks joy, intentionally place it front and center over other articles of clothing so you get the full effect rather than placing them somewhere in the middle where they will fade into the background of others.

Build a closet around how you live, not someone else’s. 

"We know what works, what doesn't work, and how our clients feel based on the way their closet functions,” Dueñas says. Rather than following how someone else organizes their closet, he says, assess your priorities, your lifestyle, and the things that are important to you.