Q: I am wondering how you keep all your decorating ideas and images organized. Do you keep all the magazines and catalogs with good design ideas (if so how do you organize them?). Do you cut out images? Do you keep everything electronic or scan in images? Just wondering because I always want to keep lots of inspiring decorating ideas but then never know how to organize them or find them again without allowing the clutter to get overwhelming. Love the blog! -Lindsay
A: Great question! I used to have piles of torn-out pages from glossy shelter magazines scattered everywhere, waiting to be sorted. A few years ago I decided to simplify: I bought a 3-inch binder and clear plastic sleeves and assembled what I call “the ultimate magazine.” I slip favorite images into sleeves so I can flip through them easily—much neater than loose tear-sheets—and I organize the binder by category (interior inspiration, curb appeal, holiday ideas, favorite art, etc.). It really changed how I manage inspiration.
In addition to the physical binder, we keep a well-organized inspiration folder on our computer desktop. The digital folders mirror the binder’s categories so everything is easy to find. When we save images from blogs or websites we rename image files with the source, which makes it simple to credit when we use them on the blog.
For magazines we can’t part with, we keep full issues displayed where they’re accessible—some titles we love so much that we keep every issue. A few favorite magazines sit out on the fireplace hearth in the den, which makes them part of the room’s decor while staying useful.
We also display other beloved issues on small tables so they’re easy to browse. Stacking a few polished magazines on a pedestal table or side table turns them into casual reading material and decorative accents at the same time.
For more casual, cozy reading stacks we tuck copies of Cottage Living and similar mags into woven and leather baskets near seating areas. These baskets keep the stacks contained and accessible—perfect for a quick browse in a sunroom or den.
That’s our system for keeping inspiration from becoming clutter: a combination of a physical binder for cut-outs and favorites, matched digital folders for web finds, and curated magazine stacks or baskets for full issues. The binder isn’t always perfectly sorted—sometimes pages get dropped in with the promise of organizing them later—but overall it’s an easy, low-effort routine that keeps most of the chaos at bay.
Curious about our favorite magazines? We list them in our reading roundup. And we once found an entertaining collection of vintage glossies at a garage sale—definitely a laugh. Happy organizing and enjoy collecting inspiration!