25 Days of Desk Refreshes

An organized desk is like an oasis for your brain. Freed from attention-sucking clutter, it becomes a space where your creativity will flourish. Here are 30 ideas you can use to refresh and organize your desk.

Swap out ordinary desk accessories for fine china. A creamer can hold pencils and pens while a unique sugar bowl is the perfect container for clips and pins. {via sfgirlbybay.com}

File folders piling up? Consider a dryer rack as a chic alternative to boxes and drawers. {via cozylittlehouse.blogspot.com}

Hang it up. We love the use of Ikea’s Bygel rack system just above a desk. Keeps little items neat & orderly and maximizes desk space. {via houzz.com}

Add a little life! We love the idea of using a wire basket to “organize” a plant on your desk. Truly lovely. {via French Larkspur}

A hanging series of graphic clipboards takes a wall from drab to fab AND is a great way to organize elements from different projects. {via Oh Happy Day}

If you have a shelf above your desk, consider hanging jars underneath the bottom shelf. Screw the lids into the shelf and then just screw in/unscrew the jars as accessories are needed. {via Goodhousekeeping.com}

Use wall space to hang boxes that will hold file folders and desk accessories. Not only does it look good, but it keeps papers (the worst culprit of clutter) from piling up on your work space too. {via Just A Girl Blog}

Why use boring old binder clips to keep papers neat and orderly when you could have these fabulously decoupaged clothespins instead? Piles never have to look ugly again. {via Granny Smith on Etsy}

Organize a drawer with a repainted cupcake tin – we fell in love with this school-bus yellow one on Etsy, but there’s no reason you can’t make your own too. {via Etsy}

This wood block was designed for craft tools, but we think would work just as well for everyday pens and pencils. {via Etsy}

Go with Garbo when it comes to your circular file. It’s quite simply the best trash can we’ve ever tested. The wide mouth catches papers thrown from across the room, it holds a lot, and it looks good doing both. {via The Container Store}

Maximize corner use. The incredibly talented team over at Design*Sponge gives a step-by-step tutorial in how to turn a basic magazine holder from Ikea into a cool, catch-all shelf. {via Design*Sponge}

Do you dump your purse on your desk when you walk in – or worse, on the floor? This clever twist on the paper clip would look great on a wall or a door and keep your purse off the desk. {via Chiasso}

Light it up. Give your eyes a break (and probably improve your posture too) by hanging some lights above your desk. This simple Basisk pendant light from Ikea is only $16.99 but looks like a million bucks. {via Office Designs}

Corral cables with simple binder clips. So simple. So ingenius. {via curled & feathered}

Give USB cables a ship of their own. The long footprint of the ship does a fantastic job balancing the weight of all the cables without toppling over. The result: a cleaner desktop. {via Core77}

Add a ray of sunshine to your desktop with this portable, rainbow-inspired organizer. The bands hold anything from desktop items to photos, messages, or even makeup brushes. {via Moma Store}

We’re “shuttering” with delight at the ingenious positioning of shutters around a basic cork board. Open when you want inspiration, close when you need to keep stimuli at bay. {via Storage & Glee}

Cords and plugs clogging up the works? Check out this plug organizer that’s still in prototype. If you like it, give it a vote on Quirky. {via Unplggd}

Brighten up with a functional backsplash. The team at Martha Stewart added just the right amount of color to a white desk setup by covering panels in blue linen. {via Martha Stewart}

Do you have a hard time organizing receipts? Consider a glass jar as a holding pen. Add a chalkboard Wallie label for a bit of extra flair. {via Homestead Revival}

Add a little pop of color to your desk with this little orange critter. Then when your eyes need a break from the screen, lean over and give him a new hairstyle. Procrastinators beware! {via Shelterrific}

Surround yourself with inspiration. Tape your work or images that spark your imagination to the walls around your desk. Perfect for when your brain needs a break. {via On My Desk Blogspot}

Keep a vase full of flowers. Fall in love with a new kind of flower every few weeks. {via The Iconic Blog}

Up the glamour quotient on your desk. Use a silver toast rack for organizing letters instead of a bin or box. You can find them on eBay or Etsy. {via Citified}