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By: Amélie Saint-Jacques 

As a professional home organizer, I have been giving some thought to the concept of depth vs. breadth. I heard this term applied to the clothing industry, but we can easily apply it to other categories of items, as well as to more abstract concepts. 

At its core, the concept is that depth means having a lot of variations of a single type of object, while breadth means having many different types of items. 

If we apply this to a wardrobe: 

• Depth could mean buying a sweater in every color, or owning a dozen cardigans that are all in shades of black, navy blue, and dark gray. That particular type of item is well represented (perhaps even overrepresented) in that wardrobe.  

• Breadth could look like owning not just sweaters but also long-sleeved T-shirts, blouses, jackets, dresses, etc., and having variety in the silhouettes, fabrics, and colors. That wardrobe is more versatile, though it could be too broad for the user.  

You see, there isn’t really one side of the pendulum that is better than the other; it all depends on the person. Someone might thrive with a “uniform” (think Steve Jobs), so for that person, having a wardrobe consisting mostly of jeans and T-shirts would be fine. But others might get bored with those options, or maybe their lifestyle requires different types of outfits, so they would also need dress suits, workout wear, nice blouses, and cocktail dresses. 

For example, I helped a client declutter her closet recently, and when I placed everything back on the rod, I placed like with like. It was only at that point that she realized about half of the clothing pieces she owned were fancy dresses, which no longer fit her lifestyle. She now wears T-shirts and sweatpants most days, because those are much more practical for a stay-at-home mom. Our organizing session helped her see her closet with a fresh perspective. 

I now sometimes bring up this concept with my clients if they are struggling while organizing their belongings. Yes, how much space they have available will dictate how many items they can keep, but the type of items they keep is just as important. It’s fine to have a shoe collection that you hardly ever wear if you have room for it and love it, but when space is limited, you need to prioritize the footwear you actually use. 

I also find the concept of depth vs. breadth useful to troubleshoot problems like “I keep buying clothes because I have nothing to wear,” when the reality is that the closet is bursting at the seams. In this case, “nothing to wear” probably means that the clothes go too “deep” in a certain direction; perhaps a few statement pieces could help after decluttering, once gaps are identified. (In theory, it could also be that the collection of clothes is too “broad,” but in practice, this is not something I have seen very often.) 

This concept can easily be applied to the contents of the pantry (e.g., bakeware), or a craft room (e.g., painting supplies), you name it. Let’s say you have five different boxes of crackers—is that working for you? Do you like having different types of crackers, or do you find that you forget what you have and they go stale? Are you someone who is sometimes in the mood for crackers, but other times would prefer chips or popcorn? Stock your pantry accordingly based on your eating habits. Similarly, someone might have dozens of different cake pans—this is fine if they bake often and use them, but not so much if there is no room for those pans and they only use the same one or two anyway. 

As organizers, this is also something that we apply to our practice. Some of us are home organizers who can tackle any area; others prefer a niche of helping widows downsize. That example of specializing seems obvious, but applying the idea to items is more novel to me. 

Do you think you will use the concept of depth vs. breadth when decluttering and organizing? 

Hire a local expert to help apply this principle in your own home by finding the NAPO professional who’s just right for you: NAPO Find a Pro Directory.

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Meet the author, Amélie Saint-Jacques