Darcy Miller's Organizing Tips Turn Party Supplies Into Décor

My studio is a small space where my team and I bring our brand to life, meeting with our Celebration Expert clients, designing products, shooting photos and videos, and, of course, celebrating. With so many people and supplies in a constantly busy space, it’s important to stay organized. I have an entire wall full of supplies and resources that double as décor—I call it my "celebration station." It houses everything from cake plates and champagne glasses to my book, Celebrate Everything, which I’m constantly sharing with clients, designers, and colleagues. Given our limited closet space, it’s helpful to see what we have on hand—and for it to look great, too.

Even someone who doesn’t advise people on how to host memorable celebrations as their job has a life filled with birthdays, holidays, and special dinners that require celebratory supplies, whether they're hosting two people or 20. No matter how often you entertain, you need a solution for how to store your dishware, silverware, and other tableware so it’s accessible and attractive. Your celebration station might be a couple of cabinets, a pantry, or a single shelf, but keeping your supplies organized will make life easier.

Here are five easy steps I follow to bring order and style to my shelves, which you can use to inspire your space.

Create a Focal Point

The central space in our wall is the mantel above the fireplace. I fill the white space with gold vases (I think of metallics as neutrals), and the versatile background allows me to swap out flowers (real or paper) and art all year. I fill the mantel with flowers in spring, spiderwebs at Halloween, and candles at the holidays. If you have an open shelf where you store platters and plates, pick something eye-catching to store right in the middle: a cake plate with a glass dome, a colorful bowl, or even a photograph that brings you joy. That makes everything around it look intentional. Hang a happy birthday banner above this focal point, and a kitchen shelf becomes a photo backdrop for a party.

Allow for Easy Access

I often give copies of my book to guests at the studio, so I keep a stack of them on my shelf. You might reserve shelf space for the décor, travel, or art books you love to look at, and the cookbooks you refer to weekly, and store the ones that you only pull out at the holidays elsewhere. The same idea holds true for everything, not just books: you want to put things you use often in easy reach. For example, you’ll see my water glasses are right by the sink, while the champagne glasses are one shelf up since we don’t use them every day. (But we do use them a lot!)

Party Supplies Can Double as Décor

Someone who doesn’t work or live in a studio might store their china, cake plates, glasses, and candy in a cabinet or pantry. But even if you have all the storage space in the world, consider keeping some of your favorite pieces on display. Cake stands and wine glasses are designed to be beautiful. Keeping yours visible on a shelf—or even giving a bowl, pitcher, or cake stand pride of place in the middle of a table—makes a room look gorgeous and party-ready. Plus, if your items are out, you’re more likely to use them, placing flowers in a pitcher, a small spray of blooms in a sugar bowl, or the morning’s croissants or evening’s dinner rolls on a cake plate.

Store Small Items in Containers

If you choose to keep attractive things on display, the overall effect has to look neat. Storing small items in containers controls the visual chaos. If the small things look good—wrapped candies, confetti, crepe paper rolls—I place them in clear glass containers, sometimes with metallic lids. If they’re less attractive, I try to keep them out of sight in a decorative box—that gray box on the bottom shelf hides wires, chargers, and electrical cords!

Pick a Palette

Sticking to a limited palette makes it easy to have items on display go together. I rely on white or glass tableware, which can be used all year round, whatever the occasion. I’ve used the same white china stand underneath cakes frosted in so many different colors at dozens of parties. If your china is blue and white, for example, you’ll want to stick to that palette, and any accent color you add in will really stand out, whether it’s flowers, artwork, photos, banners, confetti, or whatever you plan to use to brighten up your party. If you go for neutrals or keep your tableware to a tight palette, you can leave most of your stuff out on the shelf and dress it up with colorful extras for each occasion.