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Secrets In the Closet

Psst. I have a dirty little secret: My closet is a mess.  Something had to change.  Every morning became a daily battle to find the day’s outfit, only to be discouraged by the mess of clothes and wondering where I put my shoes.  Every girl knows that a snappy outfit means a happy day, and I just wasn’t able to pull together those smashin’ separates with all the chaos hidden behind those doors.  Scott and I have an unspoken rule that what happens in your closet, stays in your closet.  Although his closet has a home in the office, he still has his secrets, and I have mine.  But when the time came to unleash those monsters, my loving husband came to the rescue with a drill in hand.  Here I am, to bare all.  My before and after:

before_after_web1

I realize the “before” may not seem like a nightmare to most.  I should know, I’ve seen worse in my sister’s bedroom.  But for a gal like me, enough was enough.  As you can see, it’s no bigger than about eight feet wide, and it’s only as deep as the photos show.  Two years ago, I thought that installing the shelving on the left would lend me extra space.  What was I thinking? Those shelves took away the above extra space for hanging up those oh-so-delicate blouses, jackets, and tanks.  The mis-matched shoe storage and three drawer unit, which at the time housed my beloved arts & crafts supplies, take up precious floor space, and you know by now that in this home, every inch matters.

After a trip to our favorite hot spot, Home Depot, the hubs de-installed and re-installed not only existing shelving, but also the spankin’ new extra long Rubbermaid units we just picked up.  Because the shelves on the left were lowered, I gained a good chunk of clothes hanging space that I had previously neglected.  The shoes are now stacked up on these smaller shelves, and the crisp, white shelves are the perfect spot to stack the tees, jeans, and jammies.  The unsightly storage bin (full of old photo hot lights, processing tanks, and back up photo albums), once collecting dust on the top shelf of the closet, was brought down to our basement storage unit.  The empty spot was replaced by our many paint bins – which we often grab for easy touch ups.

Rather than recycle my old glossies, I rolled them up and stuffed them in my floppy boots.  No more creases in the soft leather, and I’m ready for Fall.  Those sweet bins tucked under the lowest shelf? A score from – you guessed it – Ikea.  The college-days-bin unit said good bye at our condo-wide yard sale, and my paints, brushes, fabrics, and paper are tucked neatly away in style.

boots_web

And those plastic hangers? Good riddance.  They were happily replaced by chic, “huggable” flocked hangers.  No more slippage from my silk shirts, lined coats, and pretty black dresses.  The best part is how thin and sturdy they are, taking up half the space of my former hangers.  As usual, I’m starting to wonder why I didn’t invest in those fuzzy wonders sooner.  My clothes stay put, and I stay organized.

hangers_web

While I’m on a roll, why not make myself feel like a queen every day with some elegant, glass knobs?  At just one buck a pop, these beauties snagged from the check-out lane at JoAnn Fabrics was, as they say, a drop in the bucket.  That’s one heckuva quick and easy transformation.

closetknob_web

Even though my closet makeover stays behind closed doors, I finally feel pulled together.  My secrets aren’t so hush-hush anymore, and I think Scott is just content that I haven’t asked him for the tenth time where my sandals are.  Now if only I could get him to dish the dirt on what lies behind his doors.  One step at a time, I suppose.

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  • Alanna8.25.09 - 5:01 PM

    I’m with you on a neat closet paving the way for a fabulous day. I recently cleaned up the dressing are in my closet and it has made life so much better in the mornings :)ReplyCancel

  • I love an organized closet! Good call with the matching hangers :). Oh, and I’m having fun imagining all of the fun colors in those paint cans up at the top. I wish I had that kind of a stock!ReplyCancel

  • Rachael8.26.09 - 9:18 PM

    Thanks for inspiring me to tackle my own closet! I picked up my own velvet hangers today and they are really nifty!ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.27.09 - 8:22 AM

      Rachael, I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! What a space saver.ReplyCancel

  • KC8.27.09 - 5:39 PM

    I’m thinking you’ll be moving the paint to the storage room soon once you don’t have to touch up any more to make some more room. Also how do you keep all of the shirts folded so nicely without having them in drawers? Sarah and I have overhauled our closets with elfa shelving from The Container Store:
    http://www.containerstore.com/elfa

    They sell drawer systems if you are interested.

    My favorite part of the overhaul is the door handle. I bet you get good energy from that crystal every time you open or shut the door!

    What happened to all of your purses and bags?

    PS I think that picture of your cat is more flattering than the last one.ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.28.09 - 8:09 AM

      KC: I looked into elfa, but I’ve always been an open-fold kind of girl. I don’t usually have a problem with keeping them neat – I just fold as tidy as I can straight out of the dryer. As for my purses, I keep them in rubbermaid tubs under the bed – out of sight!ReplyCancel

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