Organizing My Closet

Like most girls, my closet is my sanctuary. It’s the one place in the house that’s all me and I can decorate it as girly as I please. When I moved into my first town home, my favorite part was my new walk-in closet, all to myself (squeals!). I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this space and turn it into my dream closet. Since I’m a clothes-hoarder once I unpacked all my clothes (6 months later) I started to feel trapped and claustrophobic in my own closet. I love organization and find every excuse to organize drawers, cabinets, closets etc. It makes things so much easier to be organized. After a lot of trial and error I finally found what works for me and some of my favorite products to use!

Must-Have #1: Containers

   One of my favorite things about my new closet are these built in shelves. They are huge and provide so many great opportunities for storage. I buy most of my storage stuff at The Container Store and Target .  Storage bins for me are the key to all my organizing. I love being able to separate items into different piles, then throw them into a bin. I always find that The Container Store is on the expensive side, but after looking at a million places, they always have exactly what I’m looking for and their stuff is very durable and versatile. Target is great for wicker, I love adding in wood touches and accents and these wicker containers are perfect and durable. Links for the products I used are below!

Fabric Containers : I usually use neutral colors when I organize. That way I can use containers in different rooms when I feel like changing things up. love these because they are the perfect neutral color and a great size. Right now I use them for my sweatshirts and winter accessories. Each is holding about 7-8 sweatshirts!

Labels : Labeling your containers allows you to find things so much easier. I love the idea of chalkboard labels because they are so versatile (clearly my new favorite word), I can rename them and change my mind anytime I need to re-organize something. I’ve used them in both my kitchen and my closet. They also have sticky backs so you don’t have to find tape or string to hang them.

File Box: This is where I keep all my important documents, like Tax and Insurance info. These file bins from The Container Store are great! You can mix and match from a bunch of different colors, for the box and inserts, and they are able to hold a lot of documents.

Wicker Bins: I love wicker, I think it’s the perfect way to jazz up a space and add some wood color, awesome for traditional style. I’ve utilized these from Target in my game room and closet because they look good and hold up really well. These are also the perfect size for your Disney Mickey Ears!

Must-Have #2: Shoe Rack 

It’s hard to believe that in college I didn’t even need a shoe rack and now I have 2 that are overflowing. Finding the right shoe rack can be a challenge. It all depends on how your closet is laid out, how many shoes you have and how you want to display your shoes. I think you’re shoe rack is specific to you and what works with you, your style, and your budget. I like Bed Bath and Beyond because they have a wide variety of shoe racks to pick from, whether you need tall or short, metal or wood, they have a bunch of different varieties to choose from. I use this one because I’m able to tie in my wood finishes, it’s short and fits under the built in shelves, and best of all it’s extendable. I hate feeling like I’m wasting empty space and this shoe rack is able to grow as my shoe collection grows.

Must-Have #3: Hangers

I have a personal attachment to my hangers; when I found the right ones it was like finding gold. As a kid we always used the plastic and wire hangers and I hated them because all my strappy and silky shirts would fall off or the hangers themselves would get tangled, it was always a losing battle. So, when I went to college I bought these fabric/velvet hangers and love them. I currently use these and  the fabric doesn’t let my strappy or silky tops slide off so everything stays in place no matter how it’s moved around. The ones with the hooks are my absolute favorite and a major space saver, but they’ve been discontinued and I haven’t found a good replacement yet.

Hangers without hooks: Ever since my hook hangers were discontinued I’ve been using these, they are essentially the same product just without the hooks. I could go on and on about the use of fabric hangers vs plastic ones but I wont force you to suffer through that rant. Long story short: love the fabric because they don’t snag your clothes like the plastic ones and they hold everything in place.

Wood pant hangers: I love incorporating wood into everything so I splurged on my pant hangers because I liked the way they looked and didn’t want to buy plastic hangers.

Metal Skirt/Shorts Hangers: I found these at Bed Bath and Beyond and was hesitant to buy them since they were metal but they are great, durable and easy to take items off and on.

Must-Have #4: Jewelry/Accessories Organization

In the average week, I wear the same 3 pieces of jewelry but I still have all these beautiful pieces that deserve to be on display versus in boxes. The necklace holder is one of my favorites because I can properly display my statement necklaces  and the tray is great for separating out the different pieces.

Necklace Holder: I love this black necklace display, I found the one above at Michael’s (how random) for $7!. They have them in a couple different sizes too.

Bracelet Holder: When I was looking for bracelet holders, I ran into the issue with the holders that were too big for my small jewelry and I finally found one that was big enough.

Jewelry Storage Tray: I never thought I’d ever have enough jewelry to utilize a jewelry tray. But these really are perfect to display all your jewelry and the various sizes allow you to cater to your jewelry collection. The Container Store also has these really handy stackable ones that are perfect if you’re trying to conserve space.

Must-Have #5: Decor

The final step in my organization is adding in design touches. Most of my organization is versatile, it’s usually a beige or brown color so I can use it any room. I like to change up my organization  a lot so this gives me the ability to do so without buying a bunch of stuff each time. Once I have everything out of the way and organized, I like to add in decorative pieces that really show my style and personality.

Rug: I typically have to control the urge to add pink and girly finishes to everything… but not in my closet! I can be as girly as I want so I had to add in this hot pink rug (under $75). Sometimes I come in and just lay down and the bright colors instantly put me in a better mood.

Anthropologie candles: These are the only candles I’ll allow in my house (Capri Blue Volcano) and had to pick up a couple little ones to add in my closet. Anthropology really does a great job with their candles, each one is available in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes so you can utilize the same sent throughout all your rooms. I secretly hope that when I light them, the scent will infuse with the fabric and I’ll smell like the candle all day 🙂

How Far We’ve Come:

Of course, I had to include before and after pictures of my closet transformation. I love seeing how far I’ve come and where I started for all my organization projects. Before, I had no organization system and was just lucky to have everything unpacked, out of boxes and semi off the floor.

Anyways, that’s my closet and how I organized it. I plan on sharing other rooms in my house that I’m still working on (kitchen, laundry room and my backyard!)

Thanks so much for reading!