mission organization: closet edition

I am a complete nerd when it comes to organization. It just feels so good to open a closet or a drawer and feast my eyes upon nice, neat rows of things. Color-coded, arranged by size, tucked away in labeled bins, is simply blissful. For a while, I think I was fixated on the idea of organization. Like it was somehow this unattainable concept reserved for the pages of Martha Stewart Living. I had to take organization down a notch, pull it off of it’s pedestal, rather than just pinning images without any follow through.

Over the Christmas break, I spent several nights (mornings?) working on the house. I went through every drawer, every room, every closet. Kept what we needed, donated what we could and tossed the things that were no good. You can do a lot if you start when you put your toddler to bed and stay up until around 2:00. It’s like a whole extra day. Obviously, not the most ideal concept but I really needed to purge. I really needed to organize and the only way I could see it happening was to start and follow through.

Now, I can take spaces and really organize them, I don’t have to push the clutter aside, I just have to work with what is already there. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been chipping away at my closet and I finally finished it last weekend. I looked to Pinterest for inspiration and I saw picture after picture of amazingly organized closets, complete with custom-built organizers, shoes neatly displayed behind glass. After an initial wave of closet envy, I did find some surprisingly simple and inexpensive solutions for my favorite room in the house.

I organized the clothes by color rather than season. I tend to forget about things I could layer with during the winter when all of my summer/spring tops are in a different location. I’ve tried it both ways and this is the way that works best for me. I’m a visual person, I need to see it all right in front of me.

Here are a few of my new favorite organizations tips and tricks:

Scarf and Hat Organization- On the back of the door, Allen hung two towel rods. I used the top rod for Allen’s hats and the bottom to organize my scarf collection. Here is the inspiration behind this little project. I liked the idea of them being on a fixed location rather than a clothes hanger or an over-the-door-organizer. 

A better look at how the shower curtain hooks are used. The metal version worked great for the hats, but I opted for plastic rings for my scarves. Plus, I saw a few of my favorite stores using the plastic rings to display scarves, I love how nice and neat it makes them look.

Purse Organization- More handy shower curtain hooks used to hang bags and purses from an unused section of closet shelving.

Jewelry Organization- Back during the summer, I posted about this DIY jewelry organization area in my closet.  I want you to know that it has been such a life saver. I wear more jewelry because it’s all displayed and I am able to see the pieces better. It is one of my favorite DIY projects we’ve ever completed.

Utilize all of your space. I used to be hesitant to put things on the top shelves. I can’t reach them and I thought it would be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Let me tell you, putting my shoes up on these shelves has been such a great solution. I don’t feel like the closet is cluttered with shoes and it’s nice to have everything out on display. I don’t forget about my favorites and they are all easily accessible. I just added a small step-ladder to the closet for the hard to reach pairs.

Getting my outfits in order. Every morning I waste so much time choosing an outfit and I leave myself a big mess to clean up that afternoon. I’ve seen cute tags for kids clothing, they slip on the hanger and you can easily determine which outfits will be worn during the week. To remedy my problem, I purchased unfinished wooden door hangers from Hobby Lobby and spray painted them black. I added a chipboard letter to each one and viola, a grown-up set was made. (Allen had to cut an opening in each hanger so it would slip on the closet rack)

I’ll just leave mine hanging on the closet shelf and add my outfit behind each day.

Everything has a place. I thought about each and every item in my closet during this project. Even flip-flops, flats and slippers. I used to organize fabric in this shelf (back when I had to actually sew), but now it’s a perfect spot to organize my shoes.

Overall, it took me much longer than I had anticipated, but I can’t tell you how much better I feel now that it’s all finished. Of course, Allen has the other side of the closet but his side isn’t photo-ready. I could organize his by color and make it look much neater, but I think he likes his the way it is, this is me not trying to control everything and letting him have his own closet space. Baby steps.

I also moved the large mirror from the bedroom into the closet. If you need me, I’ll be hanging out in here.