Monday, February 8, 2016

Organizing a Small His and Hers Closet~

After the holidays, I decided it was time to once again go through our shared closet in order to make room for the new things we had acquired.

As with any project of this nature, it always gets worse before it gets better.

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was taken out of the closet.  Once I had everything out, it was time to sort through it all.  This is when I ask myself some very tough questions: 
 1) Does it fit? Not do I wish it did, maybe someday it will again, etc.  Right now, does it fit?
 2) Is it in good shape? No stains, rips, tears, has it lost its shape?
 3) Have I worn it in the last 6-12 months? 
 4) Do I love it? Does it make me feel good when I wear it?
 5) Is it still in style?

Those items not fitting the bill, go straight to either the donate pile or trash.

During...







Two large trash bags full of donations...


A clean slate...






Now to move things back in...

We have three different size dressers in our closet, as you can see in the above pictures.  The long dresser on the right wall is where I keep all of my active wear, jeans, colored denim, shorts, and some heavier weight sweaters.  The dresser on the opposite wall is shared by hubby and I, and it holds undergarments (his), sweaters (mine) and his activewear.  The third dresser is tall and narrow and fits perfectly in  the niche where we used to have very deep shelves.  The shelves were never neat, and things were constantly getting lost in the back.  This piece works out much better.  This dresser holds my jewelry, atop and in the top drawer, my undergarments and pjs and his dress socks.  Along with the dressers in our closet we have to others in our master bedroom for things like casual socks, t-shirts, his jeans and the like.

I love these elfa hooks from the Container Store for hanging my statement necklaces.  So easy as they just hook onto the wire shelving (not my favorite, but I can't bring myself to spend $1000+ on a closet to replace with a custom system).  The box holds some of my larger jewelry pieces, while the bowls hold my pearls and fit bit bands.



Next to the dresser is my long hanging space.  I don't have a lot of dresses, as I don't wear them often, so this space is shared with my longer sweaters and dress slacks.


All of my scarves (which my husband was so proud I paired down, ahem) are stored in these Martha Stewart fabric bins from Home Depot and have been labeled using my beloved P-Touch label maker.


My shoes are all stored in clear plastic labeled shoe boxes from the Container Store.  I have been storing my shoes this way for years.  Makes finding the pair I am looking for a breeze.  I also group them by category: ballet flats, sandals, pumps, tennis shoes, booties, etc.  They are all placed on the top shelf that wraps around my side of the closet.  I am 5'7" and can easily reach them.


Here you can see some more of my hanging garments.  Shirts, Blouses, Cardis, Vests, Light Weight Jackets.




This is them all together.




A look at my side.  As you can see not a huge space but it functions well.




 I store my favorite Sam Edelman Penny boots with shape inserts in them under my shorter hanging garments.  Just a note, my hubby would tell you I would sleep in these boots they are that comfortable! Hence, one in every color.


Atop the narrow dresser I store my dainty necklaces, bracelets and watches so they are within easy reach.  These are my go to pieces I wear on a daily basis.  I ordered the 3-tiered stand off of Amazon after seeing Megan's.


This is hubby's side.  His tie rack on the far left wall.  We use a hanging shoe caddy for his dress shoes as it is easy for him to grab the pair he needs in the morning while getting ready for work.  His casual shoes are stored elsewhere.


A full view of his side.  Top rod holds his Tommy Bahama shirt collection, khakis, dress slacks, suits and dress shirts.  The bottom his golf shirts, polos, pullovers, frequently worn sweatshirts and pants.
As you can see I used the same hooks from the Container Store for his belts on the end.




This is a shot of the taller narrow cabinet.  As you can see it fits perfectly where the deep shelves used to be.  We have yet to remove the shelf brackets as that would require some drywall repair.  We did leave the top shelf in place to give us a space to store our laundry baskets.


As I mentioned, this is not a very large space so it is a bit difficult to photograph.  And, I personally am still learning to use all the settings on my camera.  So thanks for bearing with me.

I hope this helps inspire you to get organized and make use of the space that you do have.

Linking up with Stacie and the girls for THOUGHTS OF HOME THURSDAY!

14 comments:

Gina said...

Very impressive! Everything looks so organized and clean - good job! I would dearly love to remove everything has is not clothes-related out of my closet. Some day, some day...

Preppy Empty Nester said...

Wow!!! Will you come and organize my closet? Looks like somebody likes her Tory Carolines! Have a great week!

Michelle said...

Organized I'd say! Nice work. You are going to be the envy of every woman in blog land!

Beaufort Belle said...

OK girlfriend, as soon as we get my new carpet in and I can fully organize my closet, you are trekking to NC to organize my closet. I wish I had a "small" closet like yours!! LOL I can't wait to send you a picture of mine. LOL Love the jewelry holder and putting the shoes in the clear containers. Maybe I can figure out a way to do that when redoing my closet. Your hubby's Tommy Bahama collection looks just like my hubby's. I thought I was looking into that section of his closet! You did a wonderful job. Definitely inspired me to get started on mine. Almost to that point! If you ever decide to get a "new job", I think California Closets would hire you in a minute!!!

Finding Grace Interiors said...

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say! very impressive organization skills! Your closet looks amazing!! Would you like to come over to do mine? :)
Thanks for the inspiration!! :)

Judy said...

Several years ago when we had a flood (stupid guy we hired to replace our water heater in the attic didn't turn off the water at the main valve and our bedroom got flooded!) I had to clean out my walk in closet so we could replace the flooring. (I'm lucky that hubby has his own closet in another room). I really went through it then and organized and purged and told myself it would stay that way....well, not it's a big ol' mess again and I really need to do another clean out.

Last year I lost a good bit of weight and took 2-3 large garbage bags of clothes to one of the aides at mom's nursing home but still have waaaay too much stuff.

I didn't mean for my comment to turn into a novel but hopefully your post will inspire me to "clean up"!

Andrea Nine said...

Absolutely fantastic!! I use 3 of the closets in our house but maybe if mine were more organized, I'd only need one! One Of our sons is a shoe fanatic and has been asking for these kind of shoe containers!! I should get them for the whole family!! These elfa hooks are brilliant!! You should do this for a living, so so good!!

Barbara M. said...

What a beautiful closet reorganization! You were lucky to find a cabinet that fits so perfectly in your niche. Love the necklaces on the Elfa hooks.

The only thing that would not work for me is the scarves in bins. If I don't see them I don't wear them so I have way too many hanging on hooks.

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

I am so impressed with how well your closet is organized! We need to take the time to do a major overhaul of ours! I'm so glad that I saw that bracelet stand that you ordered from Amazon. I sooooo need that!

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

Ok, I thought I was organized until I saw this post - you absolutely and totally put me to shame!!!! Wow, you have inspired me to kick it up a notch! Just found your blog after you found mine and I'm looking forward to doing some more browsing around! :)

Lisa @ Texas Decor said...

I can't tell you how much I love this! Organization makes me giddy and these pics are fabulous! What a wonderful space you have. I love how everything has its own spot and that bracelet organizer is great!

Ramblings of a Southern Girl ~ Rhonda G said...

Wow, you have been very busy, and the result is amazing! Everything is perfectly organized! I'm glad you included the sources of your organizational tools. I need to visit a Container Store and try some that you did! ...and Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for the sweet comment on my Valentine Decorated Lantern! Hope you'll be back! Have a great weekend! :) ~Rhonda

Pondside said...

As I write this comment every garment I own is on the bed, and The Great Dane and I have been sleeping in the guest room. The closet under the eaves has been re-done and I'll spend the next couple of days organising and winnowing out the pile on the bed. Your post certainly popped up at a good time! Thanks for the tips.

Gert said...

Wow! That is incredible organized ! You are really gifted to be able to put it all together like this!!

Gert