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!
