5 Organizational Tips for your Closet

 

  If you didn't catch the full reveal of my closet makeover yesterday, check it out here.

 Today, I'm getting into more detail about the transformation and organization. These changes cost me around $100 and prove that glamour and organization don't always mean spending the big bucks!

Before implementing these strategies, I recommend completely emptying out your closet and going through everything you have in there, deciding what to keep and what to donate. You might be surprised how much stuff you have hidden away in there!

1. Matching Hangers

 I never really gave much thought to my mismatched, mis-sized plastic hangers until I looked at some pictures of my closet. The visual clutter! Not to mention they often left the shoulders of my clothes dented or my clothes just ended up on the floor altogether.

I opted for thin felt hangers in black, which I LOVE. They help maximize hanging space and nothing slips off. 

Funny story about these. I snagged 80 hangers on sale at the Superstore for around $16. I could not pass up that deal, but I was on my bike (and had a load of groceries to get home as well). To say that was a struggle of a bike ride is an understatement. I would not recommend it! But it was worth it for the hangers. 

2. Storage Boxes

Much of the visual clutter in my closet in the 'before' picture is all my Interior Design textbooks. These are books that I want to keep, as I reference them from time to time, but that don't need to be constantly on display or super easily accessible. I placed them spine up in these storage boxes from IKEA, so that when I open the lid I can see all of the titles and quickly choose the book I need. 

3. Colour Coordination

This is a tip some people might roll their eyes at, but I do feel that arranging my clothes by colour and style makes finding what I am looking for in my closet that much easier.

4. First Impressions Count

Consider what you see when your closet door is left open. That should be the prettiest section of your closet. This is where I display my favourite shoes, my favourite palette (black, white gold and blush), and some art and decorative accessories. The art and decorative pieces came from other areas of my apartment, so I saved money here. The Chanel Store front is from Anna With Love Photography and the 'Leopard is a Neutral' print is from SS Print Shop. The girl in the dress was torn out of a Barbie calendar (see this post here).

On the other hand, I keep the less attractive stuff (cleaning supplies, toilet paper, bulky coats, my mini fridge etc). on the other side of my closet so you can't see it unless your standing inside.

5. Good Laundry Sorter

I picked up this laundry sorter for $35 from the Superstore. I hand wrote the labels on them to keep myself more organized. I love that it's on wheels, so I can easily roll it out to the laundry room.

Some other details: I placed a $12 faux sheepskin IKEA rug that I have had for years in here, painted my shoe rack gold, and hid my clear storage towers in the corner behind my maxi dresses. I also put up the octagonal mirror (I still am working on a solution for my bathroom mirror) and placed one of my vintage bamboo chairs under it. I also hung up my faux leather hat which I think is the cutest touch. 

I hope I've inspired you to do a little closet organization of your own! xox

My Walk In Closet Makeover Reveal

Well ladies (and gents, if you're out there), my $100 closet makeover is complete! I managed to add organization and some prettiness with some easy and affordable solutions. I scaled back my original plan considerably (like my idea about painting it blush...which I still think would have been beautiful), but the end result is glamorous and most importantly, functional. Mostly I used things I already had around my apartment for decor, like the sheepskin rug, art, chair and decorative touches. The money went to a new hamper, all matching hangers, some storage boxes and a can of gold spray paint.

Let's just take a look at the before...My laundry hamper had broken and the whole thing is generally a disaster. My mother would be ashamed....I'm ashamed!

And now the incomparably better afters:

It really is the closet of my dreams! Tomorrow I will be going over the changes I made in more detail, as well as sharing sources and looking at the other side of my closet which is less glamorous than this side (needs to house cleaning supplies, etc.) but is neat and organized!

I can't wait to hear what you all think!
xox

In My Closet..

 This weekend I got busy organizing my closet. I don't know how I got so lucky to find a room with a closet this big in Toronto, but I'm so glad that I did! This is really my only storage space, so it's kind of a catch all. All it needs is a crystal chandy and a louis ghost chair and it would be my dream space!

I have three types of shoe storage. Most of my heels and fancier shoes are in the vertical hanging storage because the heels fall through the metal shelves on the shoe rack. I feel like I should have put more glamorous shoes on the shelf for this shot..but hey this is the way I live. And I mean, my dirty steel-toed work shoes are pretty sexy. My taller boots sit on the floor and are kept upright by rolling old magazines and sticking them inside!

^A look at the upper shelves. From left to right you see a peek of cleaning supplies, my sweats, silver basket holding belts, wicker basket with towels, weekend tote, rattan basket with handbags and clutches, and my hats. The rod on this side of the closet holds my outerwear jackets as well as my blazers.

The final side of my closet is definitely the least glam. My laundry hamper, mini fridge, pink drawer unit which holds my midnight snacks, and a mop. While this is my own space, I do share a kitchen with five other girls, so I like to keep some stuff in a fridge up here. This is what I mean by a multi purpose space!

All of my other clothes (tees, tanks, jean, pjs, etc.) are in my dresser located just outside of my closet door:

Just for fun (because I love you guys) I'll show you a BEFORE shot of the closet, when it was still a bit of a mess:

 You can see how desperately I needed that shoe rack.

And there you have it. It's probably the biggest closet I will ever have in my life since I plan on buying a tiny little fixer upper in Toronto one day. Gotta enjoy it while I can ladies!
xox