I am going to start this post by asking a few questions…
- Do you feel happy when you walk into your closet?
- Do you feel like everything is where it needs to be?
- When you are looking for a certain top, jeans, pair of shoes…can you find them?
- Do you feel that you can easily put together outfits in your closet?
If I was to ask myself these questions a month ago, I would’ve said “No” to all the above. It’s the worst feeling when you spend your hard earned money on clothes to feel like you never have the right outfit. OR you totally forget about your favorite top you bought a few months back because you simply can’t find it. The good news is that it can all be fixed with just starting to organize your closet! I wanted to share with you all what I did to make the most of my space AND make it 10x easier to find everything (on a budget of course!)
Step 1: PURGE YOUR CLOSET!
The first step is to identify any items you do not wear or have not used in a while. Basically use the Marie Kondo method right? If it’s not something that “sparks joy” or you know you haven’t wore it in a while then it’s time to get rid of it. I started by going to some of the local shops that buy, trade & sell clothes. I was able to get money back on items they wanted to take and then ended up just donating the rest. I have used Poshmark in the past as well but it is time consuming to post pictures and interact on that platform. So if you have the time and the space to store some of the unwanted items then go for it! You could also even do a mini closet sale and promote it on social to let your friends & family shop your closet. Once you only have clothes you will wear often then move on to Step #2!
Step 2: BUY NEW HANGERS
This was a GAME CHANGER for me. I used to have all different hangers; plastic ones from Target, purple, black, wire…you name it I had it. By simply just buying the same color & type of hangers it made a huge difference in the aesthetic. I purchased all of mine from Amazon because it was the best price I found. I used these suit hangers because the velvet surface helps prevent your clothes from slipping off AND they are super slim so they give you more space. Only $22 for a 50 pack (STEAL!) For my pants, I used these chrome metal hangers that are also nonslip. And lastly for any skirts or shorts I wanted to hang up I used these velvet pant hangers that come with two metal clips attached!
Step 3: ORGANIZE YOUR CLOTHING
Once you have all the same hangers to hang up your clothes, the next step is to start organizing! Now this step is all about your preference on what you think will make it easier for you to find your clothes. You can organize your closet by simply putting all types of clothing together. For instance, putting all short sleeve tops together, long sleeve tops, etc. You can even organize them by color too! I have even seen people organize by season. So honestly it’s all about what works best for you!
Step 4: STORAGE
So this for me was huge. I hated the way our closet was set up originally because it was not done to help maximize space and it did not have the right aesthetic that made me feel it was all “put together”. So I ended up buying this shelving unit (only $50!!!) and it gave additional space to put items that I wanted to make more visible. For instance, I had so much jewelry I wasn’t wearing because 1. I forgot I owned half of it (out of sight, out of mind right?) and 2. It wasn’t easily accessible when I was picking out outfits to wear. To solve this problem, I ended up buying this jewelry display case ($18) from Amazon that I could store on one of the shelves to make it easier to see what I have. And for all of my bracelets I bought this ($8) T-bar bracelet holder. Another important storage item that everyone should invest in when organizing your closet is a stackable shoe rack. I already had three in my closet, but for those of you that don’t…definitely get one and make sure it’s stackable so you can maximize space! These racks make it SO much easier to find shoes and it also looks nice when it’s all on display. And lastly, I bought this tufted ottoman to put in my closet. This item isn’t really considered “storage” but to me it helped with making that space more cozy. Also, I no longer have to try and balance to put on my heels & boots which is a huge win! If you are looking for more storage though, there are ottomans that you can buy with storage options (see here).
Some other storage items I purchased:
- Stackable Organizer Holder for Sunglasses ($22)
- Large Decorative Storage Bin ($18)
- 3 Drawer Closet Organizer – ($50) Bought 2 of these & stored my bath towels and some of Dan’s clothes in
- Rectangle Basket (medium sized) ($18) – stored all my hats & hair accessories in this basket
- Rectangle Basket (Large sized) ($23) – used to store all my duffle/weekender bags
- Small Crate ($14) – this was used for mostly Dan’s items he wanted to store
- Large Crate ($18)- Used to store scarves and more winter accessories
DIY Marble Details
I wanted the shelves on the shelving unit to look more modern since it was just plain white so we used this marble contact paper to place on the bottom shelves. It was so easy to place on top, but you do need patience to make sure you are putting it on correctly and that there are no air bubbles. If there was any type of bubbles on the surface, we used a credit card to smooth it out. We also even used that same contact paper to put on the top of the drawers we bought from Target (see below for before & after pictures!) We used three rolls of the contact paper in total and bought it off Amazon! They come in 3 different sizes based off of what surface you are using it for and ranges in price starting at $7 a roll! For the shelves we used the 11.8″ x 78.7″ size and for the drawer surface we used the 17.17″ x 78.7″.
Before:
After:
I hope this helped inspire some reorganizing of your closet! Everything I chose was budget friendly so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to feel good about how your closet looks! You can shop my entire post below by just clicking on the picture of the item and it will take you directly to the retailers site! If you have any questions about any of these products, feel free to email me: aadler@coffeeanddenim.com.
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