Closet Crashing: Our Very Own Digs
Back when we shared how we organized just about everything in our house there were a number of requests to see how we kept our clothing in check, so we’re back to crash our very own closets and share all the dirty details. The closest I got to pulling back the curtain was revealing how I keep my jewelry organized in a ceramic egg crate a while back:
But there’s a lot more than jewelry in that big Ikea wardrobe…
On my side of the bed, the wardrobe has two top shelves, a hanging bar, a shelf under the hanging bar with fabric boxes (full of socks, underwear, swimsuits, and all the other things that I like to keep wrangled in their own cubbies), and four more shelves below (one for jeans, one for pajamas and two for shoe storage.
One little trick I learned was that turning each set of shoes in the opposite direction somehow magically makes room for one more pair of shoes per shelf (since the front of each pair of shoes is wider than the back, alternating directions steals a bit of space with each pair you add).
And as for those fabric bins, here’s a better angle to check out my socks, bras and underwear. Good thing almost everything I wear is black so you can’t see much detail here…
I also mentioned that I had two top shelves above the hanging bar, one that I use for folded fabric storage (it’s kind of like clothing, right?) and the other that I use to house the purses that I’m not currently carrying (I stuff them with balled up paper bags to help them keep their shape and “sit” on the shelf) and a few rolled up scarves. Oh and matching hangers are one of the easiest ways (and cheapest- they’re super inexpensive in bulk at Ikea) to make your closet look like a little boutique- plus they keep clothes from getting all stretched out like they do with skinny plastic or wire hangers.
So that’s my side, now it’s time for J’s. His also has a hanging bar with two shelves above it, but instead of having five shelves below it he has one followed by three pull-out drawers and one more shelf on the bottom for shoes. And while my hanging bar is full of mostly black tops, John’s is full of colorful collared work shirts (since he has an entire drawer devoted to t-shirts and more casual weekend stuff).
John also uses his big shelf under the hanging bar to store jeans while he houses all of his socks, white undershirts, and boxers in one of the pull out drawers. The greatest thing about bringing in the Ikea wardrobes was that we could each customize them to work for us individually (for example, John’s hanging bar is about a foot taller than mine since I’m 5′2″ and he’s 6′). Oh and you may notice that John has more jeans than me. I’m crazy about keeping things simple, even when it comes to clothes, so I like to have just a few no-fail pieces that I can grab without confusion or internal debate. Weird, huh? I know.
Here you can see John’s awesome pull out drawers in all their glory. My wardrobe is actually a few inches narrower than John’s (our back window is off-center, so we used the wardrobes and some curtains on the back wall to make it things appear more symmetrical) which explains why his accommodated drawers while mine only came with the option for shelves (certain sizes are “standard” and have more options).
And while John might have more jeans than I do, I definitely win when it comes to shoes. I think because I keep my wardrobe pretty simple (mainly black and sometimes a pop of coral or turquoise) I use fun shoes and dangly earrings to keep things interesting. At least that’s what I tell myself to keep from feeling guilty about my abundant footwear collection. Thank goodness we still have the original closet that came with the room (can you believe two people were supposed to survive with just this in the master bedroom?) for my overflow shoes, John’s suits, my dresses, and some out of season sweaters.
We even inherited some old nails in the side of the closet, which actually serve a great function- wrangling some necklaces that don’t fit into the egg crate in my wardrobe. They’re more function than form, but replacing them with decorative hooks or knobs from Anthropologie could pretty things up in a flash.
This closet also came with two stacked wire shoe racks (it’s like our house knew I was coming!) which are super functional when it comes to storing three times the amount of shoes thanks to more usable vertical space. And you’ll notice that I didn’t use my little alternating-directions-with-my-shoes trick here, because I actually have room to spare in this closet. That, my friends, is restraint (although I did see some cute little green sandals at Target…).
And on the subject of closets, we just couldn’t forget our guest bedroom closet…. because it’s a little bedroom for Burger! Of course we never close the door when he’s in it and we remove his crate when guests come (the fact that we have an empty closet full of wooden hangers makes our little spare bedroom feel a bit more posh- it’s the little things, right?).
So there you have it. We’ve officially been closet crashed. We hope you guys enjoyed our little peek behind the curtain. And of course we’d love to know your closet tips and tricks. How do you make the most of your clothing storage? Any closet makeovers on the horizon? Do tell!
Wanna know how those big Ikea built-ins on either side of the bed came to be? Here’s the whole story.
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Comments
Hey Youngsters- Terrific job on your storage! We are under way on a BIG downsizing project ourselves. We are in an old three-family stacked up house from the post-war era, and we have tiny closets. Are there any closet systems out there that fit inside closets that DON’T have sliding doors? Everything I look at seems to be geared for long closets with sliders, and while my closet is about 6 feet wide, I just have a regular door with no ability to change the wall. I’d like to have a double hang rack, at the very least; anything more would be a bonus! Any help for me out there?
Hey Richard,
Ikea is really a great resource and you might be able to retrofit things to work in your existing closet as opposed to working with wardrobes like the ones we purchased above. We also think The Container Store will definitely have systems that work without sliders (they mount right into the back wall, so the length of your closet doesn’t limit your options and you don’t need side-to-side tension to keep ‘em up). Same with the wire systems at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s- a lot of them are back-mounting so the unchangeable width of your closet should be just fine. Hope it helps! Happy hunting…
xo,
s
Thanks for answering my question Sherry. I guess I need to convince my other half to have a big clear out! Less mess, less stress :-)
Thanks for the run down on your closet, I was wondering if you had some shoes and other clothes lingering elsewhere! We just moved into a new house and I am in the midst of trying to get our closets organized! And I love love your egg crate idea so much that I have used a real one temporarily while I search for a good deal on a white ceramic one!
Hey Liz,
We’re happy to say that’s the extent of our clothing storage. We do have a hall closet that we use to store paperwork (in pull our drawers that we slipped into the closet) and photo albums along the two two shelves- and we also have a closet in the third bedroom that we use for winter coats and gloves/scarves, but no more shoes or other clothing lingering. We try to keep like things with like so we always know where to find ‘em. Hope it helps! Oh and Anthropologie has littler ceramic egg crates in case you haven’t seen them yet! Happy hunting…
xo,
s
I am so in love with your Ikea wardrobes! While we’re looking at houses, I have to say the closet situation is the scariest part! Don’t be surprised if someday you see a before and after sent in that looks eerily like y’alls closet solution!
Well, this post confirms it. We still have just entirely too much stuff! Yeesh – it’s completely embarassing. We’re such pigs. Our previous house had a HUGE walk in closet that could have easily doubled as a nursery, and I guess we just got used to the space and filled it up. I *know* we can get our clothes whittled down… I’m with you on the shoes, though, Sherry. I’m a jeans with black gal, too, and those shoes and bags matter!! ;)
Hmmm… wouldn’t it be fun if you did a “reader participation” closet before and after post? We’d send in our closet pics and you could post ‘em in one big before and after party post! :)
XO,
Jacci
LETS DO IT! Everyone who decides to tackle their very own closet makeover can send me pics and I’ll try to post them all in one big closet-makeover-fest of eye candy. Great idea Jacci! Please don’t forget to take before pics (this step is vital as many people get in there and forget to document the before first)! Fun, fun, fun…
xo,
Sherry
Woo Hoo!!!!! I’m on it like flies on Burgers…uh…um… well, you know.
I just took my before pics! :) hee hee!!! (giggly squealy sounds – I do it, too, Sherry). Now, how long do we have to get the job done?? I assume there’s a deadline you’re setting for before and after pic submissions?
Ack! When can I get to IKEA soooooon?!!
XO,
Jacci
P.S. You all are such a blast to humor me :)
Hey Loriana,
I believe it’s around 92″ high (you can probably find exact measurements on ikea.com) but we used baseboard molding to bridge the gap between the top of the wardrobe and the ceiling for a built-in look. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Sherry! This has absolutely nothing to do w/your amazingly organized closet that I wish I had… (Although I’m working on it!!! :)) I saw that you have a container of Avalon Organics night cream and wondered what skin care regimen you use?? Your face is always glowing!!!! Please dish!!! :)
Hey Devin,
I love Avalon Organics and use their shampoo & conditioner (and their Vitamin C cream before bed, which is what you noticed in the white bowl above). Other than that I just use Dr. Bronner’s organic soap to wash my face and sometimes I gently exfoliate with a scrub (about once a month or so) made from sugar in the raw and extra virgin olive oil. Oh and I think my skin has gotten better thanks to my organic make-up switch (now I only use Organic Wear 100% natural blush, bronzer, concealer, eye shadow and mascara). And of course I’m addicted to Dr. Bronner’s lip balm (which I keep by the bed, in my purse, on my desk and even in our car’s glove compartment). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Sherry,
Thank you sooo much!!! I really appreciate all of the info!! I can’t wait to start testing it on myself to *hopefully* get the same results!! xo
Devin
We live in a small house with small closets. Our bedroom closet is wide with a narrow door. Originally it just had a bar running the width of the closet with a shelf above, but I tended to lose things off to either side. So we tore everything out of the closet, painted it a beautiful creamy white. Then to one side we put a double-level clothes bar, and built-in shelves on the other side. There is nothing on the back wall of the closet (although I plan to add hooks for belts and my husband’s ties) so I can actually step into it and see everything. It has made a huge difference. Also, since the only supplies we had to purchase was wood for making the shelves and some hardware and paint, the whole project was less than $100.
That sounds like such a smart use of space Emily! Thanks for taking the time to drop us a line about it. Nothing makes us more excited than good old fashioned organization.
xo,
s
I love the idea of putting Burger’s crate in the spare closet. Do you have an idea of where to hide a litter box?!?! We have two cats that remain indoors and I hate the look of it just sitting in our guest bedroom.
Thanks :)
Hey Kait,
Maybe in a corner obscured by a cat-friendly plant? Behind a dresser or side table so it’s less obvious when you enter a room? They even sell side tables that have hollow sides where a cat can slip in and use a hidden litter box right there in the table. Crazy, eh?! Just google around and you’ll turn some up. Maybe you can even skirt a table and train your cat to walk under the skirt to use the hidden littler box and come back out when she’s done. Talk about privacy!
Our best advice would just be to stand in the doorway of a room and see which corners and areas are the most hidden and try out your litter box there. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
In response to Kait’s question,
If you go to ikeahacker.com, there are a ton of great ideas for how to hide a litter box. Just type litterbox into the search box.
ahh, how lovely to be organised. I have to share a wardrobe with my husband. I have 3/5ths and he has 2/5ths of the space. We live in a one bedroom flat and have the elfa system which has given us much more space.
Great trick with the shoes to squeeze an extra pair in. I’ve seen on Oprah that she does her shoes with one shoe from every pair turned with the back to the front. That way you see the front of the shoe and the heel style/height. It should still give you the extra room as 50% of your collection will still be turned to the back.
I can’t wait — we are giving each other a closet makeover for Christmas. It will give me an excuse to finally get rid of all the clothing that we never use or that ONE day will fit. Speaking of organization…Do you have any other cool tips? Like where do you store important paper work or old photographs???
Here’s a post all about where we stash and store everything: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/04/how-ya-bin/
You can also see other organization related posts on our How To tab under the header. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I’m currently working on our closets and remembered this post. Can you tell me the distance between the shelving in your closets? I’ve tried moving mine around and it always seems too close or too far apart. Thanks.
Hey Candace,
We planned our shelves based on what we would be storing on each one, so they vary from 6″ to 12″ apart. The lower ones with our shoes on them are 6″ since we wanted as many as possible and they didn’t need to be any taller. But the ones that are up above are a bit further apart so we can store things like handbags and backpacks and stacks of folded out of season sweaters, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Lynn,
Voting goes til next Friday and it’s a super tight race! We’re sweating over here. Thanks so much for your votes and your support! As for the ceramic egg crate, I picked it up about five years ago back when I lived in NYC (there’s a huuuge Container Store there where I grabbed it and never looked back). Although Anthropologie has been selling them more recently and I haven’t seen ‘em at Container Store for a while so that may be your best lead! So glad to hear you like to keep it simple when it comes to clothes- a girl after my own heart. Wahoo! We’re a rare breed I think…
xoxo,
Sherry