I often get asked where in the world do I store allllllll of the things that I am constantly posting about. Well, aside from the floors of every room in my house, draped over any chair I can get my hands on and inside bags sitting in the basement [it’s all true and pathetic, I realize] I have managed to get a handle on my closet(s) and make them as organized as I can. Kinda. It’s true, I own a lot of crap [errr..very valuable items ;)] and it can get a little chaotic when knowing where to put it all. My closets and organization structure have definitely been a work in progress, but I finally feel like I am getting a good grasp on where everything is and where everything goes.
It all started a year or two ago when I invited my girlfriend and personal stylist, Nicole Cripe Style, to come help me clean out my closets. You can read more about that here. There are several things that I have been doing since then that have helped tremendously when it comes to keeping my wardrobe organized and functional. Today, I’ll share more about that while showing you our lavish 1960’s tiny closets where everything is held.
That brings me to my next question though – did people in the 60’s not own anything? Closet space obviously wasn’t deemed necessary because yikes. I’m so glad future generations got much more materialistic and starting building massive walk-in closets 😉 Because our closets are far from space-ish, I require using three closets in our home. Fortunately, in our master bedroom we do have a his and hers closet, so don’t worry, Shawn still has a space to put his 10 items. This means I use my closet in the master bedroom, the closet in the guest bedroom [sorry guests!] and the closet in my office. I’ll break down each closet and what I use them all for, but first a few very helpful tips and tricks for organizing your clothes and accessories:
- Use Slimline no slip hangers. These have literally doubled my closet space I feel like! Not only thing, but it creates such a more sophisticated and clean look inside your closet. Gone are the days of chunky white, blue, green, black and every other color under the sun plastic hangers that my clothes were constantly hanging off of. I love that my tops stay in place on these hangers, but mostly love that I can fit so much more inside my closet walls now!
- Clean out your closets every six months! A great way to keep track of what you have worn and haven’t worn is to turn all of your hangers the same way and then once you wear something, hang it up with the hanger going the opposite direction. When it comes time to clean out your closets, you will quickly be able to see what you haven’t worn in the last six months, which is a pretty good indicator that you could most likely part ways with it. Pay attention to the quality of the items [are there stains, holes, pilling a lot, etc], if the item still fits [yes, this means you may need to try it on] and if the style of the item is still relevant and something you feel confident in when wearing.
- When it comes to hanging your clothes, I highly recommend doing so by colors and style. You will see below when I share my closets that I have broken up the different styles of items [ie: tanks, jackets, dresses, etc] and then sort according to color. Your closet becomes a big giant rainbow and it’s wonderful. I find this the easiest way to find what to wear and also helps me not dress in black every single day. I’m always aware that I wore green yesterday, red the day before and should probably reach for something grey today! Also, sorting by style makes it super easy to piece together outfits.
- Use shoe container boxes. These have also saved my life. I store every pair of shoes that I own in these. I love that they are clear, keep your shoes in great shape and can be stacked which saves a ton of closet space. I use the regular shoe box for all of my tennis shoes, flats, sandals and all of those “normal” size shoes. I then use the tall shoe boxes for heels and ankle booties and the boot boxes for you guessed it, my boots.
- For additional storage [think scarves, shorts, swimsuits, etc] I love these SOFI containers. I own all different styles and they have been so helpful when it comes to keeping things in their own place!
- If you can, either hire a professional closet organizer to come in and build a system or purchase a closet organizing system. Our closets used to be a single bar across. This made for very little space and wasn’t very functional at all. Thankfully for my birthday last year, Shawn had a company come in to look at our closets and to maximize our space. It doubled [or tripled] the amount of room that we have. Best birthday gift ever.
Okay, I think that is all of the quick tips that I have, although we may get into a few more as the post goes on! Alright, time to share the closets themselves…let’s head on in! First up, the master closet.
It is in this closet that I keep all jackets and vests, sleeveless tops and regular tops. Again, organized by style and color. Down the middle is where I have my beloved SOFI containers that hold some bath products, shorts, and sleepwear. A few pair of shoes and sandals live here, only because I ran out of room in the other closet that has the remainder of my shoes.
Next up, the guest bedroom closet. Also known as the home of all dresses and bags, hats and scarves.
I get that this doesn’t necessarily look color coordinated, however, allow me to explain. The left side of the closet are dresses that are a year or older. The right side is all newer dresses that I have accumulated over the past year. Each section is color coordinated but as you will see, yes, there are two green sections, two black and white sections and so on. When organizing dresses I like to start with strapless/sleeveless styles and then work my way to dresses with sleeves, maxi dresses, etc. It makes it super easy when trying to find the exact dress I am looking for!
When it comes to organizing hats and scarves, I turn to this SOFI container. Sure, it’s probably not the prettiest or most organized way to do it, but it works well enough for me.
When it comes to organizing hats and scarves, I turn to this SOFI container. Sure, it’s probably not the prettiest or most organized way to do it, but it works well enough for me.
And last but not least, the office closet. This baby is the home of all shoes, pants, jeans, sweatshirts and random tops that I couldn’t squeeze into my master closet.
Aren’t those shoe containers a glorious sight? Goodness, I love those sanity savers. Because I have a lot of flip flops [assuming every woman can say the same thing] I throw them all into one container, rather than using up several shoe containers. This makes it easy to just grab a pair and go!
I also use these bins to hold my swimsuits. Because I have limited dresser storage, this has been a good way for me to go!
Real quick on pants and jeans – I use the same Slimline no slip hangers to hang those. Just fold over and done. I can typically fit 3-4 pairs on one hanger which helps save on closet space.
And last but not least, jewelry storage.
This was my old desk that I used to use in my office. After buying a different desk and sticking it on the other side of the room, I decided that rather than selling this one at a garage sale, I would keep it in my office and use it to house all of my jewelry and clutches. Shockingly enough, this was actually my husband’s idea so mad props to the man for this one.
beaded necklaces from icrave jewels
I bought all of these jewelry organizers from Stella and Dot. I love these necklace display frames along with these smaller framed displays. It keeps everything not only super organized, but also looks nice displayed.
nickel and suede earrings – all are size medium [photos shot by tina herschberger photography]
And there we have it! My closets + storage tips in a nutshell. Remind me next time we buy a house to look for one with a walk-in closet please and thank you.
For a ton of awesome closet organization items, check out a ton of favorites below – all at an awesome price [a lot of which are on sale right now!] What tips + tricks do you have for closet organization?
Founder and creator of LIY, Erin turned her dream of a hobby blog into a full-time career which she now runs alongside the LIY team! When not in front of her computer screen [with a La Croix or wine in hand] or in front of a mirror taking mirror selfies, you can find Erin spending time on the water, cuddled up with her two pups and husband most likely watching the latest Shark Tank episode, or getting lost in an easy beach read.
