How to Organize your Closet by Creating a New System

Does your space look like this? If so, are you wondering how you can organize your closet?

Master Closet Before | The Happiness Bucket
  Master Closet Before 2 | The Happiness Bucket

Well, these photos represent how our closet looked for the first year and a half that we lived in our new home.  Yes, this is another episode of Confessions of a Professional Organizer. 

How to Organize Your Closet: Evaluate Your Space

Now, the reason our closet looked like this is because we wanted it to speak to us.  We wanted to take our time and really evaluate the space and determine what we wanted from it. 

So, we decided to get settled in the rest of our house to develop those organizational systems first. It is always good to tackle the public areas first. We just didn't anticipate that our "moving in" process would take over 18 months! I guess that's what happens when you have a newborn right before you move.

How to Organize Your Closet: Get Your Closet Specs

So let's talk about the dimensions of this closet. Despite the images, the closet is a very nice size, there was just a lot of wasted space.  Builders don't tend to put in organizational systems because of the added cost.

The ceilings are 10 feet by 11 feet tall, but the wire shelving was hung at about 8 feet.  To add additional complications there was a window in the middle of the L-shaped space. We didn't have a lot of closet clutter, but the inadequate space made it appear that we did. This is actually a very common issue in a lot of homes today.

How to Organize Your Closet: What Organizational Systems Can Do

We are now 90% complete with organizing our closet and I am so much happier, a woman was about to lose her mind I tell ya!  Even though it is still a work in progress, we can finally find our stuff! We can stop and breathe again.

In fact, my daughter regularly ventures into the closet just to sit on the floor and do what little girls do lol.

How to Organize Your Closet After | Dana LaRieal Morales | The Happiness Bucket 

How to Organize Your Closet After 2 | Dana LaRieal Morales | The Happiness Bucket

How to Organize Your Closet: The System Breakdown

This closet serves both my husband and I and it houses all seasons of our clothing. We also use it as our master bathroom linen closet and overflow storage, so we really needed to strategically think about where we were going to place items and how much of each item we could keep.

This was a project that we mapped out based on the various categories of items that we had and what we really wanted in the space.  

I drew up the design based on the categories of items we identified. My husband measured and measured again to verify what materials were needed. Now, truth be told there were some learning curve moments, specifically with the drawer cabinet. Unfortunately (like in most homes) our walls aren't square, we worked it out.

As each section was completed (there are four in total), we would perform an additional mini-declutter and then would add the items for that area back into the closet.  We had previously decluttered our closet prior to moving, but considering that had been over a year and a half earlier we felt it was important that we do it again.  

This allowed us to adapt the overall design to what we deemed more important which apparently is shoes LOL...and no people they are not all mine. We are actually splitting the space 60 hubby/40 mine.

There are a few areas that definitely still need tweaking like the purses and the space the "old" shoe caddy is currently occupying. We are brainstorming whether we should turn it into a bench or a laundry box or a combination of the two...what do you think?

I will say to organize your closet, you do not have to build a closet from scratch. We decided that was best for us because we wanted to fully maximize the space and because we felt it would be more economical to do so.  

If you don't have the ability to build something yourself, you can always get a pre-made system like we did in our condo closet.  I would just encourage you to save up and to get all pieces at one time (lesson learned).  You could also contract someone with building experience to build it for you. This may cost you the same amount, but again you will have a design that is unique to you and your needs.

So what is left to do?  We need to finish those last eight drawers, determine what to do with the space under the window, and then patch and repaint the walls and add some decorative touches.

So what do you think?  Has this inspired you to seek out the vertical space in your closet?

Are you ready to make a change in your space?  If so, Let's Get Started!

Until next time, stay happy!