Closet organization makeover

Unbelievably, I am still in the process of decluttering and organizing our books. After spending countless hours sifting through hundreds of books, the painful truth has become evident: I must get rid of some books. I don't part easily with my little friends. Not at all, especially when I think of them so fondly. I've decided then that, first, I must stop referring to books as my friends and instead start referring to my inspiration files on organization.





In this case, I'm looking at one of my own reorganization projects so that I can remember the satisfied feeling that made the tedious work of sorting and organizing so worthwhile. I took the photo above of my daughter's closet just a couple days ago. The fact that it's still as well-organized as the day I first reorganized it more than a year ago is a testament to how well the closet system has been working for us.




Until having a daughter, I didn't realize how many little things girls have. Barrettes, ribbons, headbands, bracelets, necklaces and on and on. This closet system is great for storing and organizing all those little things and a few of the big things. For example, the baskets on the upper shelf hold extra bed linens, gifts for the kids and clothes they've outgrown that I'm collecting to donate or sell.



The lower shelves hold towels, a couple extra blankets and pillowcases. The slim drawer unit contains shoes I've bought on sale for my daughter to use in the future, or those that my niece has outgrown and given to us.




The photo above shows what the closet looked like before the organization, with enough blankets seemingly for a daycare center! As soon as my daughter reached nine months or so, we no longer used so many blankets and this hanging organizer stood mostly empty. I have since sold it at a garage sale.




The photo above shows my kids soon after I cleaned out and organized the closet. Most of her clothes hang on the clothes rod to the right of the main organizer ...




... except for her princess/ballerina tutu, which has its own special place to hang.

Honestly, I wish we could spend more time talking about closets although I realize it may not be the most "sexy" topic. But think about it, doesn't a well-organized closet make all the difference? I can find whatever I need at a moment's notice and I get such a little thrill whenever I open this closet.

I need to remember this feeling as I continue sorting through my kids' books and imagine how great it will be not having to trip over book piles everywhere. I'll let you know how it goes.

Photobucket

6 comments:

Razmataz said...

Minnie, I find it most interesting. I am re-doing my master bedroom and we are having closets built. I keep changing how I want them to be, trying to figure out exactly what I will keep there.

Your daughters closet looks like a fun little place to stachs her things.

torrie said...

YES.

A well organized closet does make ALL of the difference. We look at it daily- take from it, and add to it (except when I am behind on laundry, which is often!).

I like the way that you're approaching this project- trying to find what has worked and will truly work- in the long run. And keeping the vision of what you want is crucial to get you through the tedious sorting and the difficult decision-making of what to part with. I find that I am much more productive with these endeavors when I am in a certain "no holds barred" mood.

Heartfire At Home said...

I had to sort through my much loved books a few years back when I moved into a smaller space... aaarrggggghhh, that was tricky!

I ended up taking about 4 big boxes to a second hand book store (think I got about $30 for the lot, which was prob worth at least 20 times that much). It was a really difficult task, but it had to be done.

Now I try and buy most books second hand, and if I don't have room, just pass them on. I must get to the library too, that would save me space!

We also have a bookshelf at work where people bring in their favourite books, and anyone can choose one and take it home to read. That way you get to read heaps of good books with no outlay and no worries about where to put them later!

Love your daughter's closet, super organised and gorgeous colours for a little girl!!

Linda. xxx

CACHANILLA73 said...

Wow Minnie!! Great organization skills. I will take notes '). Love those pink baskets/containers, are they from Mexico? I remember my Grandma had some sort of
'totes/bags' very similar, just love the look.
Have a great weekend.

ksharonk said...

What a pretty blog you have here ... and I can see why your daughter's closet is still well-organized! It is like a little piece of art! :)

Unknown said...

This looks great! My closet is a disaster area right now. The trouble with living in small spaces is that if you don't stay on top of the organization all the time, it can get out of hand quickly.
I love the little princess tutu. I bought a similar one for my niece on etsy a couple of years ago. So cute:)