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.
Bethie says
I wanted to point out to everyone who has been drooling over your ceramic egg crate that they now sell them at Anthropologie! I just picked one up yesterday. Too cute!
Great post!
Nicole says
Sherry –
I gotta know – is that all your clothes, shoes, and accessories?
nicole~
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nicole,
Yup between my wardrobe and the existing closet pictured above, that’s all my clothing, shoes and accessories. There’s no under-bed storage or anything like that. I’m a keep-it-simple kinda girl (and the less I spend on clothes, the more I can spend on fun house projects). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
Laura says
Making over the master bedroom closet was the first thing we did when we moved in. The previous owners put California Closets in one of the other bedrooms, but we didn’t want to spend the money on that. So my hubby and dad took two pre-fab closet systems from Target ($60 each!), cut them up a bit to customize them to make room for my shoes, added some additional shelf boards from Lowes, a robe hook, and belt rack. All told, it was less than $300 for a totally custom closet! Since I also have a shoe problem, I added an over-the-door shoe bag. A prayer rug I picked up in Turkey dresses it up a bit. First thing after work I’ll rotate my shoes around so they fit properly – great idea Sherry!
Beth says
Y’all are ahead right now on the BHG challenge!! YAY!
Kim says
Morning EVERYONE!! Hey, let’s make sure that Sherry and John win the BHG 48 hour challenge, vote for them and do it DAILY!!! With all of the tips and ideas that they provide for us reader, along with the entertainment, it is the least we can do! SHERRY and JOHN- You guys ROCK!!!! Burger does too!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for your enthusiasm and support! We definitely need all the help we can get with so much back & forth (we’re third, we’re second, we’re first, we’re second, we’re first, we’re second, we’re first). We can’t wait to see how the whole voting thing shakes out. This one’s gonna be a nail biter!
xo,
s (& j)
Audrey says
I can’t believe you have a spare guest closet that isn’t jammed packed with winter coats and other junk! It makes me want to rush home and clean out my closets… and buy some Ikea custom closets! :)
Chelsea @ TheVintageChair says
You have really used your space well! I have WAY too many shoes as well. Actually, this past weekend, I was sort of having a panic attack because I donated thirteen pairs to a clothing drive and that only left me with approximately 70 pairs- a critical shortage in my opinion. But never fear, I plan on doing some shoe shopping very soon!
Loved the look inside your closets!
Katie B says
OH my gosh I FEEL so much better about putting my dog in a closet with the door open now. Even though the door is OPEN I still felt bad about it and my husband assured me ITS FINE…but now, I’m totally fine with it :) haha. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katie B,
That’s so funny! We joke that the always-open closet is Burger’s room. It just needs a sign on the wall in there that say’s “Burger’s Casa” and the makeover will be complete!
xoxo,
s
Jaime @ Project [Casa de Ayala] says
Very nice… I wish I was that organized!
BTW, I am thinking the pics of First and Second place are KINDA similar [green, brick, porch] – I betcha some people were voting for the wrong house! lol… :) I am so glad to see you in first still!! I am voting my little heart out!
Erin says
Hi Sherry and John,
I have been wanting to buy some new hangers to make our closet look a little nicer, and for some reason, I never even thought of Ikea! I just checked the website, and I am wondering if the ones in your closets are “Bumerang”?
I found your site a few months ago and have told so many people about it…I love it! And I am voting for you every day in the BHG challenge…I hope you win!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
We just checked ikea.com and these Bumerang hangers look like ours (although we get ours at the store in a bulk pack of 10 or 12 right in “the marketplace” (their bottom floor). Hope it helps!
xo,
s (& j)
ashley morgan says
I love seeing your organization techniques! Our clothes/closet situation is a disaster, but we are looking for a new house, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed we find something and it has more closet space.
Laura says
I am absolutely amazed at your organization! Though I only live in a 620sq ft apartment, I think I have more closet space than you! In fact, I have a whole closet dedicated to shoes and accessories — bad, I know! I just wish I didn’t have sliding mirrored doors — it makes it so difficult to actually organize everything because you can only see half of the closet at a time and the center is always behind a door!
Thanks for sharing, though! :)
TD says
Lovely shoes, Sherry!
Your closet organization is inspiring. I wish I could throw out more of my clothes and have my closets looking like that. But I know I will miss my clothes as soon as I get rid of them. sigh!!
Laura says
I have a question off the closet subject…
Could you make half a mood board?
I LOVE your site and would love your help(when you’re not so busy) with my room.
The walls are painted and I have all the furniture…Just need curtains, some pillows and wall accessories.
Hope you can help!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
If only there were more hours in the day! We used to offer decorating phone consultations (which helped when it came to selecting accessories and textiles for rooms with existing furniture) but we’re just too swamped to take them on anymore. Hopefully when things calm down we can get back to ’em! Fingers crossed…
xo,
Sherry
Laura Casey Interiors. says
Your closet organization is great. I just found your blog- I look forward to reading through it.
Julia says
I can’t wait to get our closets more organized. We are fortunate that our new house has tons of closet space, no walk ins, but we each have a giant closet in the master bedroom. Organizing the closets in the house is on my list of projects for the summer, but I need to finish painting the kitchen cabinets first!
I love burger! I would totally give our pug his own room if it didn’t make me look like a crazy person! He would probably disown me if we kicked him out of our bedroom though.
Barbara says
I like to keep it simple too, but you beat me hands down! Do you have out of season clothes somewhere? Where are sweaters and sweatshirts? Sorry, is this too nosy? LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Barbara,
I shift a few of my sweaters/winter clothes into the existing closet in the warmer months (so you can see them folded and stacked on the right side of the shelf above the hanging bar). As for sweatshirts, I just have a black zip hoodie that I wear around the house when it’s cold but that’s folded on my “pajama shelf” in my Ikea wardrobe (also pictured above). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Barbara says
Great post! Is there a post on your awesome ikea closet shelving unit or did I miss it somewhere in the post? My boyfriend and I have a pretty small closet (not as small as yours) and I’d love to have something like that for all my extra stuff. We are currently using both spare bedrooms for our drawer stuff (underwear, tank tops) and the guest bedroom closet for my dresses.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Barbara,
Here’s the link to the post all about how our built-in Ikea cabinets came to be (it can also be found at the bottom of the post above). Hope it helps!
https://www.younghouselove.com/over-our-heads/
xoxo,
Sherry
Megan says
Ikea is THE place to go for closet organization. I love it! I have a few of their hanging shelves for folded clothes and shoes. I also have their hangers- nice and sturdy. However, I also have a few hangers that I found at HomeGoods. They are the pretty, feminine looking ones that are covered with padded fabric. I like those for the more delicate tops/tank tops.
I, too, wish all my clothes would fit in your ONE closet. I’d be working miracles though!
Pamela says
Your timing on this is just too funny for me. I just spend the entire weekend redoing our closet. We have a 5’x4′ “walk-in” closet for the two of us and my husband has A LOT of clothes for a guy.
I did an upper hang bar+shelf that goes continuously around 3 walls. A lower bar+shelf around a side wall and the corner and a set of shoe cubes/hat drawers on the opposite wall. Then there is a shelf way up at 8′ for rarely used stuff (like my flute, rifle).
My biggest recommendation is to paint the closet a light color. I think that made the biggest difference (ours was olive green).
Rachel says
Sherry, I am with you on keeping it simple in the clothing department! I don’t have that many clothes either, and I love it that way! A few classic pieces paired with different accessories is the way to go. It definitely leaves more fun money for house projects or travel.
CH says
Looks great! I wish I could pare down my clothing and keep things that simple. We have a closet only a little bit bigger than yours in our “master” bedroom (this concept didn’t exist in 1950 when our house was built). I totally want to steal your IKEA wardrobe idea and put them around the bed like yours. The problem is that we have a window on one side of the bed where the wardrobe would have to go so I’m not sure if it would work or not. In the meantime, I’m swimming in disorganized clothing!
erin fudge says
I actually did some closet sprucing up this past weekend. Our house was built in ’53 so the closet space is lacking. Even though the original owners added on a den, master suite and patio in the ’70’s…the “walk-in” closet is kind of a laugh. I actually pared down my shoe collection (gasp!) from 46 pairs to 20 pairs of shoes and 6 pairs of boots. I think we have a similar obsession Sherry! I ordered clear plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store, cleared off the top shelf of the closet and stacked my boxes there. I used the old hanging shoe organizer (not the over the door type) to store scarves, small purses, extra toiletries because we don’t have much storage in the bathroom, and little boxes that house jewelry and such that doesn’t fit on my dresser. Someday I’m hoping to install a closet system and make my husband’s armoire into his only storage area…a girl can dream!
Danielle says
Bethie, thanks for finding the super cute egg crate on Anthropologie! I am totally ordering this! I was in love with it when I first saw it on Sherry and John’s page!!
erin fudge says
Oh, and our greyhound sleeps in our closet! She’s afraid of thunderstorms so she thinks that the closet is her bedroom. We just tossed a doggie bed in there on the floor and she kinda just made it her own. It’s pretty cute. Of course we leave the door open, too!
sammyw says
love it :) you are in inspiration to us all :) voted for you guys today, hoping yo win!!
i have a post request. i’d love to know how you store all yor seasonal decor. the fall leaves, the spring eggs, the Christmas decorations. where do you put all that and how do you store it properly in order to get it all to live to the next year. i always end up with a broken bulb or something it seems every year :) thx youngsters and keep up the wonderful work!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sammyw,
We definitely store our holiday/seasonal stuff in strange and unusual ways- but whatever works, right? All of our feather trees and holiday decor is actually in one of our big base cabinets in the kitchen (the perk of our remodel is that we have so much room we can store so much more- even our tools are in there now). We also like to use those plastic under-bed containers for ornaments and other seasonal stuff. Here’s a post with ornament organization photos:
https://www.younghouselove.com/oh-christmas-tree-2/
It’s definitely a bit quirky but it works for us!
xoxo,
s
Mary says
Wow! Great organization! I would really have to pare down my wardrobe to be able to keep things that organized. But, really, most of the things I hang onto are rarely worn so it would be worth it. A future project!
heather s. says
Looks great! I’m checking out IKEA’s wardrobes right now and got the idea after seeing yours. I like how customizable they are. This week is my week to clean out my closets since I plan on having a garage sale this month and they are stuffed to capacity.
Those egg crates are great – they’ve had them at Anthropologie forever. I remember seeing them last year.
Laura says
Hey!
My man and I just moved into our first home this weekend, and I am spending a lot of time thinking about how to organize. What a timely post! A personal challenge of mine is to get rid of all the clothes and shoes that I don’t LOVE. Hopefully what’s left will fit in the closet space I have. I found this article helpful:
http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/clothing/wardrobe-basics/essentials-for-a-well-balanced-wardrobe-10000001645205/index.html
It has all of the essential pieces to a good wardrobe, so I can’t buy any clothes unless they are on the list! I am currently hunting for a jean jacket, white button down shirt, and one new pair of work appropriate summer shoes.
Christel says
I am a crazy closet cleaner! I pull everything out every 3-4 months. Just to make sure nothing is sitting when I could give it to someone who could use it. But I seem to not be able to get my 4th bedroom closet empty! It is my goal. Maybe I will go do this now….YES I CAN EMPTY A CLOSET!
Abha says
I love your ridiculously (in a good way!) organized closets.
Our clothes closet in the main bedroom is reasonably well-organized (although the floor is taken up by laundry baskets – where do you keep yours?), but the closet in the guest bedroom is a disaster. It’s well-organized too (all things considered), but there’s just so much paraphernalia! Both my husband and I just finished our PhDs, so we have boxes of papers, books, etc. (even after paring down greatly and digitizing as much of it as possible). While there’s lots of it, this stuff has been managed quite well (and I’m certain the quantity will reduce over time).
The bigger problem is this – we’re outdoors people, so we have backpacks, tents, sleeping bags and pads, camping pillows, camping cookware and stoves, biking gear and accessories, etc. All of this stuff is oddly shaped and doesn’t lend itself to neatness. We also have several large suitcases (we’re both originally from another country, and often travel home for extended periods of time). Sherry & John, do you have any suggestions on how to manage these things? I’d appreciate any advice…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Abha,
Good questions one and all! We keep our round white laundry basket atop our laundry counter (on top of our washer and dryer) – you can check it out on our house tour page. We intentionally selected a basket that we thought was cute enough to keep out in the open since our little laundry nook isn’t tucked away in its own room. As for all your outdoor stuff, do you have an attic to use? A basement? A closet you can spare? Can it slip under a bed or even under a skirted table? I’m sure these are obvious suggestions that you’ve thought of but without seeing your space it’s all we can come up with. We also like to use storage ottomans and benches to stash stuff so maybe a brown leather storage ottoman can be added to your entryway and packed with camping pillows and cookware and even some bike helmets? Then it can also serve double duty as a place to sit and remove your shoes when you get home. Add a wall mounted coat hook above it and it’s an instant mudroom! Oh and of course you can always try to convince a friend or relative to store some stuff for you or even renting a storage facility if things get really hairy. Hope it helps!
xoxo,
Sherry
Abha says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sherry!
We’ve thought about a lot of your suggestions, sadly, (a) our bed isn’t skirted (and can’t be, since it’s a platform bed), (b) we don’t have access to extra storage space, since we stay in a small SF apartment (our tiny storage room holds our bikes and gardening supplies), and (c) our narrow entryway can only support one bench, which, like yours, is filled with our important papers (plus, camping stuff is often too bulky to fit into a bench or ottoman anyway). I guess I should just be grateful that I even have a second closet to tuck all these things away – at least it’s not all out in the open!
Calliope says
I used to live in an apartment with 2 small closets for EVERYTHING(2 adults, 1 baby).For an organization geek like me, that was like my worst nightmare ever!
So, when we built our house, I put closets everwhere.I have 3(!)linen closets,1 laundry closet, 1 storage closet, 3 ceiling high corridor closets for off season clothes and built in closets in every bedroom!! I honestly could live inside those closets. Everytime I feel down, I start re-organising,adding shelves or placing things in boxes!My husband has made a joke out of this…pass-time of mine, but I don’t care!
My latest project is labeling everything and adding some funny wallpaper in my baby son’s closet.
Carrie says
We need a total closet re-do in our master bedroom! We have a pretty small closet, about 6 feet across with sliding doors, one shelf, and one hanging bar. We need more hanging space! I’m thinking of getting a wire shelving system, with maybe one shelf and rod as high as we can reach, then another below that. I’d love a better suggestion, if you have one!
In the meantime, my best organizational solution has been to buy an over the door shoe holder (about $8 from Walmart). Instead of using the over the door hooks it came with, I hung it on the back of the closet door (the one that’s always in the back, since it slides)with adhesive Command hooks. This works perfectly to hold all of my flats and sandals, and frees up a lot of floor space. Doesn’t really solve my hanging space problem, but it’s a step toward a more organized closet!
Jennifer says
OK…can I just say that I feel like such a slob compared to you guys? I’ve definitely got to get rid of some clutter. I can’t believe that’s all the clothes you have! Where’s the big, soft sweatshirt for chilly nights or the T-shirts for painting in? You’ve inspired me to pare down and keep it simple!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer,
You’re too funny. I’m the freak for having so few clothes- it’s definitely nothing to beat yourself up over! I actually have an old broken in zip hoodie for cold nights along with my designated painting clothes (I limit myself to just one outfit for that event) folded on my “pajama shelf” above. It’s funny how living in a tiny closet in NYC can change how you look at stuff! In college I had armoires and closets just stuffed with- er, stuff! I can feel myself slowly spreading out again, but when it comes to clothes I’m still such a minimalist. Who knows how long it’ll last…
xo,
s
Mallory says
I just agreed to drive my husband two hours to the airport Wednesday for his business trip because I knew I would pass by Ikea and could pick up some of those amazing hangers! I didn’t know they had them there for so cheap. I will report back if the ones in the Marketplace aren’t “Bumerang.”
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Mallory! Have fun…
xo,
s
Lynn Van Slyke says
Hey great closets! I love the ceramic egg crate. Where did you find something so cool? I am also a big fan of keeping it simple. 3 pairs of jeans about 3 weeks worth of shirts, a few dresses and a couple pairs of shorts. I would much rather be spending my money on my house or my kids.
Have I mentioned how much I love your blog??
OT, You are hanging in there in 1st place!!! When does the voting end for the 48 hour challenge? Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
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
Camilla says
That’s super organised! And the little egg crate is so charming. Can I be cheeky and ask if you are equally organised with books and DVDs etc or do you have some shameful heaving mass somewhere?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Camilla,
I’m afraid I’m obsessively organized in general. I know, I know… it’s unnatural and obsessive. I can’t help it though! We actually went digital with our CDs (all are stored on our laptop and iPods except for a few actual CDs in the car, kept in a visor over the steering wheel) and have a small sleeved book full of DVDs (that slips into one of our padded ottomans in front of the TV in the den). As for books, we’re library people so we only own a few of our favorite hardcover books (which we stack all over the place: the coffee table, the console table, the bench in the guest bedroom, etc) and you can actually see our small collection of softcover books that we keep in the top left of the guest bedroom closet right above Burger’s crate in this very post (they’re less decorative so we don’t keep ’em stacked around the house but they’re favorites none the less so we can’t quite let them go). Hope it helps!
xo,
Sherry
richard says
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?
YoungHouseLove says
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
Camilla says
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 :-)
liz says
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!
YoungHouseLove says
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
Ab says
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!
Sam & Jacci says
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
YoungHouseLove says
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
Sam & Jacci says
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 :)
Loriana says
I was wondering how high is your Ikea wardrobe?
YoungHouseLove says
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
Devin says
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!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
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
Devin says
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
Emily says
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.
YoungHouseLove says
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
Kait says
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 :)
YoungHouseLove says
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
Antonio says
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.