In the words of Eminem… I’m cleaning out my closet. But first a closet-themed dance break for the Marshall Mathers fans out there (I can actually do a mean Eminem impression):
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, I’ll get to the meat and potatoes of this post. I’m actually not currently cleaning out my closet, the deed has already been done. And it’s not just my closet, it’s both of ours. We’ve mentioned a few times that before we got a proper dresser we were living for over three months with piles of socks and pajamas on the floor of our bedroom closet. Yeah, it was a disaster, and we just couldn’t seem to get it together until we brought in a permanent dresser (with functional drawers since the old one had a busted one that threw off our organization mojo). So with the new dresser in our midst, we had no more excuses when it came to all of the skeletons piles of clothes in our closet. So of course we put it off for a few more weeks and finally forced ourselves to get organized. Here are a few before shots (that we actually semi-cleaned up for, you know so my underwear and John’s boxers weren’t front and center):
The first order of business was trying to sort out those cubbies in that middle pic that were stuffed with things for no rhyme or reason and to decide what would be stored in those cubbies and what would come live in our dresser.
We decided that all of the cubbies in the closet would be John’s and the top two and middle drawer in the dresser would be mine. My socks and underwear went in the top left drawer, bathing suits went into the top right one, and pajamas and bras went into the middle one. This freed up the bottom drawer for John’s running clothes while his pajamas, underwear, jeans, swimsuits, and shorts got organized into those cubbies in the closet thanks to some old baskets we’ve had forever (originally from our wedding registry at Linens N’ Things) that serve as fake-o drawers to keep things like socks and underwear from runneth-ing over. Oh and we moved the cluttered looking hamper into the bottom opening in the cubbies where we can easily toss clothes without needing to crack the lid anymore (we just screwed it off and left it open for easier access).
Then John pared down all of his clothes and we started a big donation bag. He surprised me and decided that hanging his t-shirts was actually the smartest use of space for us since we didn’t have room for all of them in the cubbies or our new dresser (I think he realized that keeping more shirts hinged on hanging them so they were all in one spot, or I might just start questioning why he needed to keep so many t-shirts to begin with, haha, smart guy).
Here’s my side. I also pulled out stuff that I never wear for our big donation bag (other “transitional” things from right after I had Clara got stuffed into my maternity clothing bin in the attic) so here are all of my t-shirts, tops, sweaters, cardigans, scarves, jackets, pants, dresses, suits, blazers, skirts, etc (since we don’t keep any of those things folded in our drawers and we don’t store out of season clothes anywhere else). Aside from pajamas (which are in my dresser) and winter coats (which are in the coat closet) this is every item of clothing I own.
It’s hard to tell in the pics above (since the closet is so small it’s impossible to take wide shots) but the shelf above the hanging bar on my side got some major organization. Three pairs of I-wear-them-now jeans are all that remain (all of my maternity ones finally got put away) and two sweaters that I wear all the time are folded in the corner (as opposed to ten that I never wore).
Pardon the yellow glare in this pic (forgot to white balance again, and I’m too lazy for Photoshop fixing) but this shot was meant to demonstrate how much space we still have to “grow” in there now that there’s a completely empty top shelf on my side and only a few items on the shelf below it.
And just for fun, here are my shoes (well most of them, some are over on John’s shoe shelf because he’s sweet like that – and only has about five pairs for himself). I love shoes. They’re my weakness and I get nearly all of my shoes for less than $20 at places like DSW (those studded heels on the bottom right were $7 from a consignment store in never-worn condition) so I allow myself to “hoard” when it comes to the amount of “special occasion” footwear that I have going on. Because I’ll be honest, things like lime sandals or red wedges aren’t everyday occurrences. But when they do come out to play they make me happy (yes, shoes can make my day). And yes I do have two (count them, two) pairs of leopard heels. Maybe they’re like ceramic animals to me, I just like to have them around to “cuddle.”
And now that this has turned into a fashion blog here’s a shot of the other side of the shelf on top of my hanging bar with a few favorite scarves, a wide black belt, a few clutches, and two out of rotation purses.
Ok, one more gratuitous shoe shot, just because I’m giddy for footwear.
The closet definitely looks a lot more organized with so much floor showing (stashing the hamper within those cubbies on the side really makes it a lot roomier in there too).
And if it ever gets crazy again we’ll just turn off the light, draw the curtain, and hide the chaos like this:
What? At least I’m honest.
Andrea says
I understand your shoe love! I am the same way with purses. My husband recently told me that for every one I buy, I have to get rid of 10. Yes, I do have so many that I can get rid of them in multiples of 10. I adore the lime green looking ones you have there. I have a purse to match them.
Elizabeth says
No shot of John’s shoes? ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, here’s a visual: brown pair, black pair, running sneakers, everyday sneakers. Done.
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Men have it so easy!!!! LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Although John once wore one brown shoe and one black shoe to work. It was hilarious. They even took a picture of his feet and put it on Facebook. Poor guy.
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
I did that with black and navy once…I had the same pump in both colors. Note to self: look at shoes in bright light before leaving house!
Danielle says
Now you just need a mini chandelier to add some sparkle to the space! looks great :)
YoungHouseLove says
Amen!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
Indeed! I’m DYING to put some sort of cool chandelier in our closet (which I believe is about the same size as John and Sherry’s). I made the mistake of suggesting it to my husband though actually using the word “chandelier”. VETOED.
I should have known better. “Light fixture”, Lindsay! ALWAYS use the word “light fixture”. heehee. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so true.
xo,
s
Sarah says
We’re in major need of this too. Even though it’s small, I love your closet. Ours is really weird. It’s long (but not really walk in) but has a tiny door instead of bifolds or sliders. We need to do something about that. Also love your shoe collection. Mine are all over the floor at the moment. :-P
Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says
I just posted about how disorganized our office closet is and how I need to get on it. Thanks for some motivation!
Giulia says
I find cleaning out my closet such a chore, but once its done it’s very rewarding. I find it amazing how many things you find that you don’t use, even if you are not a big shopper.
I’d totally go for your pink scarf, yellow clutch and purple shoes…very lovely!
Fatima says
I love this post! Our closet is SUPER tiny, so I actually use the one in the bedroom, and my husband uses the one in the office room. I really want to find a way to keep everything organized but also functional in such a tiny space. Thanks for the boost of encouragement!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
YAY!!! Looks great. I wish I had a closet like that. We do have a closet organizer in ours though and it does help a lot. Though we do need to clean ours out again as well. I’m sure once we change out our cloths for the Spring/Summer season we will reorganize because we just have to at that point. Thanks for sharing with us.
Beatrice says
Surely you don’t run around after Clara or to Home Depot in heels…where is the everyday stuff?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s by the side door. Haha. I have a favorite pair of flats, flip flops, and walking shoes there in a nice big unorganized pile.
xo,
s
Carolann says
Sherry, how do you handle the whole shoe heel height/jean length conundrum? I mostly wear flats, but there’s a whole lotta shoes in my closet with a heel, and should I decide to actually wear them instead of only use them as pretty closet decor I’d need longer jeans. When I wear the longer jeans with flats they eventually become too tattered on the bottom. Do you keep different length jeans? (kind of a stupid question, but guys have it so easy on this matter!)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, I have one pair of “fancy jeans” that are for heels and two pairs for flats (which also work with low heels like small wedges).
xo,
s
Threadbndr says
Back when I used to wear heels, I would buy my good jeans (the ones that fit and flatter) in two inseam lengths – one for flats and one for heels. It’s worth the investment, because good jeans are hard to find!
(I will admit to being so clothes geeky at that time that I would mark the inseam lenght on the inside of a pocket with a permanent marker so I’d be sure to get the right pair for the shoes I wanted to wear them with.)
Ah, for the days when I was young and my knees worked LOL. Now that I’m due for surgery on both of them, I can’t wear heels at all. Flats, tennies and walking shoes for this old gal…….
Carolann says
Ok, that does it…if you’ve got the length problem covered and still have only 3 pairs, surely I can part with some of mine! Thanks for the reply. The interaction with your readers is one of the things I really love about your blog :)
Meredith says
I hear you on the jeans- I have some I can wear with flats, some with heels. Here is al ink for proper jeans hemming. How to avoid that “mom turned my jeans up” look – it preserves the original hem. This is how the fancy places (Nordstrom) hem jeans, FYI. I do this with all my jeans and my poor 9 year old daughter who is built just like me – all hers need to be shortened and this keeps them from having the dorky look – since kids jeans don’t come in lengths.
http://barefootinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-to-hem-jeans-in-3-easy-steps.html
Lindsay @ A Walk in the Closet says
Your closet space looks great – what a transformation with the baskets and some culling of unworn items. Plus, did a great thing while you’re at it, with the donations. :)
hyzen says
Great post. And OMG, I clearly have too many clothes. I couldn’t get by with as little as you have, because I need formal and business casual work clothes in addition to my regular stuff, but still…. I’ve been trying to pare back, but I need to get a little more ruthless. Thanks for posting the size of the closet, too. That helps give a better sense of the quantity.
Wrenaria says
SHOES! I want to steal those round-toed leopard print shoes. Except your feet are probably tiny and mine are size gargantuan. Not much makes me happier than an organized closet. :)
Serina Shook says
What a timely post for me. I spent about 10 days paring down and reorganizing 3 closets in the house last week and this past weekend, and actually started referring to the process as “Operation Closet Reorg”!!! But it is so rewarding to get rid of things we no longer need and to make everything a lot more roomy for the things we do. Great job! (Now if only I could keep up with you guys in all other areas of my home!)
Kathy C. says
I love closet reorganizing! I find it to be one of those relaxing projects. (haha…yes, I’m weird like that) I’m about to do the switch out of winter clothes in ours and make a new hamper system using a three tier hamper drawer design I found on Ana-white’s website. I recently went through my shoes and…(wait for it) cut it in half by donating 30 some pairs! Yeah… spring is in the air!
http://lovelacefiles.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-challenge-30-things-in-30-days.html
Love your blog!… Keep up the inspiration!
Wom-mom Ethne says
My side of our bedroom is a disaster – and I have no excuses because I have a really big walk-in closet. Oh well – it’s one of my new year’s resolutions – and should start with getting rid of some clothes. I have purses in rotation too – my hubby doesn’t quite understand, and never will. ~Ethne
Laura@JourneyChic says
Your closet looks great, but frankly I was so distracted by the leopard print shoes that I hardly looked at anything else. :) I MUST put a pair of those in my closet!!
Robin @ Our Semi Organic Life says
my favorite part? all your matching wooden hangers. I really need to redo all our hangers on our next IKEA trip. Is it worth the upgrade from mismatching plastic, wire & random hangers?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! At least to us it definitely is. They’re so cheap in bulk from Ikea!
xo,
s
fenella says
How do you hang your drapes for your closet? I’ve tried several systems, but none of them slide smoothly for easy access?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that post for ya (at the end). Seems to work (they’re just from Target with ring clips).
xo,
s
shelly says
Love the songs you always post! Although I’m not a huge Eminem fan, still makes me chuckle! PS-the song was perfect length because it ended right after I finished the post :D
Lori @ Richmond, BABY! says
Ahhh…organized eye candy! I love the minimalist approach to clothing and donating things I never wear…it makes it so much easier! But I’m right there with ya with the shoe collection! :) You have so many pretty ones.
Mindy says
So refreshing! I really need to go through ours and re-do. I love shoes too: I’m a super fan of flip flops and other sandals bigtime… When my dog chewed up my favorite pair of leather sandals when he was a puppy, I mourned them a la your ceramic dog. Didn’t throw them out for a good two months. Sigh. They’re just things, just things!
Elizabeth says
Two questions…where did you get your hangers and do you think they will leave impressions on John’s t-shirts? That’s the main reason I don’t hang mine.
YoungHouseLove says
We got them from Ikea (so cheap in bulk) and nope, no dents. We’ve been using them for years. As long as the shirt isn’t wet- then obviously you’ll get dents.
xo,
s
Meredith says
We hang all our good t-shirts (yard work t-shirts are not). I even (gasp) hang sweaters. I most wear cardis so it doesn’t make sense to fold. They hold up just fine, no dents.
Michelle says
I’m jealous of your closet. We moved from a spacious townhouse in downtown Dallas with huge walk-in closets, to a MUCH smaller beach house in California. Granted, the ocean is right outside our front door (bonus!), but there is hardly any closet space and we have NO idea what to do to organize it! Our closet is one of those non walk-in, sliding mirrored door types and our clothes are crammed into it. I’m totally frustrated!
YoungHouseLove says
I’ll trade you an ocean outside the front door for our closet any day! In our last house we had a tiny closet (just a single one with about 48″ of rod) so we added two wardrobes on either side of the bed for clothing storage. Here’s that post for ya. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristen says
Sherry – I have a shoe obsession, too! They don’t all fit on my shoe rack. Luckily, I can give some pairs to my mom & sister to make room for any new additions.
Also, we use woven baskets to organize our closets and it makes everything look so much nicer (an idea I borrowed from the bathroom in your old house)!
Carley says
I love your closets! I try and pare down every so often. I find paring my son’s clothes the hardest. It’s hard to know what he will fit into by summer/fall.
Corie says
I love seeing how other people organize their closets. I love to organize (weird? maybe but it makes me happy : ) and I always love to see what kind of baskets/organizers/etc. that I can find for super cheap! Great post : )
Natalie says
Last week I bought a pair of Nine West leather jeweled slingbacks from DSW for $2.14!! That’s including tax! That’s got to be some kind of record. If you’re interested in admiring them, scroll to the bottom of this post..
http://veniceevolution.blogspot.com/2011/04/evolution-of-master-bedroom-and.html
Sherry, I love your shoe collection! I have similar purple heals with a flower from Payless as well. I have yet to wear them but they make me happy just sitting on display in my closet!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, that’s totally a record. Wow- I’m jeeeeeeealous.
xo,
s
Liz A. says
Good Job!!! I have a closet cleansing in my future, but I am waiting until a beastly hot day because my closet is the coldest place in the house, because my air conditioner cold-air blower thing (that IS a technical term) is in the ceiling of my closet in my bedroom. Luckilly, I live in Phoenix, so a beastly hot day could be any day now…
Sandy says
Hey Sherry, where did you get your shoe rack? (J/K)
It’s funny you post about this since I am expecting baby number 2 next week and I’m on a cleaning binge…It’s so hard to get rid of clothes since I have no idea if I’ll be a size 6 or 50 by the time I have this baby, but I want to get my closet down like you did…so hard….
As for the shoes, I have not bought a pair in a year and I am having serious withdrawals…my retail therapy has transfered to buying cute clothes for my son…at least someone is stylin!
Btw, good idea on the laundry hamper, I’m going to do that today when I get home!
Danielle says
No joke Sherry, I have those same black sandles with the gold chain detail (above the purple ones), only in white and gold. You have good taste :-P
Angie says
I love that you don’t have a closet stuffed and overflowing with fashion wear. :) Do you have the same weakness as me? I find I don’t put nearly as much time into my wardrobe (not always a wise decision if you saw some of my everyday wear) as I put into “dressing” my home.
Sydney says
Wow, I would love a closet like that…ours is very small but the dear hubs did just re-do the entire shelving system and included some shoe shelves which has made it a lot easier to keep organized…however, maybe he shouldn’t see this post, he would decide I have waaay to many clothes…and shoes? You think you are a shoe hoarder? Hmmph. Is that reallly ALL your shoes for both seasons?
YoungHouseLove says
Well I still have a few on the other side (on John’s shoe rack) since he only has four pairs. Haha. And I have a little pile of shoes by the side door in the laundry room (a pair of flats, flip flops and sneakers that I wear all the time). So there are probably 5-7 pairs that aren’t pictured. I guess just in comparison to my clothes (I have two sweaters and three pair of jeans) it just feels like a lot. Haha.
xo,
s
Alison says
I wish the video was you impersonating Eminem Sherry! That would have made my day! Ha!
Anonymous says
Sherry, are you ever going to address the Eminem FANatic episode that’s making the rounds on YouTube? Out of respect I stopped myself from asking until now, but this post made it really hard. Spill the deets!
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Haha.
xo,
s
Nicole says
OH MY GOD!!!!
Katie says
I had no idea that existed! It’s adorable! Do you make John wear the apron from time to time, or did he make you sell it on eBay? Fingers crossed we’ll hear some home decor and renovation rapping on the blog soon!
Lisa H. (bountifulchaosmom) says
You’ve been mentioned… again… lol. http://bountifulchaos.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/monday-ugh/
Thanks for the little push to get my blog back up and running! So, I guess I am thanking you for having clothes on the floor and dishes in the sink!
Check out the latest issue of High Gloss (http://www.highglossmagazine.com) for a nice article on closet organization. (It’s high-dollar stuff, but inspirational, the daughter and I read it last night while talking about the disaster that is her closet!)
Cheers, you two! (er…four)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much for the shout out! Off to check out the latest issue of High Gloss!
xo,
s
Catherine says
The closet looks great! I also have those purple wedges =D I get compliments on them all the time so they make me super happy. haha yay shoes!
Katie says
I can’t wait until my closet is a little more organized. We’re fortunate enough to have his and hers closets, but they aren’t walk-ins, which means we are in serious need of some storage bins.
Plus, I am a girl after your own heart when it comes to the affinity for shoes–especially those which have no real practical purpose but look fun or sexy and are purchased on sale. ;) And clearly, every girl should have a pair of round-toe leopard pumps, as well as pointy-toe leopard pumps. Totally. Different. Shoes. Right? ;)
Carrie says
I need to do the same thing! Our closet never got organized after moving in to the new pad. Also, you definitely want to keep that top shelf free! It’s the best place to hide presents for little Clara as her b-day quickly approaches (and will be even more important for future birthdays once snooping begins)!!!
Kate V. says
I listened to the song as I read and it ended right with the post – great job! Haha, I’ll just pretend you did that on purpose. :-) I must have been reading in time with the music.
Shaundra says
So organized and neat! I recently become a fan of the old adage less is more, and it is really true. Just curious, which consignment store did you get the shoes from? I am always looking for a new one to try. It seems they are popping up everywhere around here. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
It was in Ithaca NY (don’t remember the name- so sorry!).
xo,
s
grace says
On that note Sherry, do you have any favorite Richmond consignment stores?
-Grace
YoungHouseLove says
I love Clementine in Carytown. And of course places like Goodwill and Salvation Army. Anyone else have awesome Richmond consignment slash thrift stores? I know I’m forgetting a ton of them!
xo,
s
Angie says
I’m about to begin my after winter purge. Anything I didn’t wear this past winter will go away. I may purge some summer clothes, but I’m not sure yet. I try to do this at the end of each season. My closet is really small and my poor hubby is running out of room for his clothes. But the shoes stay. In fact I just found out I can wear flip flops to work so my shoe fetish self gets to go do more shopping. Since I now MUST have work flip flops.
Stephie says
I have been putting off cleaning out my closet and making a donation pile for the past few months and then this morning my clothing rack and shelves that were “anchored” to wall fell to the ground with a loud THUMP! dang. I guess that’s mother fashion’s way of telling me to get rid of the stuff I don’t wear… gonna to Target today to find a much more structurally sound closet system. wish me luck!
Mary says
I called my 14-y-o daughter over to look at the photo of your shoes. “Look, Sherry loves shoes just like somebody I know.” E: “Who, me?” Me: “Hey, if the shoe fits…” Hahaha, love the shots of your shoes!!! I jokingly call my daughter Imelda Marcos, the 1980s Filipino president’s wife who had 5,400 pairs of shoes. So much fun, these shoes!
jbhat says
It looks marvelous! Feels good to be all pared down and freshly organized. I especially like how you decided to deal with the hamper.
jbhat
Jen Wilhelm says
Your post made me LOL because I’m the same way with footwear. The only difference is that I have to shove everything into a basket due to the limited space in my 1-bedroom apartment (closing on my first home in May, though, hopefully I’ll have my closet looking like yours!). I actually work at Zappos, so if you’d like any 20% off coupons, just give me a shout. ^__^
Rebecca says
Oh man, I wish my messy closet looked like your formerly “messy closet”. Maybe the worst part of life in NYC is the lack of closet space. A girl needs a walk-in!
sue says
what colour/ brand is the blue paint in the room.. I am liking that colour :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s Carolina Inn Club Aqua by Valspar (color matched to Olympic’s No-VOC paint). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erika @ Blonde Moments In The Burbs says
Love your shoes Sherry!!
Katie says
I have really enjoyed the blog (I’m a newbie). Where do you get all your white picture frames from? I’ve looked at Target, Hobby Lobby & Garden Ridge and I haven’t had any luck.
YoungHouseLove says
I get most of them from Ikea but sometimes Target has clearance stickers in the frame aisle and I grab a few from there. Hope it helps!
xo,
s