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.
Fran says
Nice work. I cleaned out my closet last week. At the time I was hoping for someone to explain to my husband why I need more than 1 pair of high heels and why 6 is not excessive! I love being married to a minimalist, but not when it comes to his opinion on my shoes!
Kristin says
The closet looks great – very nice shoes!
I have about as many clothes as you do, but own far more warm sweaters, I just need them in the winter. Last winter the heating at work was broken for two weeks or so, with temperatures not rising above 62°F. I also own a lot of sneakers (where are your Easytones, by the way? I bought a pair too).
YoungHouseLove says
Those are by the side door in the laundry room (along with a favorite pair of flats and my puma sneakers). The everyday shoes always end up in a pile by the door!
xo,
s
Erin says
Your closet looks great. On the other hand, that song and video are horrifying.
alison says
That storage is quite impressive. Would so love to have that extra space.
Laura says
Sherry, I love the leopard heels, and the gorgeous purple pair too!
Shawna says
I LOVE these posts – they are sometimes the most helpful, because while we all aren’t at a point where we can re-do our house, it is inspiring to be able to tackle a closet or dresser somewhere! i really enjoy seeing how other people keep the daily things of the house functioning. curious – what do you wear day to day when working on the house? most of the clothes there look dressy but maybe i can’t see them well? you should link up with lindsey for what i wore wednesday – over at the pleated poppy! :)
YoungHouseLove says
I usually wear a pair of casual jeans and a top (usually a tank or tee in the summer and a long sleeved tee in the winter) every day (since my job is pretty much a desk job + being a stay at home mom during the day since I split time between writing posts, answering comments, and watching the baby). When it comes to tackling projects (which usually happens a few times a week while Clara naps or goes to sleep for the night) I toss on my painting clothes (which I store in my pajama drawer) so I don’t ruin my everyday tops & jeans.
xo,
s
Elaine says
Your closet is FAB!!! Where did you get the hangers?
YoungHouseLove says
Ikea. They’re pretty cheap in bulk there.
xo,
s
Christin says
Nice work!! I am amazed at the little amount of clothing you have. Wow. I have downsized my closet substantially in the past few months. Seriously, huge bags of clothing and other stuff have gone to Salvation Army. But I’m at the point now that I wear everything that I have and it’s still a lot. Maybe because where I live we get more drastic changes in weather so I need clothing for more seasons? Or maybe I just like clothing too much! Still very impressed though!!
Emy says
If you think you have a lot of shoes, don’t come over at my house… My friends call me “Crazy shoe freak” so I obviously can relate to you and your love for shoes ;-) But, being 5’1″, 4-5 inches heels are mandatory !
Raquel says
Hi there. Just wanted to say that I love your blog. I especially love the way you write, Sherry, you crack me up! :) Keep it up!
Sending you good vibes from across the pond
Raquel in London
Michelle Lloyd says
Love your shoes!!!!
Briony says
Where do you put your worn but yet still clean clothes? Jeans and shirts worn once for instance.
YoungHouseLove says
If things are still clean after a wear or two they go right back on their hangers or folded into the jean pile. Is that weird? Never really thought about it…
xo,
s
Crystal says
I just found another pic of a closet (in the how to get a celeb closet article on pages 18-19) and this shoe rack would work in your closet too if you wanted to get them off the floor someday! http://www.highglossmagazine.com/read-issue2
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I love that one!
xo,
s
frances martin says
love the post. keep rockin it YHL.
Michelle Z. says
Did you really just put your maternity jeans away? Can I hug you? I put on a pair of “regular” jeans after my son was born and I missed that comfy stretch waistband sooooo much, I’ve never put them away. But I’ve drawn the line at buying more.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I got so huge during pregnancy that I stretched mine out! After a month or two of having Clara they wouldn’t stay up any more! Although I did contemplate buying an un-stretched-out pair for the coziness, I just wear my pajama pants when I crave the elasticity. Haha.
xo,
s
Marci says
Can you explain the “white balance” that you reference in the photos above? Is that something you do internally with the camera before taking a shot? Would love to learn more.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, on our DSLR there’s a manual option to take a photo of something white in the room and it’ll adjust the camera to read that white tone as white (and not blue or yellow). If I forget that step things can be too yellow or blue. Not all cameras have it though (most are auto). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Marci says
Thanks!
Lee says
I’m old enough to be your mother so I’m going to nag a little. Sweaters do much better if they are folded, although I know they take up precious space that way. The knit fabric can stretch on hangers. If you must hang them then I hope you use padded hangers. This message brought to you by the over-50 set.
Nicole says
UGH! I really wanted those purple shoes for my brothers wedding! I was so excited to see that you replied with where you got them…unfortunately they are no longer online at least. :( I have serious closet envy by the way!
Laura Bellamy says
Great closet. I notice you use all wood hangers. I have been too cheap to buy them. Where would be good quality ones at a fair price? I have to drive about 70 miles for any serious shopping. Also, a couple fun books you might enjoy: “Looking Good” by Nix-Rice and “The Family Handyman Best Organizing Solutions”. Thanks againf for your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
We got those in bulk from Ikea very affordably (I think they broke down to 50 cents each).
xo,
s
Laura Bellamy says
Thanks
Laura Bellamy says
Boo hoo. Ikea doesn’t sell hangers on their website and they don’t have any stores in my state! Well, I guess I’ll go cut down some trees and make my own. Woo hoo. Seriously, I,ll check out some other stores for neat hangers.
YoungHouseLove says
I think Bed Bath & Beyond has them. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Gabbi says
I finally got around to organizing my closet not too long ago. It felt great!!! And I just ordered some fabric to replace the regular doors we had on them earlier!
http://retroranchrenovation.blogspot.com/2012/04/master-closetcheck.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo
s