As you may remember, our nursery closet left a lot to be desired. Yup, this tiny nook (which can’t be expanded thanks to ductwork on the left and the back of our living room fireplace on the right) was in need of a serious upgrade. But we were determined not to spend over thirty-ish bucks to take it from terrible to sweet and organized. What? We’re cheap.
First my smart (and surprisingly design savvy) hubby suggested that we paint it the same soft aqua color as the ceiling to make it a bit more fun- especially since we removed the door because it constantly banged up against the main door to the room (check out the rest of our nursery paint job right here).
Then we put the original clothing bar and shelf back in and painted them a nice crisp semi-gloss white color. And next we hung a little homemade curtain to instantly cute things up (see how we DIYed that right here).
Then we added a few storage solutions and a second hanging bar… and now it looks like this:
Now granted we hung every single item of baby clothing that we have so far- many of which we’ll probably store folded in our newly refinished dresser (our friends and family are insanely generous). But we just couldn’t resist the urge to fill the bean’s closet up with her pint-sized clothes after we added a bunch of organizational systems – you know, just to see if they worked.
First we’ll show you how we created the little custom hanging cubbies on either side of the top clothing bar. They’re actually shoe organizers from Ikea but we got them on the house (a friend of ours was purging and sent us home with two of them- thanks Kristin!). But obviously with that newly installed second clothing bar, we didn’t have room for them to hang at full length anymore…
… so we cut them down to size…
… and now they work like a charm. They can be used to house everything from bibs and stockings to onesies and little undies and even socks and burp cloths. Again we’ll probably put a few of those things in our newly refinished dresser but it’s nice to know that our closet not only has space for hanging items but also has small cubby holes to tuck other things into.
And since we mentioned that our sweet friend Kristin actually gave us two of those shoe organizers, we placed one on each side of the top hanging bar for even more stash space (after trimming a bit of length off the second one as well). Of course that one is totally empty thus far, but we keep hearing this rumor that kids come with lots of stuff so we’re sure it won’t stay that way for long…
You’ll also see from the picture above that we stashed a little striped fabric storage box that we already had around the house on the left side of the top shelf of the closet (that’s also empty but we figure it can be used to corral everything from toys or books to extra linens or even blankets when the need arises). And on the right side of that shelf you can see from the photo below that we just folded four of the blankets that we’ve already received (I’m telling you, our friends and relatives are too kind) so they’re easy to grab at a moment’s notice.
The bottom portion of the closet consists of that added second hanging bar that we mentioned (from Home Depot by the way) and a little double tiered shoe rack from Target (which we’ll probably use for Baby P’s shoes when she gets bigger someday, but currently functions as a place to store rolled crib sheets and changing table covers along with even more blankets (the beanette will never be cold!).
You’ll also notice those two blue fabric boxes on top of the shoe rack. They’re actually things that I’ve had for years (originally from Crate & Barrel back in my NYC days). And although I used to use one to store my sewing supplies (aka: a few rarely-used spools of thread and a plethora of iron on Heat & Bond tape) and the other to store iPod cords and other electronics, it was easy to find another box for those items since their punchy turquoise color fit so perfectly with the rest of the nursery. So now they too are empty, but we love that they can easily be used for toys or crayons or legos down the line. Empty bins and boxes = room to grow. Note: we also have a third one, as seen in this post.
And speaking of room to grow, we love that there’s still a little slice of space under the shoe rack on the floor where we can tuck another set of bins and baskets or even store shoes and boots down the line. You know, when the bean’s feet actually touch the floor.
So that’s our little closet overhaul for ya. And since we vowed to do it all on a shoestring (pun semi-intended after all that shoe talk) here’s a budget breakdown for ya:
- White tiered shoe rack on floor (from Target): $12.99
- Second hanging bar (from Home Depot): $5.37
- Blue boxes: already owned
- Two hanging shoe organizers (from Ikea): free from a friend
- A plethora of baby clothes, blankets and bibs: courtesy of our sweet friends and family
- GRAND TOTAL: $18.36
Not bad right? Especially for something that started out looking so bleak. Plus even if we had to buy those hanging shoe organizers they’re just $6.99 a pop at Ikea, so with two of those we still would have come in at $32.34. Of course that doesn’t include the price of the curtain (which we factored into this curtain making post) or the paint (although that was free since it was leftover from the ceiling). It’s definitely still a sliver of a closet, but with our big double dresser and a bunch of other storage options that we’ll be adding to the room we’re pretty sure that our baby girl will have plenty of places to stash her stuff. And speaking of stuff-stashing, have you guys used anything interesting or unusual to keep your closet organized (Hat boxes? Easter baskets? Recycled cereal boxes?). Or have you adapted anything to make it work (like cutting a storage system down to size )? Spill it.
Speaking of painting, here is a post about our favorite greige wall color: Edgecomb Gray.
Psst- Wanna see our nursery progress from the very beginning? Here’s our painting post, our big shopping spree, our crib hunting rundown, our curtain-making tutorial, our fun little chair search, our mirror-painting extravaganza, our DIY faux sheepskin project, and our big dresser makeover (and subsequent drawer lining project). Good times.
Angie says
I love the closet and the whole room, but I think you are going to find out just how small that closet really is. I have two girls (4 and 21 months) and I keep 6 plastic tubs in my younger daughter’s closet. She is constantly growing out of things that I keep storing and the next size up for her is in two tubs and the next size up from that is in two tubs. Everything comes straight from my older daughter’s closet when it doesn’t fit into hers. If the next sizes are not nearby it is very easy to forget what you have! Not to mention I have atleast 15 tubs on all the baby clothes in our basement still hoping for #3! LOL I’m sure you guys will figure it all out!
Catherine @ waking up with you says
Good idea about cutting the shoe organiser. The baby clothes look so cute! Love to see a baby clothes post!
Leslie says
First, love the green color you’ve chosen & I am really enjoying reading about the progress of your nursery! The room is so cheery & modern.
Jill says
It looks so sweet! I love little girl clothes. When my nieces were born, I spent several happy hours picking out tiny, pretty outfits for them. Tiny clothes in general are awesome. My favourite item for my stepson was a little hoody that said “AB/CD” in the AC/DC font.
I love the curtain idea instead of a door. We have an itty bitty closet in our guest room, and I think a curtain would look great in there and add more interest than a boring odd-sized door.
I’m sure the beanette will be thrilled with her room!
Dusa says
“a little double tiered shoe rack from Target (which we’ll probably use for Baby P’s shoes when she gets bigger someday)”
Am I the only one who laughed at this, knowing Baby P’s mom’s penchant for shoes? All I could think of was ‘That closet has the potential for being entirely shoe storage’.
But srsly, beautiful job and thank you for giving us the details!
Erika says
SO CUTE!!!!! I love how your little one’s room is coming together.
BTW- Just buy a TON of onesies for the first few months. You will be so thankful to have extra on hand for in between the cute outfits. Plus they are easy to get on and off and super comfy for your baby.
Take care!
Erika
ashley says
How fun to see little clothes in there! It’s getting more real and so exciting! She will be here in no time!
-The closet looks great by the way. : )
Cate says
I’m guessing you have somewhere else for her laundry (knowing you two, there’s a perfectly placed cute hamper somewhere)! And her closet is perfect!!
YoungHouseLove says
There is a cute little hamper tucked next to the dresser. Stay tuned for more photos in the coming weeks- we’re getting closer!
xo,
s
Michele says
So cute!! I didn’t have time to read through the comments, so someone may already have suggested this, but this works well for us with our baby. We got a lot of Komplement fabric drawer organizers (a set of 6 is $6.99) from Ikea. I labeled them with index cards and paper clips (I’m sure you could figure out a better way). After the laundry is done, the clothes get tossed into the drawer organizers (and we don’t fold anything). There’s one for socks, one for bibs, one for short-sleeve onesies, etc. The labels make it easy for someone else who is helping out while you’re in the newborn fog get everything put away in the right place.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! We definitely have a million and one ideas for keeping Baby P’s clothes organized and at the ready.
xo,
s
Katelyn Likes This says
Oh, how sweet is that. Those little clothes hanging in there are just the cherry on top!
Those little cubby-holes are good for putting clothes in when you don’t have the energy to hang them up.
Katelyn Likes This says
Sorry, again, I read a post above from “Michelle” about her curtain rod paint chipping.
I actually had a similar problem, and I live in a rental, so I couldn’t just change out the rod. What I did was I went to a hardware store (sorry, here in Toronto, wouldn’t help many) and I found a shower rod cover. It’s basically this plastic rod casing. It was a couple dollars. I cut it to the size I needed, then just coiled it around my ugly existing curtain road, and VOILA! Didn’t have to worry about paint, the hangers slide, my clothes are clean and it looks new and fresh!
I also did the same thing with my towel rods in the bathroom! Since I couldn’t just change those out either!
Here is what I’m talking about:
http://www.spaceageplastics.com/show_cat.php?catid=14
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for that tip! Here’s hoping Michelle stops in to see your genius suggestion.
xo,
s
EvaBabeDesigns says
Your nursery is fabulous! One thing I recommend for storage is to buy about 4 big plastic totes and label them 6-12 months, 12-18 months, etc. People will start giving you lots of random sizes and it’s easy to store them this way. As you move up in the sizes you can store you’re maternity clothes and outgrown baby outfits in them as well (for future use – if you decide to have more than one!).
Nicole says
Look at all those cute little girls clothes! I like the idea of cutting the shoe organizers so it fits – I’ll have to do something like that! Great idea.
amanda says
Great nursery; of course blue and green are my favorite colors. My friend just had a little girl, so I’m all into the baby stuff right now.
I’m considering ordering some Amy Butler fabric, do you get yours online?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually got ours from a local fabric outlet. You can follow the “shopping spree” link at the bottom of the post for more info. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kenzie says
Such a lovely job! I can’t wait to start on these projects for when I start my family. I love your blog! Also, I work at Caters and noticed you have some of our clothing for the beanette! Great choice! :)
Haus says
I try to remember to always keep a box or bag handy in the kids’ rooms, in or near their closets, for outgrown clothes. Right now I’m purging the 18 mo sizes from my daughter’s closet – they go into the box, and when it’s full I sort out a few keepers (for a future quilt, hand me downs, etc.) and then give the rest away.
The low closet rod will be perfect for hanging up outfits once she’s older – my daughter is already interested in picking her own clothes out, so I stock her chiffarobe with complete outfits on each hanger. Then she gets to pick, and I know she’s picking something that fits and is weather appropriate.
Your little one will LOVE her room, it’s so tranquil and pretty! Your home is beautiful.
Josie says
Love Love LOVE your solution to use a curtain in place of poorly planned closet doors. I would like to do this for my girls’ closet, but I also need a way to lock them out of it. They think it is HILARIOUS to empty the closet, throw the clothes around, and watch Mama clean everything up! We currently have a lock on the closet doors, but we are moving and the new closet doors block the bedroom door. Does anyone have any suggestions?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s a toughie. Could you add grommits around the edge of the curtain on both sides (you can google a DIY online tutorial to do this very easily) and then use some sort of hooking system around the door frame to keep them secure (using latches or even carabiners from the hardware store or something that only adults can “unlock”)? If not, keeping the door in place might be the most practical solution for now and maybe when they get a bit older you can go the curtain route. Anyone else have ideas for Josie?
xo,
s
lisa@life4you says
Wow – I love this, it looks so cute and is really practical as well!
Funmilayo says
Hey guys,
Where did you get the 2nd closet rod to add to your bambino’s closet. I’ve got # 2 on the way and I need to make some more space for her.
YoungHouseLove says
Home Depot for just a few bucks. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
rachel says
SO stinkin cute!! I need to re-do our closet also. How did you hang the hanging bar that you got from Home Depot? Did it come with brackets? Thanks!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Rachel,
Yup it’s an extendable rod so it will fit any range of closet widths- and once you secure the brackets on both sides you’re good to go. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Love your nursery! I’m trying to fix up the largest bedroom in our little ranch for our daughters (1 & 3). We took down the ugly flat sliding closet doors which didn’t allow good access to the closet. I wanted to put up bifold closet doors, but the closet width is not a standard size, so I think we need to do fabric curtains to cover the closet. It will be fun to pick out a cute fabric but I want some advice. Should the closet fabric match the window curtains? And should I do the closet curtain inside the closet frame, or outside and above it, like the window treatments? I hope that makes sense and thanks for the input!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
In our case you can see that we hung our curtains inside the closet frame with a tension rod (which also screws into the frame for more support) and we used the same fabric as the windows… but it’s all about personal preference. There’s no right way to tackle a curtained closet so if you’d like to use different fabric or hang it outside of the closet that’s totally your call!
xo,
s
Sara says
You may already have a system, but one idea for the empty bin at the top and/or the empty boxes is a quick stash spot for outgrown clothes. I keep a couple of fabric bins in my sons’s closet that I toss things in as I realize they don’t fit. Once the bins are full I transfer the clothes to a storage bin in the garage. :) I was amazed how quickly he outgew stuff those first 6 months!
Funmilayo says
Love your nursery! and I want to incorporate some of your ideas. Specifically, HOw did you put up the extra closet rod? I bought one from home Depot, but have no idea of how to put it up, did you screw yours directly into the wall, or did you have to buy something to screw it into, and attach to the wall?
YoungHouseLove says
Ours came with mounting hardware along with the rod (which stretched or contracted to fit a range of closet sizes). We just screwed that into the wall with the rod and we were all set. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Married in Chicago says
I love this post – the aqua color is to die for. I hope it is okay, I used one of your pictures in a post I did on using drapes for closet doors (tracked back to you of course). You can read it here: http://illpullout.blogspot.com/2010/12/using-curtains-for-closet-doors.html
Cheers!
-A
Heather says
We basically straight up copied your closet arrangement for our coming baby’s. It worked out great. My husband painted the inside and the shelf the same color as her room. We spent about $40 on 4 long narrow baskets for the shelf at the top, a laundry basket, the same exact shoe shelf you bought and hangers. Our closet is a bit wider than yours so we were able to put the shoe rack and the laundry basket on the floor – no laundry taking up room within the bedroom! We did a double rod too and only had to cut down an old super long rod we had from a closet we converted into an office. Thanks for all of your ideas!
Maaike says
What we did is cut holes in them and feed the rod though it, so that you still have all the cubbies. Just make sure you hang the second rod so that it’s not right in the middle of a cubbie.. :)
Jamie Acosta says
Forgive me for not reading every post(its a lot). But when you cut the shoe organizers, did ya’ll keep the bottom halves? I went to wally world last night and bought one for 6 bucks and cut it. Then I had one good side and one w/o a top. Did you guys have that problem? I cut a piece of cardboard and sewed it to the open spot. Love the idea.
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t keep the bottom parts of them since there was no way to hang them. Hope it helps!
xo
s