How to Create a Master Closet That Works
In this post I take you through how I updated our master bedroom closet on a small budget and organized it so that everything is easy to access.
Recently my husband and I have been thinking about redoing our master bedroom closet. As it was it was just not functioning how we needed it to. There was just not enough hanging space or easily accessible shelving. We had an old dresser in the closet but all of the drawers were cramped and not easy to get things in and out of. We decided that we wanted to incorporate a new system that would be budget friendly but allow us more closet space and flexibility as our needs change.
Below are the key steps to follow when deciding to update your master closet.
1) SET YOUR GOALS
What are you looking to get out of your space. For us we wanted it to be flexible, clean looking, affordable and easy. We also needed more hanging space but still wanted shelving that we could use for folded clothing. Currently I'm the only one using this closet as my husband uses one in our spare bedroom but if we needed to bring him back into this closet we wanted the option to be able to move things around and give him space.
2) DO YOUR RESEARCH
Once you know what you want to get out of the space it is time to start doing research. Pinterest is a great resource to start looking for ideas. Whether you are wanting to just reorganized your current system or are looking for a whole new system, just start pinning things to a closet board that grab your attention.
The system we decided on was one from Rubbermaid, I found it off amazon after doing some research. It has turned out to be the perfect solution for us as it checked off all of our goals. It was very affordable, clean looking and super easy to install. This system also offers the flexibility we were looking for so it can grow with our changing needs.
3) SORT EVERYTHING AND BRAINSTORM YOUR LAYOUT
Take everything out of your closet, yes EVERYTHING. You want to start with a clean slate. I would suggest you sort your belongings into different categories, so for example put all of you jeans together, all of your tshirts etc. As you are sorting through your clothing categories take inventory of what you have, so for example if you are finding yourself to having 15 white tank tops pair that down to what you would actually wear, maybe you can get away with 5.
If you have not gone through your clothes in awhile (or even if you have) I would suggest literally touching each piece of clothing and asking yourself if you actually wear it or if you are just holding onto it for sentimental or the "what if" reasons. What if I loose another 10 pounds or what if it comes back in style. Honestly if you are asking yourself those questions just get rid of it! If you do loose the 10 pounds (go you by the way!) then why not reward yourself with a new dress instead of holding onto the old one. Sometimes I will even try it all on and make sure that I like how it is fittingl. It is important that you only put back the things into your space that you actually wear and love.
As you are sorting your clothes have a donate bag near by so that anything that you are not loving but someone else could still get use out of it you can donate. Also start thinking about what you want to have easy access to. For me I knew that I wanted to be able to get to my tank tops easily, that I didn't want to have to rummage for them in a drawer so that is why I found the belt/tie hanger that I'm using for my tank tops.
4) IT IS TIME TO INSTALL
First clean out the closet, whether you are keeping your current system or updating to a new one you will want to wipe down any shelves, racks, walls and sweep the floors. I went another step further and painted our walls with some paint that we already had on hand.
After the closet was dry we started to install the closet system. The Rubbermaid system that we used was very easy to install. We first needed to determine the layout that we wanted, there are several different scenarios you could choose from. We followed the instructions that came with the system, we ensured that we attached the brackets into a few studs and then used the drywall screws that they provided.
5) GET ORGANIZED!
This is the fun part. Once your system is up it is time to start putting your clothes back in your closet, but remember just the ones that you still LOVE, the rest we are donating.
I thought I would walk you through my closet and point out a few key organizing tips that I have come across.
FLIP YOUR HANGERS:
When you put your clothes back in your closet flip the hangers backwards. In 6 months to a year go through your clothes again and see what hangers are still flipped backwards. If they are backwards that means that you have not warn that piece. Anything that has not been worn I would suggest donating. If you haven't warn it in a year the chances are that you are not going to wear it again.
STORE OUT OF SEASON CLOTHING:
Store your out of season and minimally used clothing up high or under your bed in storage bins. I store my winter clothes under my bed during the summer and will flip those around at the end of the season. This allows you to free up space in your closet so you can easily access the clothing your wearing during that season. I also store my scrub/painting clothes up high in my closet in a bin as I do not need to access these everyday.
COLOR CODE:
This has been a game changer for me ever since I started doing this several years ago. When hanging clothes in your closet put all of your like colors together so for example pull out all of your blue tops and hang them by each other. I typically hang mine from shortest sleeve to longest/thickest fabric. This will make such a different in the overall aesthetic of your closet but also how it functions as it will be so much easier to find what you are looking for.
GROUP YOUR CLOTHING:
Something new that I did in my closet this summer was to group all of my summer tops together. Normally I color coordinate all of my tops together but I decided that since I will be wearing primarily tanks and tees I pulled those our and put them together (still color coordinated) on one side of my closet and then all of my longer sleeve tops were on
the other side.
POCKETS FACING OUT:
When hanging pants I suggest having the pocket of the pant be facing outwards. This allows you to be able to find the pants you are looking for much quicker as it is easier to tell what pants your looking at by the back pockets verses the legs of the jeans.
FILE FOLD:
When folding clothes to put into a drawer or a bin I suggest you file fold your clothes. This means that instead of just folding and stacking the clothes on top of each other I suggest you fold them and then stand them up vertically so it is almost like a folder in a file cabinet. This allows you to be able to see everything that is in the drawer/bin instead of having to pull each piece out just to get to the one you wanted
which was at the bottom of the pile.
STORE THINGS AT EASE:
I mentioned above but you want to store things so that they can be easily accessible so for example i stored all of my tank tops and scarfs on a pull out belt/tie hanger. It makes it super easy to pull them off when I want to wear them.
DOLLAR TREE IS YOUR NEW BFF:
You can find so many great organizing baskets at the Dollar Tree. These white baskets were all from the dollar tree so only $6 total for all of those baskets, you cannot beat that!
LABEL EVERYTHING:
It is so much easier to put things away when you know where they go. Make some easy labels with some construction paper and tape or use a label maker and print off
I hope you were able to take away some tips from this that you can incorporate into your own space. For a detailed look into my closet check out my YouTube video where I walk you through the steps above but also show you where I put everything in my closet.
Do you already do any of these tips or have another that works wonders for your master closet? Share it in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!
PRODUCTS:
felt hangers (similar to what I used)
fabric bins (similar to what I used)
