You Can Have A Designer Closet on a Dime // How I Took Mine From a Mess to a Showcase for Free
Spring cleaning and reorganizing is always a mood booster, and organizing makes you feel so good. If you have a tiny closet like I do; you know the struggle to make your items look attractive while remaining uncluttered. It took a neighbor’s trash to inspire me to complete the final step in my closet transformation from mess to showcase.
A TV Stand!?
A neighbor tossed out, of all things, a black old-style deep television stand with shelves.
First I contemplated spray painting it white. But, I was so excited to see if it fit my closet that I could not wait. Maybe I will later, but it looks fine.
I turned it into a display piece to showcase my favorite bags and organize my sandals. The upside – now I can see everything, I can find everything, and it was free. And repurposed
Perfect Fit
The TV stand ended up being the perfect size for my double folding door tiny closet. The shelves on the far right now hold my travel bags and totes. Middle bottom holds all my sandals. Top middle hold the current season’s purses. The left shelves hold off-season purses, with a few toward the front for looks.
There’s even a bit of room on top for a few small items like change purses and sunglass cases. To the far right and far left; there’s space for longer hanging items like dresses and maxi skirts.
Also, there is a space about four inches high below the entire unit. My plan is to leave that empty, but in a pinch, I could put it to use.
Repurpose
Before you toss out any piece of furniture at all, first check to see if you can use it on the floor in a closet – or somewhere else in your home. I’ve always had at least one small chest of drawers in the bottom of my tiny closet.
The problem with drawers is you can’t really see what’s in them. That’s why shelving not only looks great, but also forces you to reduce your number of items, and allows you to appreciate them because you can see them.
Here, I already had taken the drawers out of the closet in an effort to make it look less congested. Instead, I ended up with metal racks crammed full, and I could barely see or access my purses. These racks might work better for fruits and vegetables in the pantry.
Reorganized
I already had purchased these shoe cubbies from ClosetMaid, so the top of my tiny closet works wonderfully. It’s hard to remember life before them. My shoes were suffocating in plastic lidded boxes with photos of the pair on the end of the container.
These make me happy – they encourage me to keep only the shoes that make me happy and look great and are pleasing. Seasonally I swap out Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer.
Here, I have two of the ClosetMaid organizers placed side-by-side. To the far right, I have a mirror and three of my all-time favorite purses showcased to give a bit of airy space to the top section.
Color Coordinated
Always, always, I arrange my clothes in color order. While some people like to put all of a certain item together – long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, and so on; that drives me nuts with all the chaos of color.
Whatever I need; I can find it instantly. Besides – where do you “file” 3/4 sleeves? For me; with their color crowd works best.
For hanging, I use velvet hangers to keep things looking consistent. If there’s a new piece of clothing in my closet that is still being considered; it’s an a plastic hangar. Here you can see four or five items toward the middle that I’m undecided on yet.
For heavier items like jackets, I simply use two of the hangars to bear the weight. That way, the pleasing visual continuity is not disrupted.
Inspiration
I hope I’ve inspired you to reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose.
Any items you eliminate; first see if you can repurpose them in another manner. My husband and I call this “use what you have decorating.” It’s a fun challenge to see if you can make use of what you already have and not spend on more.
For furniture “off the street,” examine it very carefully. If it’s wood, or from an older home, be very aware of the possibility of termites. Find a friend who’s tenting their home and ask if you can put your item inside while their home is treated before bringing it into your home.
This piece looked nearly new, with no water or other damage. It’s “only” a particle board item that would not hold up to rough use, but works perfectly for my purses and sandals.
Happy hunting and organizing your tiny closet!
