Back in October, I decided to give my closet a major overhaul.  It was in desperate need of some TLC.  You need to know that my closet is a standard sized bedroom closet with dual sliding doors.  A powdered-coated, metal shelving/hanging unit was installed by a previous owner of our home.  Sadly, it also has florescent lighting.  This was not going to be a remodel.  I had to work within the space I was given.  When I set out to create a closet to love, I set my priorities for the project.

In the end, I hoped for:

*bright, open and inspiring

*a place for my accessories

*space to hang a few pieces of art

While it is quite embarrassing to show the before pictures, it is important to show its original sad, drab state.  Yep, it was that bad.  Crowded, cluttered, and certainly uninspiring.  The closet wasn’t getting any larger and it wasn’t going to magically become a walk-in overnight.  To reach my goal of creating an open space, I was going to have to be fearless in making some tough decisions.  I needed to edit my wardrobe!   I spent a long afternoon, pulling things from my closet.  The result was a very large bag which I took to my favorite consignment shop.  The rest went to a charitable thrift shop.  There was space to work with!!

The work began in four main areas:

Clothing Storage:  I pulled my spring/summer wardrobe off hangars and put it in storage.   I certainly don’t need shorts and breezy little tops in the dead of Seattle’s winter.  I also put my flip flops, wedges, and sandals in individual plastic shoe boxes.

Painting:  The walls need some major help.  They were actually dirty {gross that I didn’t notice that when I moved in} and the paint was drab.  I chose Benjamin Moore Ribbon Pink.  It took over 3 weeks to finally decide on the shade of pink.  My ideal color would be a bit paler than Ribbon Pink, but once the clothes were back it wasn’t a huge issue for me.  The hardest part of the painting was the shelving/hanging unit.  It is barely hanging on, so if I had taken it down there is a pretty good chance it wouldn’t have gone back up.  Instead, I taped around it using painter’s tape and my level.  It took forever.  For a fun effect I taped color blocks!  The finished product makes me smile because of the awesome white borders throughout the whole closet.

Accessory Storage:  I had to use some creativity for hanging and storing my accessories.  A shelf liner gave me a solid surface to build on.  I had been dying for a reason to buy this gorgeous gold stag! I finally had it.  Using the antlers and a handful of brass nails I had plenty of storage for my necklaces.  Along with jewelry trays, vintage tea cups and collected glassware I had a place for almost all of my accessories.  An acrylic shelf helped give one more surface for all the treasures.  All of my hats, scarves, and belts are now housed in two colorful canvas baskets I found on clearance at Target.

Art:  With a little help from all of you {here and here} I chose two pieces of art.  The fashion illustration by Anum Tariq is so beautiful.  I wish you could see it person.  A LOVE print, one of my very favorite photos, and a few Instagram snapshots finished off the space perfectly.

I apologize for such a lengthy post, but I can’t help but be overly excited about this outcome!  It makes me so, so HAPPY to open my closet each day.  Many of my most treasured items {like my grandmother’s gloves I wore on my wedding day} now have a place in my everyday.   While not large or ornate, I now have a closet to love.

{If you see a detail that I didn’t explain or discuss, please leave a comment below.  I am happy to answer any questions!}