See some good before and afters are three of my closets get closet makeovers! Come into my spare room, guest room and office closets.
3 Messy Closets Get 3 Closet Makeovers
You guys know I love a good closet post!! Our house is very tidy on the surface, but the closets always do get quite messy! It’s that lifestyle creep that happens when you “accidentally” buy a new set of flannel sheets on sale at Target, even though you didn’t need any more sheets, and suddenly all the sheets are competing for the closet real estate! <– (This may or may not be based on a true story.)
So, in the spirit of simplifying and decluttering in the new year, I tackled three of the four major storage closets in our house. (Mazen’s closet is in good shape and mine is also breathing well. Thomas’s closet is his territory and I don’t dare go in there to organize!)
So the three closet makeovers on topic today are:
- The guest room closet
- The spare room closet
- The office closet
Previously, I had things stored where they were used most frequently. I had sheets in the master bedroom, sheets in the office closet for Mazen’s bed, and all the rest of the sheets and spare linens in the guest room. In the guest room I also had cleaning supplies, luggage, and two wedding dresses – yikes! Games and kid activities were split between the office and spare room. Everything was spread out by frequency of use, and each closet didn’t have a job.
If that all sounds confusing, that’s because it was! Something clicked in my head, and I decided I wanted each closet to have its own clear job, so this became the new plan:
- The guest room closet = linens and a few extra cleaning supplies
- The spare room closet = games and toys
- The office closet = office storage and crafty activities
Just look at this mess!!!
Office closet before
We needed shelves
We were also significantly missing out on efficient storage space in all three closets due to all of the open air. None of these closets needed clothing rods – what we needed were shelves!
Luckily I live with a super hot handyman who was able to install shelving in 2/3 of the closets in half a day. We went to Lowe’s and bought simple wire shelving systems for each space.
The Guest Room Closet
Sadly, I don’t have a before photo of the guest room closet because I was too eager to take everything out, but this little cart from IKEA was filled with cleaning supplies and we had a metal rack with linens folded on it.
Here’s my blank slate to fill with neatly folded sheets!
I bought the pretty herringbone boxes at Lowe’s on a whim.
The Guest Room Closet Makeover After
She looks nice, doesn’t she?!
The Spare Room Before
Next up was the spare room closet, which was filled with so many toys! Mazen agreed to donate a good portion of them, which left us with a lot of blank space for new Christmas gifts. Most of his favorite toys are in his bedroom, but this closet is a great place for thinigs like his train set, Legos, Hot Wheels, and other things we get out and eventually put away.
Spare Room After
Luckily this closet already had shelves. I put that white cart on the right to eventually hold all the Hot Wheels parts.
And on the left side, we have the old linen shelf that holds all of our games! (There are twice as many after Christmas!)
Office Closet Before
Finally, the office closet, which was the messiest of the three (as the upstairs catch-all stash!)
Office Closet After
We moved the white cube organizer to the basement utility room for a future organization project there, and T built more shelves.
Say ahhhhh.
I have a little more work to do here, as I haven’t officially thought out what I’m going to store in here, but I am enjoying having it half empty for now! I think it will end up being part office storage (my umbrella lights are up there on the top shelf) and part arts + craft supplies. (The grey box is filled with Play-Doh.)
The leaf duo to our dining room table fit nicely on the left, out of sight!
So, there you have it, my friends! Three closet makeovers in one long post! : )
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
What a change! Makeovers are so nice to see. Definitely feel like I have to do some decluttering now! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Fancy says
Home Neat Home posts are my favorite posts!! Please do more, loved this one!!
Shana says
Your “messy” spare room closet is my idea of an organized closet!! Ha!
KathEats says
Haha!
Amy Greenan says
Agreed! If only anything in my house was that kind of messy. 🙂
Janet says
Same here. ~laughing~ I do love organization though.
elle says
Come on, you can’t mention 2 wedding dresses and then not tell us if you kept both of them! ; )
Seriously, though, I have very few closets in my apartment. I actually use the shower in the second bathroom as a closet, and this is making me realize i need to go buy some wire shelves for in there. Everything is piled up, making it impossible to find anything!
KathEats says
Haha yes I kept both of them. They’re in the attic! If I have a daughter (or if Emerson comes to play when she’s older) I want her to be able to play dress up like I did in my mom’s dress!
Jamey says
We have the same sheets, the same boxes, the same glass jar, and the same adoration of all things organized 🙂 great minds think alike!
KathEats says
Haha!! I’m not surprised : )
Tonya says
Aaaaahhhhhh! good job! I did a major organization of my bedroom closet this month and I just love leaving the doors open and staring into it! LOL
fyi–I started using YNAB thanks to you and it has been WONDERFUL! Well, except when you technically have money, but according to the app, it’s all busy being responsible right now. Waiting to be used for its intended purpose, not your whims! LOL
KathEats says
Haha yay!!
Jen says
What is the difference between your guest room and “spare” room?
KathEats says
The spare room is a smaller room with a tiny window and a twin bed.
Denise says
Looks great. We put those shelves in what was once our “bonus room” but after 3 kids it’s one of our sons rooms. The downside is he has no place to hang any of his clothes. Yes, he has a dresser but button down shirts, etc. have no real place to go. Do you think you will ever run into that situation, especially if guests arrive and have items they want to hang?
KathEats says
We have enough closets we could find a space for guests. And I barely hang up anything of Mazen’s – most of it is in dressers
Kaci says
Everything looks amazing!
Kori says
Nothing like organizing and cleaning to make you feel better and bit free! The closets look awesome!
Amber says
Hey, be careful with that table leaf. Best to store flat so it doesn’t warp. Good news is that it’s easy to find a spot to slide it in under other furniture!
Linda @ the Fitty says
Oh gosh i love your closet ! You are so hired ti do mine 🙂
Liz says
Oh goodness, your idea of a “messy” before closet is quite different than mine!! I like a very neat and tidy house, but closets around here end up getting so out of control. They are all on my to-do list.
Jeanie says
Your “messy” closets look better than my cleaned-out, neat ones. If I remember correctly. I think the last time they were neat was in the ’80s.
Cyn says
I love Gus the helper 🙂
KathEats says
He’s always tagging along!
Karen H says
Um, my neat closets are messier than your messy ones! Envious!
Rachel says
I love the wooden crates that you have in the guest room closet! They look kind of vintage I’m thinking? Where can I find those or something similar?
KathEats says
They are vintage. My mom and grandmother found them. Check Ebay!
Kraileen says
Hi Kath! I know this post is old, so I hope you don’t mind a question. I love your closet makeovers and I am wondering if you know if you guys used Rubbermaid Fasttrack or HomeFree?
KathEats says
Pretty sure it was the Rubbermaid!
K~ says
Kath
I just loved this post. all of it.
I can so relate:
Our house is very tidy on the surface, but the closets always do get quite messy!
It always feels so good when you are organizing and when you are finished.
Thanks again
K~