Master Closet Organization

Hello friends!  I hope you have all been having a great week! Like a lot of you, this is our last week before school goes back and it is going by WAY too quickly.  Only 5 days left!!! 

On Monday, I shared some closet organization tips and today I am going to show you our master closet.  It's not quite as fancy as the inspiration photos but it is organized and it functions quite well for us. 

When we originally bought our house, the closet just had a set of white wire racks running down each side of the closet.  While our stuff still technically "fit" into the closet, it didn't look very nice and it definitely wasn't very organized.  We had boxes piled up on the floor and boxes piled up on the racks above.  Well, apparently wire racks do not like to have boxes piled on top of them and they eventually had enough abuse and broke. 

I talked Dave into looking into custom closets but, unfortunately I had to agree that they were way too expensive.  For about 1/4 of the cost, we had a friend of Dave's build this shelving unit for us {as it was WAY beyond our building abilities!}  Over the last few months, I have changed a few things around and I think I finally have it arranged the way I like it!  Thankfully, Dave just kind of goes along with the flow... 

Clothes 

 I hang up most of my clothes with the exception of my pajamas {and other "comfy, wear-around-the-house" clothes!}, workout clothes, and tank tops.  I organize all of my clothes by color as it makes it very easy for me to find what I am looking for.  I do separate out the pants and dresses but all of my jackets, shirts, sweaters, etc. are all just hung up together.

 I would definitely recommend investing in a matching set of hangers.  We have had these wood ones for a few years now but I really like the thin, velvet covered ones as well.  If you can't afford to buy them all at once, keep your eyes open for sales and pick a few up each time.  Home Sense {or Home Goods in the States} often has them for really affordable prices.

I purchased the black bins at Kohl's for about $6 each {they have lots of other great bins that can be found here}.  On Dave's side they are filled with his T-shirts and shorts.  I had tried to organize the bins by color but he did not comply with my method so I gave up! :)

On my side, I have 2 bins for my pajamas and other "comfy clothes", a bin for gym clothes, a bin for my accessories {scarves, belts, and other smaller items}, a bin for sweaters that might stretch out if they are hung up, and a bin for my tank tops.

 Jewelery 

Last year I made this jewelery holder from an old wine rack. It has actually worked out great and makes it really easy to keep everything organized.  I find that I change up my jewelery a lot more frequently when I can see everything!

I also painted a tray to match the jewelery holder and added some pretty paper underneath the glass.  I keep a bowl and my Anthropology egg holder on it to hold my more frequently worn jewelry so I can just pop it off.  I also have a little basket on here to hold all of the change that I collect from pockets!

Seasonal Items

Being from the Vancouver area, most of my wardrobe actually functions year round.  There are a few items; however, that I know I will only be wearing or using for one season.  I have a few bins that are kept on the top of Dave's side for things that are not currently being used or worn.

Purses and Bags

I attached some Command hooks at the end of our storage unit to hold my larger purses and bags.

The other set of hooks are from Ikea and hold Dave's hats and some smaller bags.

Most of my fabric bags are stored in one of these bins at the other end of the closet.  The other baskets hold our iron, fire extinguisher, and a few other random storage items.

Shoes

I had a couple of old shoe storage racks that I moved into the closet that were originally in other areas of the house but no longer being used.  One was placed to the back of the closet and the other one was put on the floor in the shelving unit.  There is also room on the floor underneath the bottom clothes hanger for any extra shoes that are not worn as often.

Keepsakes

Even though it is just a closet, it is still nice to personalize the space a bit.  First of all, the prettier something is, the more likely I am to keep it tidy. And secondly, this closet is one of the first things that I see each morning.  Since I am not a morning person, a few nice things to make me smile is always good!

The Mommy and baby elephant was my first Christmas present from Matthew after he was born.  I also have a couple of boxes with some of my favorite art work from the kids and any special cards or notes.  There are also some scrapbook albums and some picture frames scattered throughout the closet.

If you are looking for some storage items to get going on your own closet, Kohl's has offered a 10% discount code for you to use until October 24th, 2012.  This can be stacked with one other department specific code for added savings!

Use Code: UBLOGTEN now through October 24th, 2012

So what's in your closet?  Anyone have any great storage or organization ideas for me?  Just leave a link below and we can check it out!  If you are looking for more ideas for kids' closets come on back next week!

I hope you have a great day!

I linked up with The Shabby Creek Cottage, The 36th Avenue, Not Just  Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Tip Junkie, Skip to My Lou, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk, Whipperberry, The Shabby Nest, Gluesticks, Delightful Order, Uncommon, Lil Luna, Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, Thrifty Decor Chick, CRAFT, Craft-O-Maniac, Positively Splendid, I Heart Naptime, Tatertots and Jello, 30 Handmade Days, Chic on a Shoestring, Liz Marie Blog and Tidy Mom.