Nothing makes me happier than a clean organized closet. I feel like people often overlook the fact that having an organized closet will not only keep things tidy, but it will also help you save money. When you have a place for everything, you know where to find it. If you know what you have in your closet, then you are less likely to go out and buy something new.
I’ve been working on organizing my current closet for almost 2 years now. Since I’ve started this blog, we’ve moved around a lot and I’ve had many different closets. I’ve had large walk in closets and regular size closets, but this by far is the worst closet out of all of them. It’s not only small, it’s dysfunctional. My husband and I each have one folding closet door on each end and in the middle is a big divider wall. The wall drives me crazy, because I can’t access any of my clothes behind it. Our house is a temporary rental house, so I know I will not have to live with this space forever, however, I do have to live with it for now. I also know that not everyone has the perfect large walk in closets that you see people sharing on Instagram and Pinterest. Many of us are working with a small space and that’s even more of a reason to keep it organized.
I am not organized by nature. It’s something that I have to work at. My brain is all over the place sometimes and I have to have organized systems in my home to stay sane. My closet is a top priority for me. I love my clothes and it’s so important for me to have a space for them. I love watching The Home Edit on Netflix and they are always talking about creating an organized functional system. Something that makes sense, that you can stick to. That’s exactly what I did in my closet. I created an organized system to make my dysfunctional small closet a functional space that is easy for me to keep up with.
Like I said, I’ve been working on this closet for almost 2 years. You can read my blog post of how I organized it when we first moved in our house (HERE). It has come a long way, but I finally feel like I’ve perfected the system that I had already set up. I’ve created more space for my clothes and accessories. I now have a space for everything that is easy for me to see and access. Because I buy organizing storage pieces as needed, my closet is a little mismatched. That might bother some, but not for me. I still can find everything I need.
Today I want to take you on tour of my closet and give you a few organizing tips for a small closet.
*This post contains affiliate links.
 |
| As you can see I’ve made a lot of improvements to my closet since we first moved in. I finally feel like I’ve perfected a system. |
Clothes
On top of having a small closet, I also have a small bedroom that only fits our small dressers in it. This means I don’t have a lot of extra clothes storage. I try to fit as many clothes as I can in my dresser drawers, but most of my clothes are in my closet. I bought some velvet non-slip hangers for my clothes to hang on. These hangers are flat and help save space. They also do a better job of hanging clothes because they don’t slip off like they do with the plastic hangers or make those awkward marks in the shoulders of your clothes. I also use space saving drop hangers, which have been a huge help in creating space in my closet. Each space saving hanger holds 5 hangers. I try to keep my clothes organized by type and then color. Sweaters go on one hanger, dresses on another, tank tops, skirts and so on. Every item in my closet has a specific spot. This helps me know exactly where to put it back when I am done using it.
Because I have a huge divider wall in the middle making it really hard to access the clothes from behind it, I keep my seasonal clothes there. The clothes I’m not wearing much at the moment. Right now all my summer dresses are behind it. I keep the clothes I wear the most right in front so I can easily access them. Layering pieces and sweaters are what I’m wearing the most of right now, so they are all right up front.
To keep my closet from completely over flowing I have a shopping rule. When I buy something new I have to get rid of something. If I have something in my closet that isn’t getting worn, I want someone else to have it so it can have new life. I’d rather have a small amount of clothes that I truly love and want to wear, than a closet full of clothes that rarely get worn. This makes my shopping more intentional and keeps me from impulse buying. When I want to get rid of something, I either sell my clothes on Poshmark or I take them to a local thrift store.
Accessories
I’ve always liked to store all my accessories inside my closet. I use plastic shelves from Home Depot to create some shelving space in my closet. We have been using these plastic shelves for years. They are so ideal for rental homes because they are easy to set up and easy to move. I keep two levels of the shelf set up as my little accessories station. The other level of the shelf is in the back of my closet behind my laundry basket.
On top of the shelf I keep my jewelry box. I hang all my necklaces on scarf hangers from the Dollar Tree. This helps keep them from getting tangled in my jewelry box. For my baseball caps I just use a door hook that you might hang a towel on over the bathroom door. I also use a pant hanger to hang my fedora hats on. It works out perfectly and keeps them from getting smashed. My purses are kept on the top shelve in a plastic bin. To be honest, most of my purses aren’t getting much use lately since I have a baby. I usually only use my diaper bag or backpack purse. I do usually keep one purse easily accessible incase I need it.
Bathing suits are also in my closet. They are currently not being used so I have them tucked in the back. I also keep scarves and belts on the back shelf. Just like with my clothes, I keep my everyday accessories easy to access and the things I don’t wear as much in the back.
Shoes
I love my shoes, so it’s important for them all to have a place. I keep all my seasonal shoes on my accessory shelf. All booties and boots are there right now. Once it warms up I will switch them out for my wedge sandals and heels. I store the other shoes that aren’t being worn on the top shelf in plastic bins. I also use baskets from Dollar Tree to hold my flats, flat sandals and tennis shoes and keep them on the top shelf of the closet. Because I love my shoes so much and have such an over flow, I recently bought a hanging shoe rack. This gives me extra spots to keep the shoes that I wear often or like to use in my outfit photos often.
I do have closet envy when I see the gorgeous closets that other people have. I know I can also have that one day, but right now this is the space I have. I know not everyone has the perfect closet, so hopefully my small closet will help inspire you to create an organized functional system in your own closet. If I can do it, then so can you!
For a closer look, check out my closet tour reel (HERE) over on Instagram!
[…] figure out ways to make the space livable. You can read more about how I organized my small closet HERE! I did my best to work with the space I had, but no matter how hard I tried I still needed more […]