My Closet = My Happy Place.

It might be possible that I love my closet more than my husband.  (Oh come on… I’m only sort of serious!)

It’s just that I designed it, I decorated it, and I put a lot of thought into it.  It really is my happy place.

Let me explain…

In 2015, my husband and I decided to build a house.  I had started a list of things I wanted to improve in the new house, and my closet was at the top of that list.  

My old closet… it was decent sized, but I always felt like everything was smooshed.  I always felt like I couldn’t find anything I needed. It was dark and cramped. I tried to keep it organized, but not everything had a designated place to go.  Plus, we had dressers in the main bedroom to hold some of my clothes so it was a pain having two separate locations to grab clothes from in order to get ready in the morning.  

Let me add that I am not a fashionista by any means.  I do not require a celebrity-esque type of closet. It’s just that I wanted space to spread out.  I wanted space to have all my shoes on display. I wanted space to be able to hang up as many pieces of my wardrobe as possible.  I wanted space to display all my jewelry. I wanted getting ready in the morning to be an easier task, a stress-free task, and an exciting task.

I figured that since I spend time in my closet every single day, then it should be an enjoyable experience.

So I’m here to give you the steps that I took in hopes that it can help your closet become your happy place.  You might not be building a house like I was, but you can still apply these steps to the space you currently have for your closet.

1. THE RESEARCH STAGE: Gather Ideas

I started with research. A CRAP TON OF RESEARCH.

For weeks, I began searching on the Internet and on Pinterest for anything that might be helpful.  I started gathering ideas on what other designers had designed, what solutions other women had come up with, and beautiful pictures of organized closets that made me swoon.  I started saving all these ideas to my Pinterest account to help me find solutions for:

• Closet layout
• How to display shoes, jewelry, and accessories
• Organization
• Decor

2. THE DESIGN STAGE: Come up with a plan.  Every item needs a home.

I then made a list of my “must-haves” in regards to the design aspect.  

This needs to include how you will organize all of your clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories, unmentionables, etc.  And of course, if you’re married, don’t forget to shave out a little space for your husband’s stuff too.

The goal should be that all the main things you keep in your closet should have a home- a place where they belong which makes it easy to put everything away.

You also need to spend some time considering what items you currently own and then what space those items will require.  If you own a lot of dresses, you’ll need more tall bar space. If you fold a lot of your clothing such as sweaters and workout clothes, you’ll need more dresser space.  Do you want your purses to be hung up or placed in cubbies? Do you fold your pants or hang dry them on hangers? Do you have a lot of tall boots that require taller shelves or flat shoes that require shorter shelves?  Do you want a space for a hamper? An ironing board? Do you need outlets in your closet? Do you want a regular door or a sliding pocket door?

Shop Closet Hangers:

When you’re designing your closet (or redesigning your current closet space), remember that just because you’ve always done something a certain way, doesn’t mean you can’t change it.

The design stage also includes aspects such as flooring, lighting, and wall color.

Usually, this just comes down to personal preference.

Here is an example of what my “must-haves” were for my new closet:

• Brighter (I chose a lighter wall color)
• Better Lighting (I chose to have two light fixtures instead of one)
• Bigger Size (My old closet was too small for all of our items)
• Wider (My old closet was narrow and I always felt cramped)
• Designated cubby space to display shoes (I think shoes are like a work of art in themselves)
• A dresser inside my closet (I wanted to have all my clothes in the same spot and not have to exit my closet to get fully ready)
• A way to hang all my earrings (I own a lot of leather earrings that are super lightweight.  I wanted to display them without them getting bent or damaged.)
• A way to store and organize all my remaining jewelry (Possibly a pegboard option or drawers)
       → Need ideas on how to organize your jewelry? Check out this post HERE!
• Three hangers tall on one side of the closet (This extra space would be used to store things that I didn’t always need on hand, but that I didn’t want to have to dig for in the attic if the need arose such as past Halloween costumes, my 70’s snowsuit, my business suits, my prom dresses, etc. This third bar also created a taller ceiling which made for a more breathable space overall in the closet.)
• Finally, I knew that I would want some special touches in regards to decorating my closet space.  ***I decided on two beautiful sparkly chandeliers and leopard carpet!!***

3. THE DECORATING STAGE: Make it pretty and add some personal touches.

Now is the fun part.  You get to decorate! It’s time to add some special touches to make it your own.  This should include things that are practical and that make getting ready easier and more convenient, but this should also include things that will simply make your heart happy.  You want to enjoy your time in your closet.

Make your closet a place that’s joyful and a place you can’t wait to come back to every morning.

For me, this meant:

• Full-length mirror
• Dresser for jewelry (I love the Ikea Alex 9-Drawer Unit for this!)
• Hanging hook for my robe
• Little bowl from local antique store to add character and to hold my bracelets
• Quotes to inspire me
• Frames to add prettiness
• Hand-painted canvases
• Art Work

Related Post: How To Organize Your Jewelry

4. THE DECLUTTERING STAGE: Make it simple.  Make it easy.

One of the most important steps to making your closet into a happy place… is to declutter.

So this just happened to be the most important (but also the most dreadful) step for me.  When I saw my beautiful closet, I couldn’t imagine filling it back up the way my old closet was.  My new closet deserved more respect than that. I couldn’t dare fill it back up with mediocre clothing items that I just viewed as “ok”.  I couldn’t dare jam pack it so full that each item couldn’t breathe and have its own personal space.

I had watched some videos, documentaries, and read some blogs about minimalism.  I was intrigued by this idea that if you have fewer clothes, it actually makes your life easier since you have fewer choices, therefore, you can get ready faster each morning.  I was intrigued by the idea that owning less stuff might actually lead to having less stress.

Now let me just be upfront with you.  There were blogs I read about such as www.bemorewithless.com which promotes “Project 333”.  This is a challenge in which you wear only 33 items for 3 months.  I applaud you for all that you are and for all that you inspire me to be Project 333… But I.Am.Not.There.Yet.  Not even close. I wouldn’t even say that I’m anywhere near the vicinity.

But I can tell you, that I’ve come a long way.  
With the amount of clothes I own, and above that, with my mindset.

First phase of decluttering…  

My goal was to keep only the clothing items that were my necessities or that were my favorites.  My goal was to channel my inner minimalistic self and see what I could part with. Who the heck needs 27 pairs of jeans?  ((Well, apparently I thought I did.)) Who the heck needs to hang onto their jelly watches and bubble necklaces from ten years ago?  ((Umm… yep, that was me again.)) I began purging things. I filled up one entire IKEA bag and then grabbed two more and kept going.

It would be amazing if I could tell you that I finished the decluttering stage in one day.  But no… I’m here to be transparent with you, and unfortunately, my decluttering stage was more of an entire year-long process.  I kid you not.

You see, the first stage is the easiest.  This is when you start throwing away all the obvious stuff.  

Stuff that you don’t even like anymore.
Stuff that has holes in it or that is missing a button.
Stuff that you haven’t worn in the past year.  

Easy peezy.

Second phase of decluttering…

Oy Vay.  This next phase of decluttering is a lot harder!  It’s when you start considering getting rid of things that your brain knows you don’t need… but your heart wants to hang on to.  

Things that you have emotional attachments to.  
Things that are still in perfectly good condition or things that still fit, so why would I get rid of them?

So I began asking the important questions that I found repeated on numerous blogs.  Ask these questions for every individual item in your closet and then start purging some more.

Does this item add value to my life?  
Does this item bring me joy?
Do I love this item?
Would I buy this item today?  For the full price?

Third and final phase of decluttering…

I began hanging out with a dear friend of mine that helped me through the final decluttering process.  This dear friend’s name is: The Stylebook App.

This App literally organizes your closet for you.  It cost me less than $5.00. I’m pretty sure I could find that amount of spare change on the floor in the back seat of my car.  ((You know… once I sifted through the french fries and crayons that my kids have failed to clean up.))

I used this App to help me keep track of what I was wearing and more importantly… what I wasn’t wearing.  This data then enabled me to purge even more – HOORAY!

So after decluttering, decluttering, and then doing some more decluttering… I organized the items in my closet by season (tank tops, short sleeve, long sleeve, pants, dresses, and skirts) and then by color.  And now I am proud to say that I officially have my happy place.

So without further ado, I would love to introduce you to My Closet!!!!!

*KEEP READING TO GET FREE COPIES OF THE TWO FRAMED PRINTABLES SHOWN IN THESE PICTURES!*

I put in a TON of work in order to design, decorate, and declutter my closet.  And now it’s absolutely my happy place!

I love spending time in my closet.  It’s a quiet space located in the back of the house, and sometimes it’s my favorite place to have some me-time.

Your closet should be a place to become empowered.  A place where you can put on any outfit that’s within it and immediately feel pretty, strong, powerful – whatever mood you want to feel that day.  Your closet should be a place where you can be inspired.

You should always exit your closet ready to take on the world.

WANT SOME FREEBIES?!?  

CLICK HERE for a printable of the “leopard is a neutral” poster.

Oh how I love me some leopard print.  It’s absolutely my favorite color and should be worn daily if at all possible!

CLICK HERE for a printable of the “put on love” poster.  

This poster is a daily reminder that no matter what outfit I pick out to wear, I must not forget to put on love.  When I read these words, it’s the reality of what is really important in life.  Not being surrounded by pretty clothes, but rather speaking with kindness and doing everything in love.

👇👇Pin This Idea For Later!👇👇