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The guest room closet FINALLY gets organized!

By 26 Comments

Our guest room closet.  It held a lot of stuff.  Like bags and bags FULL of stuff.  Everything from clothing, to crafty things, to sewing materials, to fabric, to guest toiletries, to things we didn’t know what to do with. When it came time to have guests stay with us, it was a miracle I was able to clear one of the hanging bars with about 6 inches of hanging space – that’s all they’d need right?  And they won’t judge the mess, right? RIGHT?!

Here’s what it looked like in all its glory:

closet-before

closet-before

It needed some attention.

It took a few days for me to figure out what to keep, what to give away and how to categorize what was staying.  I also wanted to make sure that I had a system I could maintain when it came time to accessing the things that the closet would now store.

So my action plan was to:

  • Clear out the closet
  • Assess what was in it
  • Create piles of things to give away
  • Create and categorize the piles of things to keep

(Side note, it’s amazing when you’re in the midst of a purge how much you’re willing to part with out of sheer frustration of the mounds of stuff you have to go through.  “Value Village”, you’re welcome.)

Want to see the “after” pictures??

closet-after

(*cue the angels singing*)

The upper shelves house resin wicker-like baskets I previously had.  The upper shelves on the left now hold my fabric obsession:

closet-left-side-upper

You may notice the dozens (literally) of garment bags that hang in the closet.  I also have a dress and coat problem that won’t fit in the master bedroom closet which is also a walk-in (#Ihaveissues).  I thought putting them all in clean, uniform garment bags would not only protect my clothes but also give it a nice cohesive look.

closet-left-side2

I picked up a Raskog cart from IKEA that serves as my portable sewing station (I added a ribbon detail to each of the shelves):

closet-raskog-cart

You may have also noticed that patterned wall back there?  That’s temporary wallpaper!  (“Nuwallpaper” by “WallPops”)  This was my first time working with it and I can tell you it won’t be my last – I have plans for using more of this stuff around the house my friends.

See the edge of those shelves?  I used this shelf edge technique to give the shelving definition and a clean even look.  Removing those shelves was NOT an option!

closet-right-side

Those basket liners!  I had some old plain white liners for some baskets I had lying around so I made some new ones using a cheater method.

closet-right-side-lower-baskets

The larger rattan baskets were purchased from IKEA eons ago (these ones are similar) and after measuring the space, I found that this 2×4 Kallax shelf (also from IKEA) would fit the bill.  They hold larger category items like sewing supplies, gift bags, etc.  I even have an empty one right now, ready for some stuff!  (John is worried)

closet-right-side-lower-baskets-labels

It was tough to get an all-encompassing picture that included the new light fixture but basically we went from this:

light-fixture-before

…to this!

closet-light-fixture-3

You know where it’s from?  Canadian Tire folks!  Clean lined and non-obtrusive – plus it won’t break the bank!

Here’s one more “after” shot:

closet-after-light

So. Much. Better.

Now where did I put my coffee…

This closet FINALLY gets organized!

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Comments

  1. WOW! Looks great…well done.Congratulations….it takes time,energy & commitment to complete a project like this.

    When can we book this guest room?

    Reply

    • Thanks Debbie!! Oops! I call it temporary wallpaper but I probably should’ve called it removable! It’s like a glorified decal – it looks and feels exactly like wallpaper but without having to use any water, paste, etc. to hang it. Bonus – it comes off just like a sticker would without peeling your paint or leaving a sticky residue. I’m in love with that stuff!

      Reply

  9. Love the closet makeover. There are lots of closets in my house that could use similar revamps If you are looking for more “projects”!:-)

    Reply

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