Archives for April 2016

Micro. As in mini, tiny, very small. Think Carrie Bradshaw from the movie, Sex & The City when she is apartment shopping with Mr. Big and sees the dream penthouse with the tiny closet. As in “You’re kidding. That’s your closet? The closet of a Glamour Girl? A closet you must share with your husband?” Yes! This Glamour Girl has a very small closet that she happily shares with her husband. I’m not the clotheshorse you might think I am. I tend to be quite edited. I wear a few pieces with high rotation and pair with classic pieces and accessories I’ve had for years. However, things got to the point in our closet where I knew I needed to find a better way to keep it organized. I not only found a solution using the Joy Huggable Hangers and Storage Boxes, but I was able to eliminate a dated, pine, five-drawer chest that was in our room. I was either going to paint and update the chest, or get rid of it. If I removed it from my room, where would I store our things? Troy’s briefs, undershirts, socks. My bras, panties, socks and nightgowns. I even thought about adding the track hardware with the pull-in/out wire drawer baskets to hold those personal items, but I would have to give up lower hanging space on both sides of the closet. I chose to use the storage boxes that came with the Huggable Hangers/boxes set. I couldn’t believe how I was able to actually add to our closet, while using less space! Plus, I was able to eliminate the chest in our room –  regaining so much space. The secret? The Huggable Hangers used far less space than the larger wood hangers. Plus, I added the Wonder Hangers. With the Wonder Hangers, I was able to regain much needed hanging space and I was thrilled with the result. Take a look! Happy organizing! Your Home BFF, xoxo.

Above, and below, the lower hanging space I would have lost had I added the wire basket drawers.

Above, my clothes are pretty packed. Below, I added the Wonder Hangers and freed so much hanging space.

Below, before pics of a messy closet filled with large, space gobbling, wooden hangers.

My daughter’s closet, and room (more on the room in a later post), was in need of a renovation and reorganization. We had put it off and put it off for months. I slowly started to clear the closet – over time…like six months! There was no rush so I took my time. Utilizing Storesmart Storage Compression Bags, I started compressing baby blankets made by my mother-in-law, precious first dance costumes, costumes made by beloved teachers for preschool performances, baby clothes my mom had saved for me that Sofia wore as an infant, and on and on. Eventually, my sweet girl was living out of plastic tubs that held her under pinnings, shorts/t’s, swimsuits, and a clothing rack I had in her room. Yowzer! She was so patient and never complained, but the time had come. We considered ordering the shelving and drawers from IKEA or The Home Depot, but quickly realized why custom closets are custom; not all closets are standard sizes, and we discovered there would be lots of wasted space if we did it ourselves. In this instance, the price savings did not warrant doing it ourselves. I collected estimates from several franchise closet companies, and decided upon Closet Solutions a family-owned company. Their price was competitive and their work was excellent – their team of two completed the job in 90 minutes! Troy added the mini chandelier pendant (picked-up at Home Depot) to add a little glamour-girl chic and give a brighter/whiter light to the once dingy dark closet. We used the Joy Huggable Hangers and Storage Boxes to maximize space.

Before the renovation of the closet, we noticed Sofia would spend time inside the closet with the door closed. Her personal little refuge. She would line up her toiletries, perfumes and jewelry like a little lady. She would sit and read for hours. I was happy to have had the time to see how she truly utilized the space. I was able to have Closet Solutions make a custom vanity. I purchased a petite tufted bench at either Home Goods or Tuesday Morning (can’t remember) and Troy mounted a mirrored Jewelry Armoire Sofia received as a Christmas gift from her paternal Grandparents, and the vanity area was perfected! A super closet was revealed!

Tips: take your time. You don’t have to do everything in one day. Use professionals when you can or need to. Plastic tubs are wonderful for separating between what to keep, what to give, what to store, etc. When the day came for the closet install, we did not tell her it was going to happen. She walked into her room and closet completely shocked and surprised! She was over-the-moon delighted!