Dream Closet Part 3

This blog entry is a continuation of a blog swap I've been working on with EZ Architecture. See the first part HERE

 Step 4: Research and Implementation

With the purging and sorting steps complete, it became crystal clear that the organizing materials being used in the closet were actually a part of the problem. The drawer unit that held my purses was clunky, too deep and it was difficult to see the purses as they were layered one on top of the other. The hanging shoe cubbies were helpful in theory, but in practice they were too small for many of my shoes (I wear a size 10-I’m tall!). Hsiang brought to my attention that while the upper shelf was the right size to hold the luggage, that having such big items stored up high gave the closet a claustrophobic-feel, and the illusion that they might fall down on my head at any moment. Finally, the floor space felt cramped and ill-used with all the boots (that didn’t fit in the shoe cubbies) piled on top of one another.

In researching some storage upgrades, I came across a remarkable shoe caddy: The Container Store’s 22 Compartment Eco-Fabric Shoe Bag. It is an extremely efficient design where the shoes tilt down (maximizing space and allowing you to see the shoes) and the entire unit revolves so you can access it from both sides. Two of these units could replace the five hanging shoe cubbies that were currently in use.

Despite some initial misgivings I decided to rid the closet of the Elfa drawer unit that I had brought with me from my last 4 apartments. Those mesh basket units always seem like such a good idea but they never really look that great. After purging the purses it was clear I didn’t need that much storage for bags. I only had three to four bags I used regularly anyway. I decided installing hooks on the walls to hold the purses would make them more accessible and more attractive than a new piece of organizing furniture could.

Finally, while I felt like the upper shelf was still the perfect place to store the large rolling luggage bags that I use infrequently, I did want to soften their appearance to lighten up the feel of the interior of the closet. Hsiang had mentioned a curtain or panel to hide them from view, and armed with that idea I tried two different fabrics on a tension rod. I settled with a blue fish pattern I found in my scrap sewing supplies.

As an organizer my focus is creating efficient attractive spaces as affordably as possible. My goal is always to return to the initial assessment and see if we’ve solved the problems brought up when we first looked critically at the closet.  Those initial problems in the previous post were about accessibility (it was hard to find and remove shoes and bags) and a cramped feeling when looking at the items. We dealt with all of these things with just a few changes and some purging.

Project wrap up:

Time: 6 hrs

Cost: $65  ($35 under budget!)

Finished product: A shoe/purse/luggage closet that is airy, easy to navigate and where everything is quickly accessible.

What’s next? Now that we’ve solved the initial, basic organizing problems Hsiang will approach the upgraded closet with an eye for enhancing beauty. This is where we get to take the leap from an organized and functional closet to a Dream Closet!

Stay tuned!