Wednesday, September 23, 2009

I can't believe it's not clutter! - reclaiming a closet

Okay there's a bit of clutter but it is cleverly disguised. :)

It's Living Lovely time again with Mt. Hope Chronicles! This week's challenge was to reclaim a space for beauty or function. I must have been on Heidi's brainwave because I had just started a massive overhaul on my closet after I posted photos for the world to see how seriously messy it was. I blush! I grimace! I hide in shame!

Using only things I already had (okay I bought a can of spray paint and a can of spray glue but that's it!) I completely redid and reclaimed my closet space so that it was both beautiful and functional.

Want a sneak peek?



Now hold on to your eyeballs (not literally please) because this is a photo heavy post.
There was a lot of work involved and I wasn't letting any of it get away undocumented. ;)


Before my closet was dingy white walls, mismatched hangers, clutter and chaos of unimaginable proportions.

To start I removed everything from my closet. Everything. Then I painted the walls Mid-Day Mocha - a free quart of paint I got from a Glidden promotional deal. It covered all the scuffs and old-ness and brought a wonderful warmth to the small space. I even painted the ceiling.

Next I had that ugly white shelf to contend with. I didn't want to paint it so I decided to hide the fact that I wasn't. Using newspaper I made a little scalloped border to hang down and hide it from being so ugly.

The dangles in the top of the photo are my lightbulb chandelier from this post.

Then I gathered all my boxes and baskets that were just about every color and none of them matched and spray painted everything. I have quite the collection of paints so the only one I needed to purchase was a can specifically for plastic.

I forgot to mention I'm still in a walking boot so kneeling or squatting to get a good angle for photos is completely out.

You saw in my last post how I altered another box to fit into my color scheme needs. So easy to make what you have work for you!

I also switched all my hangers out for white ones simply by raiding all the other closets in the house and trading them out. Wooden hangers would be great someday.

I think the hardest part was cutting down my book collection.

Some I was just keeping around when I didn't need to. Many I gave to people I knew would enjoy them. And now I even have a free shelf to put my extra blankets - amazing!

I used a scrap of muslin and some tension rods to make little curtains to hide the book clutter I couldn't part with.

And if I ran out of storage boxes I found that hiding something with a lovely scarf works nicely too.



All my hats I hung up or stood up with candle holders and sconces - they work great for that!

Vintage suitcases and some of my mom's old sheet music keep with my theme and pull my look together while beautifying and hiding.


For a cost of around ten dollars and using what I already had, I transformed this mess:

Into an organized, functional, and beautiful space.


Linking to: Beneath My Heart's Closet Makeover Party

13 comments:

Maggi said...

Congrats on finishing a major project! I love the result and thanks for the sconce tip for hats. I was wondering what I could use to display my hats!

maggiegracecreates said...

I love the outcome - the sconces are an amazing idea - I am so glad I have found your blog. Have a great day.

Melissa said...

Molly, your closet is exactly like mine, except that your shelves are on the left and mine are on the right! I'm going to try and tackle mine this weekend. :)

I love, love, love the scalloped border and curtains. I just bought a ton of felt that will be perfect. Thanks for the great ideas!!!

Unknown said...

Wow, that looks great! Thanks for visiting!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You did a great job! Now you can find everything! How organized!

Heather said...

I big puffy heart the candle holder/hat hooks! What a clever clever girl you are!! :)

Wanna come clean my closet now??

theUngourmet said...

It looks nice! My closets could use some help too. When can you come over? I'll make brownies! ;0)

Kim at Polka Dot Thought said...

Don't you just love the feeling after something has been organized? I do!! Looks great--I organized my craft closet last month and posted on it--you should check it out :)

jeanne @ Inspiring Ideas said...

That must feel so good! Love to reorganize! Great!

Heidi said...

Wow, Molly! What a transformation! I love all the extra decorative touches you added. It makes for a really beautiful and personal space. Nicely done!

Brittany said...

Fab makeover!

I'm in the middle of organizing my closet too. I swear it gets worse before it gets better.
I also need to get rid of the stuff that I don't wear anymore. Ugh... I've got so much to do!
Thanks for keeping me motivated!

Love the way you displayed your hats. :)

OrganizingMadeFun said...

I like how you cleverly hide things with scarves! Cute...pretty, too! I think it turned out great especially since you were on a budget and you were doing it quickly! Great job!

Becky B.
www.organizingmadefun.blogspot.com
Organizing Made Fun

Traci@ Beneath My Heart said...

That looks great! I am so impressed you painted the closet.
And I love your creative way to hang hats on sconces. Great idea!
And the material covering your books makes things looks so much neater.
Thanks for all the great inspiration!
And thank you for linking to my party!
Blessings,
Traci