Mega Makeover – Master Closet

I need to know, what makes you cringe in your house.  I’m talking about if there is that one room or closet or cabinet that makes you duck for cover when you have to open the door… what is it?  You’re safe here, girlfriend, I’ve got those spaces too and I’m working on getting rid of them.

I am blessed with a huge Master Bedroom Closet.  Don’t hate me for it.  But where my less than 1600 square foot home lacks a basement and attic – it makes up for in my Master Closet.

I had a plan to re-organize this closet last year, but I only got as far as the purging and never ended up organizing it. 

The sweater piles were like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!  The shoes were shoved into their cubbies.  The books and random Knick knacks were cluttering up the top of the shoe cabinet.  Not to mention the piles of bags, totes full of accessories and old college tee shirts.  Does this sound familiar?

My secret passion is organizing.  I LOVE digging into a space and tearing it apart and putting it back together to make it beautiful. I get a sick thrill out of it.  Hold on, that might not exactly be your case, but the good news is, I’m going to walk you through how you can do this even if organizing makes you want to hide in your messy closet.

After reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo, my perspective changed on just how to tackle this closet.  If you haven’t read the book yet, the premise is only keeping the items that bring you joy.  Basically, pull out each item, hold it in your hands, and if it doesn’t bring you joy, release it to be donated or thrown in the trash.

Before even opening the closet door, I began with my dresser drawers.  I covered my bed with clothing and kept only what brought me joy.  And you know what? 

It felt GREAT!  I utilized

Your Way Rectangle and Cube Lids to keep my drawers organized.  I looked up how to fold each item with the KonMari method and folded each one that way.  And my dresser drawers have never been more beautiful!  I can actually see each and every item in there; nothing is stacked.  It makes it so much easier picking out clothing when I’m getting dressed.

And you know what else?  I actually had EMPTY drawers!  Never in my life have I had an empty drawer in a dresser.

Next, I opened up the closet door, took a huge breath, and began putting all of my clothes on my bed.  Are you holding onto the past in your closet?  Is it like a walk down memory lane?  Does your closet remind you that you’re not the same size that you were almost 20 years ago? 

That’s what mine was like.

I was already in the groove, so it was much easier than I expected.  As I held some of the items in my hands I couldn’t help but wonder why I held onto them for so long.  Some of the items in my closet I hadn’t worn in years because they didn’t fit my style, or didn’t look flattering on me or I had held onto for “just in case.”  Goodbye awkward black tops.  Goodbye dresses in loud patterns.  Goodbye patterned leggings.

As I pulled down the tote full of old college tee shirts, I actually felt a sense of relief.  While these shirts brought me joy in the past and were reminders of my accomplishments of running a civility campaign, dancing for 48 hours straight in our Dance Marathon or being on the Executive Branch of Student Government, they were doing me no good but actually gave me guilt for just letting them sit in the closet.  I thanked them for the joy they provided me, took a moment to reminisce about how those groups and events helped to shape me, and sent them away. 

I even found a pair of pants that I had been holding onto for 18 years!  They were my favorite pants that I bought with my best friend, Alicia, when we were Seniors in High School.  We were in NYC to dance in the Macy’s Parade and we bought them at the Gap.  I remember that they were $78 and took up over a week’s worth of tips waiting tables at the local pizza shop.  But they were gorgeous and they were worth every penny.  They were also a size two, and the last time I could squeeze myself into them was at the beginning of college.  And though I would love it if I could fit into them again… I just know that holding onto them only brought shame that my body just won’t be that small again.

In short, I only held onto the clothes that make me feel beautiful and confident.

Next, it was time to put the clothes back into the closet.  I began by hanging up what needed to be hung.  I then used

Your Way Display Bins for the clothing that needed to be folded, like jeans, sweaters and sweat shirts.  I folded each item in the KonMari method so that nothing was stacked on top of the other and each item could be viewed easily. 

I actually found that I had room in my dresser drawers for my scarves and belts.  Can you imagine that? Having room in your dresser for scarves and belts?  I also used the Your Way Display Bins for my husband’s travel bags so that they have an actual home and aren’t just thrown on the floor.  Those Bins were also handy for the random items that he wasn’t quite ready to let go of yet. 

Overall, I released four huge garbage bags full of clothing, shoes and accessories.  Two of those were donated and two of those were not donation worthy so they were tossed.  I should also point out that eleven months ago I also donated multiple bags of clothing and still had this much to release.  And just two months ago I gave away a garbage bag full of Lu La Roe that no longer suited my style.

How would you like walking into your bedroom closet and feeling joyful and anxiety free.  I can tell you from experience that it feels AMAZING!  I save time everyday picking out my clothes because they are all beautifully displayed and they are all clothes that I LOVE!  And because I organized his clothes by color, Jeff has an easier time picking out suits, shirts and ties that match and I rarely have to send him back into the closet to pick out something else. 

I should note, that I haven’t touched his dresser yet.  Although I am itching to, he’s not quite ready and I have to respect his wishes.  In this process I only tossed a couple of his clothing items, including a pair of jeans with holes and a hoodie with a broken zipper.  While he was unhappy with me that I tossed these items, he found his favorite pants of all time, his camo pants, and now wears them at least once a week.  Before this closet purge, he hadn’t worn these pants in over a year – probably because he couldn’t find them!

I should point out, that I did all of this over two months ago and my dresser drawers have remained GORGEOUS.  I sometimes have to tweak things in the closet where my husband put things away, but overall it has remained beautifully organized!

If your cringe space isn’t the master bedroom closet, don’t worry, girlfriend, I’ve got you covered.  I’m working my way through my whole house and I’ll help you find a solution too. Start your journey by checking out the tools I used in the links below!

Your Way Rectangle Lid

Your Way Cube Lid 

Your Way Display Bin