Happy Monday friends! For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Liliam. Nice to meet you! I am super excited about the launch of my new blog and writing my first post! February was all about love and spending quality time with our loved ones, March is all about clovers, and getting our homes ready for Spring, so I wanted to kick off my blog with a fun challenge called Fall in Love with your Closet Again. I want to combine both themes and have a little fun with you all. This challenge is designed to encourage us (I will be doing this too!) to take pre-and post-photos of our newly, fabulous, organized closets after following some of the tips I share here. The bonus: besides having an incredible closet and feeling fresh, I am giving away a closet organizing basket worth over $150!!! More details on how you can win this baby are at the end of this blog.
Before we keep going, go ahead and open up your Instagram and Facebook apps and look me up @TheStagingPlace. You will want to follow me on both to get some incredible home design inspo and keep up with me on a more regular basis! This will also help you get closer to winning that basket.
I have to give you all a disclaimer. I didn’t write this post by myself. I used the thoughts of my good friend and an image consultant, Jennifer Clark, from Sense and Style Fashion Consulting (@jennifer_personal_stylist). I also consulted with the Do’s and Don’ts of Feng Shui for closets and my own favourite closet organizing tips to give a fun and well-rounded twist to this very first post. Shoutout to our MVP, Jen, though. For helping me make my first blog happen, thank you!
With so much inspiration, I have summarized the top 15 ways to transform your closet. Implement these strategies and I promise you will fall in love with your closet again! If you don’t think you need this, it can’t hurt to keep reading. I hope all of you reading this can pick up on a new trick here or there. Besides… why miss the opportunity to win a $150 basket?
1) Purge, Purge, Purge!
If you open your closet door and all you see is a chaotic space out of control; then, it is time to evaluate everything that you own. Yes…everything!. This may seem like an obvious tip, but it is literally the most important piece of information that you will gain from reading this post. You can also watch The Purge while you do this to take it up a notch. Up to you!
On a serious note, clutter and chaos can disrupt optimal energy flow causing unnecessary stress and disbalance in our lives. So, the best thing to do is remove everything and start over.
Before you get started, set up a couple of bins with the following labels:
a. Love
b. Donate
c. Consign
d. Reuse
e. Tailor
f. Next Season
Once your bins are ready to go, it’s time to start. Try not to get overwhelmed here. Let’s take it one step at a time baby! Go through each item and honestly think if you want to keep it. Jen suggests that we use two simple questions to ensure that we are making the right choice.
1. “Does it bring you joy?” – this comes from the Marie Kondo method (@mariekondo)
2. “Do you feel great in it?” – Jen’s magic touch!
Pro tip #1: If you have to justify keeping an item, then it probably means you shouldn’t keep it.
For example:
● Do you have items that have not left your closet in the last 6 months? Then, it is time to have a little throwback to the 90’s and sing, ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’. Don’t justify how you’re going to wear it, it’s just time to part ways.
● If it no longer fits, get it out of your closet! It doesn’t matter how much $ you spent on it. Looking at clothes that no longer fit can put a real damper on your mood and self esteem. If they are still in good condition, consider consigning them to make some money for a couple of new pieces.
● Do you fluctuate in sizes? Welcome to the club! Place all the items you love and feel good in in a single reusable bin for when you experience changes again. This will spare you in having to buy a new wardrobe every time you change sizes. We can save so much money by doing this, that you can take your whole entourage on a Mexico vacation. The key here is to keep only 1 bin, not multiple!
● Feeling bad about getting rid of so many great pieces? Jen suggests that one way to feel better about this is to drink a bottle of your favourite wine. I’m joking! Although feel free to have a glass while you’re doing this. She suggests to consider donating them to programs, like Suit Yourself. (@suityourselfyeg). They accept gently used business clothing & accessories, which is then provided to local disadvantaged women searching for employment or making a transition into the workforce.
● Do you have a pile of pants or other pieces for the tailor? And the pile just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger? Guess what? The cost of all those new non-hemmed pants is costing you much more than what the tailor would charge! Most importantly, the tailored pants would probably fit you much better…
● If it’s a completely different season, consider packing up your seasonal clothing/accessories until they are needed. Thank goodness Summer is next. Time to bring out our favourite dresses and sandals! Both Jen and I, pack up all of our seasonal items like coats, boots, winter blazers & knits and keep them stored. Best part about doing this? Every fall and spring feel like Christmas when you take out your handful of favourites!
● Don’t forget to go through all the other items that live in your closet, including jewelry, shoes, scarves, hats, handbags, and any other skeletons you may have in there and do the same thing.
Who knew we were capable of being this organized, right?
Pro Tip #2: As you are evaluating every item in your closet, group them separately by category.
2) Invest in good quality hangers that are all the same.
Really, Liliam? Hangers? Yes, something as insignificant as closet hangers can make a BIG difference and improve Feng Shui flow. Plus, using matching hangers will keep your closet looking and feeling organized. If you have an array of different hangers in your closet, your closet will continue to feel chaotic, no matter how organized things are. Consider investing in either wood or velvet hangers as these prolong the life of your pieces. My favourite – velvet, of course.
When investing in good quality hangers, Jen and I concur in purchasing different types of hangers based on the type of garments you use. For example, use wide hangers for blazers and coats, regular for tops and dresses, and pant hangers with clips for pants and skirts. Just keep it consistent whether they are velvet, plastic, wood, etc!
Hang all items in the same direction (Away from you, facing the wall). This makes it a lot easier to get things off the rod and not disarray other items in the closet.
Pro Tip #3: Velvet hangers allow you to maximize the space in your closet as they are super thin and come in a variety of beautiful colours.
3) Keep your Dry Cleaning in Order.
Nothing makes a closet look more unorganized than plastic bags from the Dry Cleaners. I know I’m asking for a lot, but remove all plastic coverings and hangers that come with your dry cleaning. They not only trap the chemicals used to clean them but also take up a lot of space. Yuck and more yuck!!!
Pro tip #4: Always keep extra hangers in your closet, so you can hang your clothes as soon as you bring them back from the cleaners or your laundry room.
4) Organize items so you can see what you have.
As you return items to the closet, do so orderly. Line your pieces in each category by sleeve length, garment length or by fabric weight. For example, one order can be: camisoles >> sleeveless tops >> long sleeve tops >> jackets >> skirts, and lastly pants. Lastly, if you have a partner separate the “his” and “her” sections.
Pro tip #5: If you have a walk-in closet or have a closet organizer you can use the different sections to organize your garments based on their categories.
Let’s check in! Still with me? If I’m starting to lose you, go ahead and refill that glass of wine now, stretch, meditate and come back to me whenever you’re ready.
Colour plays an important role in Feng Shui, even inside our closets. Rather than opening your closet to a chaotic mix of colours, organize using the rainbow as your guide, ROYGBV. Rainbows symbolize blessing, hope and good fortune (CHA-CHING!), so what better way to create a great flow of energy? Plus, colour coordinating your garments will help you in finding what you’re looking for quickly.
Pro tip #6 You can sandwich the rainbow coloured garments with white at the front and ending with greys and blacks.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubbermaid/720334038
Wait, I feel a question coming up.
What about clothing with patterns? Keep your patterned pieces until the end and categorize them by the main colour.
5) Keep your shoes organized.
So many shoes, but so little space for them #firstworldproblems. Story of my life. You are not alone! Thankfully, there are many options for this. Depending on your closet and the number of shoes that you own, there could be a myriad of solutions available. Ikea and custom-made closet providers, have tons of shoe organizing solutions within all budgets. Are we starting to feel better about our closets yet? I sure am!
When it comes to shoes, the best tip for organizing them lies in their placement. Placing shoes facing in opposite directions can save up some space and fit more shoes. If this is still not enough, consider hanging a fabric shoe holder inside the closet door to store away seasonal footwear. For dressier shoes, or out of season shoes, Jen suggests storing them in clear shoe boxes on the higher shelving of the closet.
6) Use the Door.
Hang hooks to store bags, robes, PJ’s, scarves or belts on the inside of your closet door. Or, line the door with a jewelry organizer. If you have sliding doors, it can be hard to find things because a door is always blocking a portion of the space. Try some DIY projects to make your closet more accessible. Let’s be productive on Pinterest and get some ideas!
Pro tip #7: Over the door shoe organizers are also a great way to keep out of season shoes organized.
7) Do not hang your knits.
This is a tip I picked up from Jen as I did not do this before. She says that this is no way to treat your clothes. Can you imagine if our clothes could talk? Wow, they would not be impressed. Folding them will ensure they keep their shape and live a long, happy life. Again, coordinate by style of knit – cardigan, tailored fit, oversized knit…
8) Keep your jeans and leggings in check.
When it comes to folded jeans and leggings, you probably know this is an area that’s hard to keep tidy no matter how hard we try. Use old shower curtain hooks to organize your jeans and to save space. Your closet is now starting to look like a luxury clothing store. For leggings, consider a legging hanger from any home goods store.
9) If you have the space, install a hook or place a valet stand for outfit prep.
Jen suggests you have a designated area in your closet to prep your outfit the night before (accessories & all). She says, this is particularly useful if you have an early morning or busy day coming up – This will not only save you time but your morning will run much smoother! Let’s face it, only aliens and Kim Kardashian are not running out the door frantically in the mornings.
Drawer organizers are a simple and economical way to keep drawers organized and maximize storage space. Choose them in the shapes, fabrics and sizes that will work best for you.
Pro Tip #8: Keep a step ladder handy inside your closet space to get to those hard to reach places.
10) Systemize and light up your closet.
Creating a 3-step system for your closet is very good to save time, as it will take the guessing out wher things should go.
Use the he eye-level racks, rods and shelves are where you will store clothing and accessories. Steps 1-9 gave you great ideas on how to utilize this area.
The upper shelves are where you will store infrequently used pieces. Organize loose items such as bags, caps,belts, scarves in matching hat boxes or bins with an handle for easy access at the top of the closet. Consider shelf dividers, which turns the space into little cubbies so clothes and accesories are easy to see and grab. I just ordered some, and can’t wait for them to come in!
Then, the floor is your is where you will store your shoes, sports equipment, etc. Systems make it easy to know where new items will go.
This last piece is a real game changer friend! Make sure the lighting is extra bright. If you are not one of the lucky ones with a window in your closet and looking into your closet is darker than staring at a black hole, then let’s illuminate it. Adding more light to your closet will make it seem bigger. Consider changing the bulbs to brighter ones, or another easy and economical fix is to use stick-on LED lights which attach to the wall and other surfaces to create the lighting you need.
The time to talk about the giveaway is here!
So, let’s talk about what is inside the basket:
– 12 velvet hangers
– 2 clear shoe boxes
– 2 sweater storage bags with handles
– 1 scarf organizer
– Oval tin bucket that can be used to organize things
You can win this puppy by:
– Commenting on my Facebook or Instagram posts what your favourite tip was
– Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @TheStagingPlace
– Tag as many friends as you like in the post!
– Sharing some awesome pre-post photos (just for fun and show off your amazing work)
The winner will be drawn at the end of March!
Thanks so much for making it to the end of my blog post. High five! Let’s stay connected by hitting subscribe.
Liliam, The Staging Place