I'm sure that if you were to ask my friends and family about me, they would all agree on one thing: I'm disorganized. Oh sure, I can fake it with the best of them - frenzied 11th hour clean-ups before book club, last-minute car clear-outs before picking up friends, and of course those sneaky dinner party distractions (think low lighting, flowers and chilled out tunes to distract from the clutter), all of which I've perfected throughout the years. But open a closet and you're bound to either get smothered by a massive pile of unfolded laundry or get knocked out by an errant stiletto to the head. To compound the problem further, I'm a fashion blogger - a profession where we're often paid in clothing and gift cards, so let's just say I've got a lot of stuff. Plus, we recently downsized from a big country house with loads of storage room to a 1940's house in the city that's high on charm but seriously low on closet space. Tragic.
I try my best to tame my overstuffed drawers and my OOC accessory collection but I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not one of those hyper-organized people I envy so much. I'm just not. And while I applaud the woman who can cut her wardrobe down to 15 Easy Pieces, I simply have no desire to limit myself like that. I'm a fashion girl - I like having options.
So, I was stuck with this...(I won't even show you what's behind door #2)
and this...
and accessories stuffed into bags and baskets like this...
We've been renovating our house since we moved in and were in the middle of renovating our ensuite. There was an unheated crawl space off our ensuite/above the garage (you can see a bit of it in the pic below to the right of the shower) which we decided to finish with insulation, heated floors, hardwood and paint. The room was definitely awkward but the potential for a great walk-in was there somewhere.
We were just debating what to do the space and our ever-shrinking budget when Home Depot emailed. They asked if I'd be interested in working with them on a closet makeover for my blog. Um, yes?! The timing could seriously not have been better. My heaving closets all gasped at the possibility. Like that Kelly Clarkson song 'Moment Like This' back when American Idol was awesome, I'd been waiting for this day my entire adult life. The possibility of getting the closet of my dreams was finally within my grasp. But would they be up for the challenge?
My husband James was away, so I headed to the Kitchener Home Depot with my mom for my first visit (always good to enlist the help of a stylish wingwoman in cases like this) and met with Patsy in the Closet Organizing department. We showed her pics of the space and then went to work to find the perfect closet system. We settled on the Martha Stewart Living Collection but after a few meetings, realized we had a square peg/round hole situation with our unique space. We wandered over to the Kitchen department and decided almost instantly that custom was the way to go. Visions of a dreamy modern white lacquer walk-in entered my head and never left. I knew that custom cabinets would be more expensive than going for pre-fab but decided it would be well worth the investment to get exactly what I wanted.
Patsy passed our file over to Scott in the Kitchen department and he got right to work. I told him about our many challenges - from a limited budget to the sloped ceilings, staircase and bulky floor-heater and he handled each hurdle like a pro. Scott worked with us over the course of a few meetings until he came up with a design that was just right.
Scott and Patsy (aka. Closet Dream Team)
Once the drawings were done, we had someone from Home Depot come out to take measurements. We learned our lesson the hard way in our old house and knew that having a pro measure was totally (I mean, totally) worth it. The Expressive line by Fabritec is custom-made in Québec (bonus) so now all we had to do was wait. Six weeks later, our cabinetry arrived and was installed exactly like the pics! Since our floors and walls were uneven, we decided to have the cabinets float a few inches off the ground. Love this look!
Now for the fun part. Here's how our closet looks now! Read on for a few tips that I now rely on to keep my things organized. See? With the right closet design and some smart storage solutions, even someone as tragically disorganized as I am can experience closet bliss...
The view from our ensuite into our new walk-in.
We already have some hanging space in our bedroom but still wanted a little extra hanging room in our new closet. James installed these hanging bars himself - a super inexpensive alternative to having them built into the design. Colour coding and wooden hangers make everything look more luxe.
Found this great rattan and glass serving tray at HomeSense and love how it adds warmth to all the cool white lacquer.
My in-laws have a country property filled with deer who shed their antlers . Every time they find an antler, they (my in-laws, not the deer) give it to us. I love how well this tiny one works as a ring holder.
Our steep sloped ceilings meant lots of low cabinetry. I'll use these oversized pull-out drawers to hold my casual pants, jeans and tees.
A disco ball and silver ankle boots. Just because.
I might use some of these open shelves for sweaters later on but for now, my hardworking heels deserve some time in the limelight.
Kate Moss 4-eva. If you have room in your closet for a chic black-and-white pic, it's a dream closet must. I ripped this pic out of an old issue of W Magazine and threw it into an Ikea frame. BTW, the gold sea urchin attacks would-be home invaders from trying to swipe my jewelry. Consider that a warning...
A lucite necklace holder from Umbra is perfect for hanging some of my longer necklaces.
Happy feet.
My favourite Ela clutch.
The corner cabinetry is perfect for holding more shoes, clutches and some pretty boxes.
No dream closet is complete without fresh flowers. Just picked up this round glass vase from Homesense yesterday for $6.99. My kids are so going to smash it despite a gentle lecture last night on staying out of mommy and daddy's closet. Sigh...
Pinterest is amazing but every editor needs some hardcopy inspiration, too...
A narrow top drawer and a divided clear tray is perfect for holding rings and earrings, plus stylist essentials like double-sided tape, lint brushes and jewellery boxes.
I have this thing for glasses. Now it's time to find Fonzie. He thinks he's camouflaged...
Now onto James' side. Yes, he gets half, although you might notice that a few of my things have crept over onto his side, but I only did it to add colour. Or at least this is how I justify it.
James owns fewer shoes, but more shirts. Luckily, this closet easily accomodates both. Again, colour coding is key.
Sweater stacks.
Okay, so I have a lot of belts. Olivia Palermo made me do it.
I'm in love with this guy. He adds a nice masculine touch to the space. I think I'll call him Busta Rhymes.
No more random bags and boxes stuffed with accessories - I used this great Ikea basket to make it easy to see all of our scarves from now on.
A few bamboo trays make the perfect tie holders in a narrow top drawer. A clear acrylic tray keeps his cufflinks and tie clips organized - look in the bathroom section at Homesense or Solutions for some great options.
Black and white books, just because.
Another antler turned watch-holder. Love the way his HBC watch looks against the grain. Um, how Canadian is this?!
A huge thanks to Home Depot for making my dream closet a reality! The best part? My once over-stuffed drawers are now half full - and I'm optimistic I'll be able to keep them that way. Closet reno in your future? Be sure to visit Home Depot before you start. Can't wait to hear what you think of our new closet so please leave your comments below! Okay, time to go back to my walk-in. Think this closet makeover calls for glass of wine. Oooh, or maybe a wine fridge. Hmmm...I'm sure I can make room for that somewhere...
