Turning a SPARE bedroom into a closet. I feel so luxurious even saying that! After having a family of five for so many years, having a spare anything is definitely a luxury. When we moved into the new house back in February, I knew the closet situation wasn't going to work and that I'd have to create a walk-in using the spare bedroom. This is an older house (built in 1982) with reach-in closets. That's a major issue for me. And if we still had kids at home, that would've been a dealbreaker. But being an empty nester, provided me with the benefit of having an extra room.
This is what it looked like for a long time. I pulled out clothes that I felt I would wear often and hung those in the bedroom closet and left this disaster like this. It got really depressing look at this and not being about to get to my clothes like I wanted to. I knew I had to dig in and make something happen.
I spent hours upon hours of searching Pinterest, Google and Instagram for bedroom-to-closet conversion ideas. And I'm pretty sure I've seen every single Closet Tour on YouTube. There were so many! I started at the top with what I would love. The show "Million Dollar Closets" was a favorite. I looked at so many closets that I thought were so glamorous and luxurious, but they just didn't make sense for my needs. Lots and lots of drawers and double rod (top and bottom combination) hanging areas. And islands with even more drawers.
I really needed simple, but with a lot of space. We have dressers in our bedroom, so drawer space wasn't something that I needed. And also, I don't fold that many of my clothes. I like things hanging. Plus, this closet is on the opposite end of the house from our master bedroom. I'm not jumping out of the shower, running across the house for bras and panties! So intimates, sleepwear and workout clothes are kept in my bedroom.
The most important aspect of designing and building your closet room is to measure your space very carefully. Next, you have to decide which items and how you will store them.
I did A LOT of purging. I got rid of things I knew I would never wear again. I love the look of closet rooms where there is an entire wall devoted to shoes.
But I have more hanging clothes and only 121 sq ft of space, so the clothes needed to take priority, and the shoes would have to go low.
Being consistent with hangers is always a key touch. I plan to complete the entire closet in white wooden hangers gradually over time. But for now, the majority of the closet is done in white plastic tubular hangers. But most importantly, they're all white.
My main goal was to create a system that was affordable, attainable, pretty and most importantly -- functional and organized. I went with a wire system where I could buy customizable parts and pieces to suit my particular needs. I found the Closetmaid system does an amazing job, just as a high-end one would -- but without the high price tag and custom contractor installation cost.
For all intents and purposes, I can sit back and declare this closet is done. It took about a month off and on of working in it and adding odds and ends
A lot of people put scarves and belts in drawers, baskets or cubbies. But I wanted to see mine. I can't wear what I don't see!
I used pool noodles to stuff my boots.
Added a skirted ottoman for sitting. An ottoman makes the room a true living space and not just somewhere to store your clothes. It can be as small as even a pouf. This ottoman was a fantastic thrifted find. I constantly brag on my favorite Salvation Army store. It has furniture that would rival any high end consignment furniture store. And when they have a 25% off sale, every item flies out of the door. I got this piece for only a mere $15!
Even though I have a window that gives plenty of natural light, I wanted to add a nice fixture... just to say that this is a woman's space. Plus, even a small flush-mounted chandelier like this one gives my budget room a high-end look.
There's carpet on the floor, but I wanted to add a rug. I was inspired by Pink Peonies leopard print carpet. I found this great 5x7 rug from Overstock.com that I felt complimented the room.
The closet in the room holds all of my coats.
Michael brought home heavy things that I simply couldn't pick up and get them from the garage to upstairs. And he also showed me how to install toggle bolts. But I did all of this on my own, including the light fixture. As a woman, I'm pretty proud of myself for taking on the project and completing it myself!
