6 Tips for a Beautifully Organized Closet
“If you want to improve your life immediately, clean out a closet. Often what we hold onto holds us back. ”
Prefer to listen?
For the past few years, I have hosted a closet clean out challenge in the spring. This year, I am putting all the extra time and energy I have into creating my new online course – the Elegant Balance Academy – so instead of hosting a challenge I thought we could chat about closets here.
I'm sure you've seen those dreamy Pinterest closets that seem to have it all – chandeliers, endless racks of designer clothes, and sparkly accents. Pinterest is always showing me lovely pink, gold, and white closets… I guess they know me well! While we may not have the luxury of a walk-in closet the size of a child’s bedroom, we can still take inspiration from these closets and replicate the details that make them so beautiful in our own closets.
In this blog post, I'll be sharing six ways to have a beautifully organized closet. I hope that these tips will help you create a closet that gives you a sense of joy and excitement each time you open it up. You may be wondering what having an organized, beautiful closet has to do with work-life balance. And I get it. It probably does feel a bit tangential to your typical conversations around work-life balance. Yet, at its core, work-life balance is feeling competent and satisfied in the various roles that we are playing. In order to feel competent and satisfied in those roles, we need to have enough time and energy to dedicate to the different responsibilities that come with those roles.
One way to ensure that we have more time and energy is to simplify the process of getting dressed in the morning. When I was growing up, I had a closet bursting full of clothes and it was far from organized. In fact, most of my clothes were on the floor, and I had to make a path from the door to the bed. It sounds so ridiculous now! Needless to say, I had trouble getting dressed each morning because I couldn’t find the clothes I wanted to wear and half the time I’d find it only to discover that it was dirty (hence why it was on the floor). Thank goodness I married my husband, who is extraordinarily tidy and has taught me to be tidy too. When our closets are organized, we can find the items we want to wear without wasting a lot of our precious time and energy trying to find them.
We can also save ourselves some time and energy by ensuring that our closet only holds pieces that make us feel amazing. When we do, it becomes amazingly simple to get dressed in the morning. I love to wear beautiful clothes that make me feel confident. When I feel good in my clothes, I show up as a more confident mother, wife, employee, friend…but that means that I need to have a closet that works for me, that plays to my strengths. I need to have clothes that fit me well, that are easily accessible, and that I can see and remember. In other words, I need a beautifully organized closet!
Finally, organizing our closets allows us to appreciate it as a beautiful space. I love beautiful things and spaces. They make me feel good and help me appreciate the things around me. Being greeted by a well-organized, beautifully thought-out closet every morning helps me start my day on the right foot.
Having an organized and beautiful closet may seem like a small thing, but it can have a big impact on your work-life balance. By simplifying the process of getting dressed, you can save time and energy, and feel confident and competent in the roles you play. Plus, you get the added bonus of appreciating a beautiful space every day.
So let's get started on creating a closet that sparks joy and helps us maintain that elusive work-life balance!
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1. Clear out the Clutter
Let's start with the first step towards creating your perfectly organized closet – clear out the clutter! You may have already done a closet cleanout, but it's important to make sure that your closet only contains pieces that you truly love and wear. If you want a step-by-step guide, check out this post.
If you look at those Pinterest-worthy closets, you'll notice that they have a curated collection of high-end pieces on display. So, take a cue from them and get rid of anything that doesn't fit, doesn't suit you, or simply doesn't spark joy.
And if you're looking for a way to free up some space in your closet, try packing away out-of-season clothes. Not only will it create more space, but it will also make getting dressed in the morning a breeze. Plus, when you unpack your fall and winter clothes, it'll feel like you've got a whole new wardrobe to choose from!
2. Use Matching Hangers
The second tip to make your closet look and feel more organized is to use matching hangers. It doesn't matter if they're not expensive or fancy. What matters is that they match each other. In fact, I just use the old plastic hangers that we already have but reserve all the white ones for myself.
By doing this, everything looks more cohesive and it's easier to find what you need. There are some beautiful velvet hangers or even wooden ones. It doesn’t really matter. The key is to make sure that they all match. With this small change, you'll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes in elevating the look and feel of your closet.
3. Group Similar Items
One of the easiest ways to organize your closet is to group similar items together. This means putting all your tops together, all your pants together, and so on. Not only does this make it easier to find what you’re looking for, but it also creates a sense of order and calm in your closet. You can take it a step further and organize each category by color or style if you like. This will make your closet more aesthetically pleasing, making you that much happier each time you open the door.
4. Use a Shoe Rack
If you’re a shoe lover, then you know how quickly they can take over your closet. A shoe rack is an essential item for any organized closet. It will keep your shoes neatly displayed and easy to access. Plus, it will protect your shoes from getting crushed or damaged by other items in your closet. There are many different types of shoe racks available, from over-the-door options to ones that sit on the floor. Choose the one that works best for your space and the number of shoes you have. Not only will a shoe rack keep your closet organized, but it will also allow you to show off your shoe collection in style!
5. Organize with Beautiful Containers
To make your closet look and feel more organized, consider adding some organizational containers. You don't need to go overboard with this. Just find some bins that match each other and the color scheme of your closet. They can be the same size or from a similar family of bins. The point is to contain like items and make it fun to open up your closet and see everything neatly arranged. You can have a bin for your silk scarves, another for your belts, and so on. This is another easy way to create a beautiful closet like the ones we see on Pinterest.
6. Designate a “Donate” Basket
Another way to keep your closet organized and clutter-free is to use a beautiful bin or basket to hold items that you no longer wear or want to donate. I keep mine in the closet down below and anytime I try on a shirt or dress and realize it's no longer flattering or has holes in it, I toss it into the bin. This system keeps my closet clean and makes it easy to get rid of clothes I don't need anymore.
Plus, it's more aesthetically pleasing to have a designated place for these items rather than a pile of clothes in the corner. So, find a basket or bin that matches your closet's style and keep it handy. Trust me, it'll give your closet that Pinterest-worthy look you're going for.
And that’s it! Six easy tips for a beautifully organized closet. I hope these tips provide some inspiration for you as you start to clean out your closet this spring and that they highlight the fact that you can incorporate many aspects of those “Pinterest-perfect” closets in your own home.
Do you have anything you would add to the list? Head over to Instagram and let me know!
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We spend a great deal of time at work. Like Annie Dillard once said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” I encourage you to look around your office and see what steps you can take to add simple luxuries to your workday because in the grand scheme of things, they will add up and lead to a luxurious life!