Tuesday, May 9, 2017

41 Before & After: Organized Girl's Bedroom Closet

Just over a year ago, my girlfriend and I began discussing her daughter's closet situation and came up with some plans for putting in a true storage system. Her little lady was going to transition from a nursery to a big girl bedroom and her closet had become a bit of a catch-all in the process. Being a mom of three boys, it is rare that I have the opportunity to work on a girl space in any form, and I was really excited about the opportunity to put something fun together for her daughter.


Although we had a general idea and plan for the closet, the project stalled and life happened. But as we began coming up with plans for our son's closet, we decided to revisit this closet as well. I pulled up the initial design and checked in with my friend and her daughter to see if any of their needs had changed. We decided to stick with many of the original plans, making only a few small tweaks. The girl's bedroom also has a nearby dresser to hold pajamas, undergarments, pants, shorts, etc... so this closet was going to be used specifically for any hanging items, accessories, memorabilia, clothes she has yet to grow into, shoes and bedroom linens.

Here is the closet before (which wasn't necessarily a true before since it was holding hand-me-downs and items prepping for a thrift sale during the room transition. But it does show the general layout with the existing shelving and closet rod).


I have always advised against settling for a standard and generic closet setup. Most homes are installed with closets about as basic as can be because storage is so personal and closets should be customized to people and their living arrangements. A single shelf and a rail will never fully maximize the height and potential of any closet. Add a dresser, or bookshelves, or a tower and multiple hanging rods. I always encourage folks to get creative and look at how every inch is being utilized. I also always recommend starting out with a blank slate.


In this case, everything was removed and sorted and the walls were given a fresh coat of pretty pink paint. The doors and trim will be white eventually, so the inside of the closet was also trimmed out now to make things easier down the road.

I really love to combine drawers and hanging space in any closet installation. Keeping the drawers down the middle of the opening allows them to open and be accessed without any problems, while adding shelves and rods on either side creates some division for categories. Also, two rows of hanging rods are always better than one.


I decided that it would be really great to show one closet two ways. We had always planned on doing a ClosetMaid closet in this space from the start, so while designing out son's new closet, I went ahead and put together something similar for my friend. Same amazing system; one designed for a young boy and another put together for a little girl. So. Much. Fun!!

Although ClosetMaid offers an assortment of closet components and systems at a variety of price points, my current favorites come from their SpaceCreations line. The quality is amazing, I can't rave enough about the hardware and soft-close drawers, I swoon over the fact that it comes with decorative trim, and the entire concept is flexible and customizable. It is simple enough to install on our own, and if needs change down the road it is also easy enough to remove a shelf and rod to create long hanging storage or to add a rod in the tower and remove shelves or to swap out the drawer sizes. This is a huge win when installing systems in a space for growing kiddos. Above you can see I was able to use the closet design tool to input the specific closet dimensions and customize our desired setup. I was able to select from towers that range in width from 18" to 30" and the side shelves and rails can easily be cut to size. There are also two drawer sizes to select from and I prefer to utilize a couple of both.


Bryan and I assembled and installed the closet onsite over the course of a weekend day. The tools needed to complete the project were a cordless drill, level, wall anchors, pipe cutter (for the rods) and a saw (for the shelves and trim). We had some wallpaper remnants that I wanted to sprinkle throughout the closet for that extra special touch. In our son's closet, we wallpapered the walls and left the system all white. For this closet, the walls were painted and I added the decorative paper to the tower backing. Both options worked out really well in giving the closets some character and joining them to the adjoining bedrooms.

We began the project by assembling and installing the center tower, then cut the side shelves and rails to size. The image above doesn't have any of the decorative molding attached yet, but below you can see the difference it really makes!


The homeowners still haven't decided on a final plan for the door; they may keep the existing door and paint it or swap it someday for a French door style. I still wanted to give them some versatile storage on the door without spending a lot on something that might not work a few years from now. I found a ClosetMaid organizer on Amazon that covered the entire height of the door, had a variety of baskets in two sizes that could be adjusted as needed, and it was under $40. Oh! And it will work on any of their other interior doors down the road if this one changes.


You know me though, I can't leave well enough alone. I generally prefer to add a liner to any wire basket or shelf to ensure nothing falls through or sits crooked. My favorite solution for doing this is to find foam board from a dollar store and cut it to size. I then wrap it with shelf liner or pretty paper and tuck it in the baskets or on the shelves.


Again, details really do make a difference and go a long way with these types of projects.


My girlfriend had the homework of sorting and purging and leaving me with everything that she wanted to go back into the closet.


Ready to see how it all came together?


This little girl absolutely loves to dance and twirl and dress up and try on socks and shoes and play with her princess dolls and stuffed animals, yet she equally loves to keep up with her big brother and play outside and get messy with arts and crafts. I really wanted her closet to reflect all of those things and to fill her with excitement and joy every time she opens the door.


There were quite a few things that I did very similarly to our son's closet because they worked out so well for us. First, slim hangers! Always! They save space and they glide like butter on the shiny steel closet rods.


Secondly, sock organizers! I love these not just for socks, but for organizing anything small in these types of drawers. This little girl looooves bright and playful socks and will wear a couple of different pairs per day, so we decided to add a specific drawer to highlight those for her. But this drawer can also hold tights, hair accessories, scarves, etc...


Another item that I duplicated in each closet were the tall, adjustable acrylic drawer organizers. These organizers are designed to fit the ClosetMaid drawers specifically, and they worked great in our son's closet to hold his rolled shorts. In this closet we opted to use them for darling little lady shoes!


Something that doesn't cost a thing but also worked for both setups, is folding clothes so they stand and file. This method makes it much easier to open a drawer and find just what you are looking for, and it is also quite easy to put things away (vs. stacking in piles).


We added something a little different to the final drawer in the form of a tiered jewelry organizer! I had the hardest time photographing all of the wonderful interior dividers and earring/ring grooves, but it will be really great as she grows older and moves from costume jewelry to acquiring special pieces.


Something that may seem obvious, yet I see closets without all of the time, is adding shelves above each clothing rod. It offers a place to add some boxes, bins or baskets, or line up some extra accessories or shoes. We made sure that there would be plenty of space for changes in clothing length, and the bins can easily move to other shelves or areas of the closet as needed.


 A stack of labeled boxes holds completed art projects and special mementos.


And on the opposite shelf I added a basket dedicated to all of her dance class attire.


I found some coordinating decorative boxes from HomeGoods that ended up working well for holding clothing that is out of rotation.


A small stool tucks below the hanging items so that her daughter can easily reach anything on the shelves and rods. And the drawer pulls can double as a place to hang her adorable little outfit for the day.


My sweet tooth is hurting.


The door organizer doubles as storage for accessories like sunglasses, headbands, clutches, hair clips and dress shoes. Some of her favorite books and toys are sprinkled throughout as well.




I always love organizing and a good before and after project, but this project was especially near and dear to my heart for a few reasons. It was really wonderful to work on a project outside of our home, not only making a little girl's bedroom more functional but also knowing how excited she will be when she looks inside of her closet every day. Secondly, I love everything about having boys but I am a girly girl and really enjoyed the opportunity to organize with flowers and pink. Lastly, everything added here should be really easy for this little girl to maintain. There was plenty of extra room on the very top shelf for bulky bedding and linens and another shelf for favorite quilts and blankets. When my girlfriend spots clothing on clearance or at a thrift sale, she can purchase clothing up a size or two and tuck it away until her daughter grows taller. Everything is easy for everyone to see and access with a great mix of open and concealed storage. The door organizer is affixed to the door so it doesn't shift at all when opening and closing, and the small stool gives her daughter some height to reach her favorite things. A little pretty paper and gold hardware thrown in and you have the recipe for a closet that will grow right along with a very sweet and special young lady.




PRODUCT SOURCES:




A huge Thank You to ClosetMaid for partnering with me on this post and to my very dear friends for allowing me to makeover a space in their home.

41 comments:

  1. Looove everything about it! And that wallpaper, oh my!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A few years ago I set up my youngest son's closet a similar way and I can say from experience that it works like a charm. He is now 16 and it is still every bit as practical and user friendly now that he is older. I adore all of the cute feminine accents and the jewelry drawer, oh my! Lucky young lady!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is such a huge improvement! Without trying to sound too snarky though, that is a pretty full collection of clothing for a child that age who will not be able to wear most of it for more than a few months or so...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It might be that she received a lot of hand me downs, I know I have!!

      Delete
    2. I have received a few opposing remarks to this initial comment that I have opted not to publish to avoid name calling and defensiveness. However, lets all please agree that we each have a personal choice in regards to what we own and how much. This closet is designed for a 4 year old who is able to get a lot of wear from her clothing, and fashion is something her and her mom bond over and enjoy. ☺ Thanks everyone for chiming in a remaining considerate of others.

      Delete
  4. Amazing!! Love everything!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is a new discovery - I will have to research ClosetMaid because of this! I have plans to turn an extra bedroom closet into better storage, and now I have a whole new resource to look into! This is a beautiful closet; I especially like the idea of lining the wire bins with foamcore wrapped in wall paper. So very pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOVE!! Great job, and lucky friend!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I redid my son's closet using Closetmaid from HD a couple of years ago. I had no idea about the space creations line. Will definitely keep it in mind when I move on to the master closet. Where did you find the gold "twirl" label holder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooh! Yes, this would be great for a master closet, so many lovely features! The label holder is from a home salvage store. I have a habit of collecting old label holders whenever I spot them because they always come in handy down the road. :D You can also find similar options on Etsy.

      Delete
  8. This is so awesome! These steps towards organizing will make such a difference as she gets older!
    I shared a closet re-design today, too! Check it out here: http://www.charlestoncrafted.com/2017/05/10/orc-reveal-fully-diy-remodeled-walk-master-closet/

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are amazing! Love how functional and beautiful this closet turned out! Any idea the source for the darling wallpaper??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! The wallpaper was originally from Anthropologie: http://bit.ly/2q3ymGV

      Delete
  10. I am addicted ot organizing, maybe just like you, but I have a few problems with my wardrobe. Oh Jen, I need you in my life haha.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness I need to do this in my daughter's bedroom! Love it!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. LOVE!!!! I have a gallon of pink paint and Elfa shelving purchased but haven't gotten around to doing my daughters closet yet. I can't wait. Thank you especially for the tip about the step stool!

    ReplyDelete
  13. So cute! What a lucky little girl.

    Love all the details, Jen.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Super nice!How I wish the closet is mine :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Where can I find that paper? ������

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello,

      The wallpaper was originally from Anthropologie: http://bit.ly/2q7kzxl

      Delete
  16. I have same question, where can i find that papers? :D

    ReplyDelete
  17. Another great project!!!! Droooling and dreaming of a closet like that!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good job !
    it's a real inspiration. Thank you !

    ReplyDelete
  19. It looks so pretty, I am very envious of your closets as they don't really feature in British houses and a basic wardrobe is hard to adapt. I also have a complete lack of little people too but I will certainly take several hints from this when it comes to organising some of my spaces :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I contacted Closet maid for a closet design after you posted about your son's closet. They were SO helpful and easy to work with! Sadly I didn't end up using their design because I have crawl space access they couldn't work around, but they were so great to work with that I have recommended them to many friends.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing this! I agree that they have been incredibly wonderful to work with and I love hearing that you had a similar experience. I am sorry to hear your closet didn't work out, I hope you were able to find a solution for that crawl space. 💗

      Delete
  21. Wow, this is gorgeous! Love how you updated the closet! I have a more old fashioned organization system in my closet but definitely want to looking into an upgrade like this!

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is wonderful! I really need to reorganize my two girls' walk in closet. This gives me so many good ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Question about using the design tool on Closet Maid’s website. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it to put a tower in the middle of the closet like this! Any suggestions? I would really like to see how this might work for my son’s closet.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I figured out my problem. I needed to put in “no door” for door type.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you were able to get it figured out, I was just about to pull up the site to play around with it. Let me know if you have any other questions! ♥

      Delete
  25. hello!
    This is lovely, gives me lots of inspiration for my 2 girls. Just wondering where that little step stool is from, and also where the gold handles were sourced? Are they Closet Maid or elsewhere? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The step stool is from IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40273593/ and Closetmaid does have a variety of hardware options, but we had the gold pulls already and they are from Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wiQPiq

      Delete
    2. Thanks so much!!
      I could sit here ogling over your site all day!!

      Delete
    3. Thanks for this info -- also just wondering if the Closet maid wall & door rack you used was 12 or 18 inches. It looks perfect for my girls bedrooms, especially as we are living in the USA at the moment, but I will be able to remove it and take it back to Australia when we move back home! Thanks!

      Delete
    4. The rack is the 18" version, and yes, it is great that it can be easily moved. :)

      Delete
  26. This is absolutely beautiful! Working on creating something similar for my son's closet and the closet in our nursery before baby arrives!! Do you remember if this was the Classic or Premium from the ClosetMaid Space Creations line? Trying to figure out which one to get. Thanks so much in advance! - Gena :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gena! I am so sorry that you comment was originally filtered to my spam folder and I am now just seeing it.

      The Space Creations closet was the Classic White option. Best wishes to you and your new baby!!

      Jen

      Delete
  27. No problem at all...thanks so much, and thanks for the congrats! Take care - Gena :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking a moment to join in on the conversation! I read and appreciate each and every comment, however, I will remove any comment that I believe to be inappropriate, malicious, or spam-like. I would love for this comment section to be used as a place to engage in purposeful dialogue, I only ask that everyone remains constructive and considerate.

All comments will be moderated and may take a moment to appear.