Our Walk-In Closet Organization

This Fall, I shared a few InstaStories of what I like to call The Great Closet Overhaul of 2018. Basically, David had taken everything out of his side of the closet, and thrown it onto the bedroom floor while he did a major clothing purge. You know when you’re cleaning something big, and it almost always gets worse before it gets better? I received A TON of messages with requests to do a closet tour, and to share how we organized everything. I am so excited to finally be sharing our closet organization post with you!

Through our master bedroom, the bathroom leads into our walk-in closet. It is a big space, but with high ceilings and deep shelves, it is very easy to get cluttered. When we did our closet overhaul, it was important for us to maximize usable space, while de-cluttering.

You can also watch a video about our closet organization on IGTV here!

The Supplies

Ok, so first, if you’re like David, you need graph paper and a tape measure. David spent about a full day measuring and looking at container measurements, and graphing out his design. If you’re like me, you’ll roughly piggyback off his measurements, order the containers/bins, and hope for the best.

You can shop the bins and containers we used below:

Shoes

David chose to make the most of a big area of space (which was otherwise wasted space) by filling it with shoe bins. These fabric bins open from the front, and fit his shoes nicely. The clear front allows him to see inside each. He has each pair of shoes filled with cedar shoe trees.

I have my favorite/current season shoes on my center shelf in my closet. This helps me pick shoes for dinners and events without having to dig. I have the bottom space of my other clothing shelves lined with shoes, too. (I have a lot, okay?) In addition to that, shoes I don’t wear often, but can’t let go of (like my wedding shoes) are stored in my overhead space, in the same shoe bins David uses.

I have a taller section of closet space for boots. If you’re like me, you can’t stand the way boots look when they’re toppled over each other and leaning. This also results in creases in the ankles. Gives me anxiety thinking about my new favorite boots having ankle creases! I have tried A LOT of boot stands. While these foldable ones are much easier to use and do the job (a cool part about these is they are customizable, meaning you can cut them to fit ankle boots). However, I prefer the plastic ones with springs. They don’t stretch my boots out, but they maintain the shape and aren’t flimsy. They do have hooks, so if you wanted to hang them, to free up floorspace, you could do that! These may seem pricey, but for me, it’s worth it!

Hanging Space

We have quite a bit of space for hanging clothes. I have a longer section for dresses, and most fit length-wise, with the exception of a few maxi dresses, that I rest on the shelf below it (just to make the space look neater). For the most part, I have my clothing organized by color. It makes it easier when getting dressed for an event.

In the back, my closet is divided into two hanging spaces. The top space is all of my tops and blouses. I love using these velvet hangers because a) they don’t shed on clothes like other velvet ones do, b) they are non-slip, so strappy tanks and blouses don’t slide off, and c) they’re extremely thin, so you can pack a bunch into the space, and it looks neat!

My bottom hanging space starts with skirts, and moves to cardigans and “fashion” jackets. Actual coats and winter jackets are hung in the mudroom closet.

My favorite addition was 100% Dave’s idea, so he gets full credit! This expandable rod mounts to the closet, and you can’t see it at all when it’s there, but you can expand it, and hang clothes on it! When I am getting ready for an event or dinner, I am guilty of hanging multiple dresses on the drawers and cabinets. Not only is that bad for the cabinets and hardware, it also makes opening other drawers a pain. This rod has been such a game-changer. It’s also awesome if I need to steam something before wearing it!

Dave has all of his suits and sport jackets hanging in the space above his shoes (parallel to my dress space), and his dress shirts are hung in the top back space.

Drawers and Storage

In our drawers, we have these expandable dividers! They help keep everything neatly folded and separated. I keep atheltic gear, pajamas, underwear, and sweaters I don’t want to hang (so they don’t lose their shape) in my drawers along the back. Under my shoe space, I have jeans, then tanks and basic tees, and then swimsuits in the very bottom.

I use this divider in my underwear drawer, and while it’s a little OCD, I absolutely love it.

In our overhead space, we store off-season items in large boxes. Right now, mine are full of sun dresses, casual rompers, cover-ups, and shorts. Once it warms up, I will swap out the majority of my sweaters and my joggers/cozy pjs. David also uses these boxes for storing his off-season clothing. They’re technically for purses, but he likes that they are slanted, so he can see what’s inside easily!

Accessory Storage

My purses are in shelves above my shoes. I keep their dustbags inside each, to help maintain shape. I keep my clutches in an acrylic display case. I did this about a year ago, and LOVE it. I have them sorted by color. On top of the case, there is enough space for sunglasses and small accessories.

The sunglasses I wear most often are on the big, open shelf in the back. I found an acrylic display stand that I loved – however, it arrived with a giant plastic sticker on it that took about a week and 2 broken nails to get off, and it also arrived with two stands that are the exact same height, as opposed to being tiered. I do like the look of it, but keep that in mind if you order it! It also does not protect them from dust, so I do have to clean them before wearing. Dave keeps his in a leather storage box, which does keep them dust-free, but then he can’t easily see them, and they aren’t readily available. If anyone has the perfect sunglasses solution (like a happy medium between what David and I use, pleaaaase link me in the comments!)

For jewelry, I have a basic jewelry box, but I keep the pieces I wear most often in a trinket dish, and hang my favorite necklaces on a necklace stand.

I keep my hats in these hat boxes. They keep their shape, and also don’t get dusty!

Behind my dresses, I have a basket full of scarves, and in his space in the same area, Dave uses a divided organizer for his ties and belts.

You can shop everything else from the post here: