master closet, master builder

We remodeled our master closet this winter to try and maximize space.  I had plastic bins full of out of season clothes stacked on the floor and the hanging shelf wasn't tall enough to fit Greg's shirts.

The plastic bins were from my college days when the dorm closets were WAY too tiny to fit all my clothes. It served its purpose then, but it was time to figure out something else.  I always admire the wardrobes at IKEA because of the organizational aspects, but thought they were too expensive to be hidden in a closet.  This is when Greg decided he would build me something based on IKEA measurements.

I drew out a sketch of where I wanted shelves, drawers and bins, then Greg got to work. We decided we would use the drawers IKEA provided because it would be too much of a hassle to build.  Off we went to get our measurements. While there, we noticed this awesome organizer was a Last Chance item. That meant they were discontinuing it and it was $10 down from $50.

This one fits in the 29" width wardrobe, we went with the larger one that is 40" wide

We immediately ran downstairs to the self pick-up to grab what was left.  No luck :(

Feeling very disappointed, we went back upstairs to take our measurements for the drawers. We happened to ask a very nice sales person if he could double check on the computer to see if any were in stock and misplaced. No matches.  I was just about to get over it, until he handed Greg a power driver and said you are more than welcome to take the floor models! YIPPEE!

We ran around the wardrobes trying to find as many organizers as we could.  We found 3, none were damaged, so we took them all.  The story gets better... the sales person called his manager over to get a price tag on them so they would scan at the checkout.  Since they were the floor model, they gave us 50% off! 

Yes, that means we got 3 felt organizers for $5 each.  I was so excited to get them home, we almost forgot to measure what we came for.  We went back downstairs, loaded the Komplement drawers on the cart and headed home to start constructing.  

This is what we ended up with:

We removed the closet door to make it feel bigger.
I plan on adding a curtain door in the near future.

I could barely get the entire wardrobe in the picture. We built it to the ceiling to maximize space. The one thing we didn't account for was how we were going to stand it up once it was built.  Oops! This meant we had to put it together, paint it and sand it in the closet.  What a nightmare!  

We covered our clothes in plastic while we sanded

All the trouble was well worth it. There are four shelves. The first one on the top doesn't currently have much on it.  I need a step stool to reach anything so right now it has a few of Greg's out of season clothes. The next one down has jeans that currently don't fit (my weight constantly fluctuates so I can't part with them), capris and yard work clothes. The next one down holds my bulky sweaters and hoodies. The last shelf holds lightweight sweaters and cardigans.  I will probably change things up for easy access depending on the season.  I also want to mention that all of these items are placed towards the front of the wardrobe. We built it deep enough that it could hold more clothes behind the first row.

After the shelves come the awesome organizers which I use for jewelry! The first one holds earrings, bracelets and watches, the next one holds gold and silver necklaces and the last one holds my colored necklaces. It is so easy to accessorize every morning now that everything is in sight!

Next are the two white Komplement drawers.  Looking at the picture, they don't seem very tall, but they are deep!  The first drawer holds all my tank tops and the second one is for my exercise clothes.

Finally are these boxes on the bottom.  The left one currently holds shorts and the right one holds flip flops and some flats. Like I said, things will probably be switched up in the warmer months for easier access.  

We also attached a few other organizers to the wardrobe for belts, pants and ties.  

slides in and out for easy, hidden access

Each bar can swivel as shown here

I originally was going to share our awesome laundry sorter since I'm in the midst of doing 4 loads of laundry.   But my awesome wardrobe (built by my amazing hubby) distracted me! I will be back tomorrow to talk about this... 

xo, Erin