It's been years since MTV's Cribs aired, but the memory of all those posh pads and marble floors burns eternal in my brain. If your memory has faded, there is always YouTube.
For those who still remember, let me take you back to the episode that showcased Mariah Carey's extravagant NYC penthouse and her freaking amazeballs closet! Jealous much?
(It's totally fine to secretly hate her.)
But Mariah is not the only celebrity with a dream closet. Gorgeous boutique closets such as hers are where the magic lives. It is the place where all of their fantastic and trendy threads reside.
But what about my threads? My clothes define my style. They speak to how I am feeling on the inside. They give me character and become an extension of who I am. They deserve a special place too... at least I think they do.
No my closet is not nearly as big as Mariah Carey's. But it's big enough for now. I told my BFF Sam that this is only the beginning. Each closet in my life going forward will have to rival the previous. I am outta control!
Today I’ll be sharing the general overview of my fab new closet plans and all of the glorious things I have in store. But first up, let’s see a horrific BEFORE picture, mmmkay? (this is more like a CURRENT picture but eventually it will become BEFORE... let me just check my pride at the door because this is SHAMEFUL hunny!)
So, um, I’m not really sure what to say about this picture except… me sorry?
I know it's a complete disaster. A dumping ground, really. A glorified catch-all. I could get about 2 feet in the door before it became hazardous. Not exactly an ideal place to go and transform into fabulousness. I really have no excuse here except that it is what it is. This is just small amounts of laziness built up over several months. (le sigh)
Just so you know... I did clean it up.
But NOW, I have a plan Stan!
THE GRAND PLAN...
1) ADD IN SHELVING. I am not sure whether I will extend them up to the ceiling or not. But I am definitely nixing the idea of a dresser and adding shelving for my folded items. And I plan to hang some floating shelves for my heels... because they deserve their own special section just for them!
2) NO MORE WIRE HANGERS! OK, I was having a Joan Crawford moment. In truth I don't own wire hangers but I do have those plastic tube ones. I am OVER IT DOT COM. The goal is to have all matching wooden hangers. I am a weirdo about bottoms being folded over hangers, so I will need to find and purchase pants/skirt hangers.
3) COLOR BLOCKING, PLEASE. If you are my personal friend, you know this about me. But for those who don't know, I'll let you in on a little secret. I am SUPER anal about organizing. I know you couldn't tell from the way my closet looked, but I really am weird about my closet. Everything has to be hung by category and then by color. It makes my life easier and it looks better, daggone it. I am a visual person and when things are beautiful, I enjoy them more. I also plan to add small colored stripes of nail polish to the place where the metal hook of the hanger meets the wood to indicate seasons. So my organizing will take a new step. First by season, then by clothing type and then by color. I know... it's OCD. I accept and embrace who I am.
4) LET THERE BE LIGHT! I have grand plans to create a wooden bead chandelier. We'll see whether that happens. But I do love them so. Either way, I plan to DIY some kind of ceiling lamp shade to replace the ugly white glass dome thing-a-ma-bob that is up there now. YUCK! And I need to also add lighting on my vanity for my glam sessions.
5) BOUTIQUE CHIC. All items in my closet will be displayed as if they were in a store. If you have a small closet, you can still accomplish this. Simply group items together by type: handbags, belts, clutches, folded shirts, jeans, etc... Pinterest is a treasure trove of closet design ideas to get you started.
6) STEP IT UP! It's uber important for a shorty like me to have a step stool in my closet. Right now it's pretty basic. White with black steps. Someone gave me the idea to bling it out. Not sure about that but the idea sounds fun. Needless to say, you should play it safe and add a stool to your closet as well. There ain't nothing glamorous about limping around a party because you twisted your ankle while trying to bring your knee high boots down from the top shelf.
7) SHAG ME! That sounds so naughty, doesn't it? But if you want to add a little warmth to your walk in closet, a rug will do the trick. I have plans to add a colorful shag rug because my floors are wooden and get quite cold in the winter months. Besides, no matter what the whether, I just love sinking my toes into a soft, plush shag rug. Mmm... that's good!
8) NO SHOES ON THE FLOOR. I have always kept my shoes on the floor. There are a few things I don't like about it. For one, it's a pain to look through my shoes when they are piled up on the floor. Secondly, it's also a pain to keep them nice and neat. And third of all, bending over to look through shoes is not hot. The plan is to make good use of those shelves and keep my shoes at eye level and organized nicely and neatly.
9) HAVE A SEAT. My walk in is large enough to accommodate a vanity and stool. But even if yours doesn't have that type of space, I encourage you to add a small chair or stool or even a folding chair that you can store away. This will be invaluable when you want to put your shoes on.
10) SPLASH THE PAINT. Two of my four closet walls will be painted. I am still undecided on the color but it will be something bright. Paint is one of the least expensive changes you can make to any room in your home. So paint it will be! And I am so excited about it that I can't even stand it.
11) ART GALLERY WALL. Oh yes, I need to have an art gallery wall. I won't have tons of wall space but that won't stop me from adding a few vibrant watercolors. As a creative, it's imperative that I add a little artwork.
12) FRESH FLOWERS. And of course, as a floral designer, I will regularly keep a small vase of fresh flowers on my vanity.
There are things in my closet that I simply refuse to change.
+ As much as I despise popcorn ceilings and want to shank the genius who came up with that idea, it's way too messy to remove it. Not worth the headache. My ceilings weren't getting repainted. So... the popcorn will stay intact. Choose your battles wisely, I say.
+ I am working with the walnut wood flooring as opposed to against it. I really wanted white furniture pieces but opted instead to stick with warm walnut when I received this vanity set for Christmas. YAY for vanities! (she will be getting a leopard print seat cushion cover soon soon soon!)
+ I am not installing a closet system. Don't get me wrong, I love the way they look. But my budget would only allow the cheap-o wire ones and I prefer the look of the custom built wooden ones... so yeah. Not going to settle. Instead, I will add some cool things from IKEA using a few hacks and make it work, chile. A girl's got standards, ya know.
Things worth noting:
+ I'd say that 80% of this job was just cleaning out all of the old stuff that wasn't wanted/needed anymore (which amounted to 2 huge lawn trash bags full). After I had done that I was tempted to stop because it already looked SO much better. But of course, I won't
+ I'm going to be both purchasing items and DIYing things for my glam room. I'll be sure to provide tutorials and resources where applicable.
+ I'm limiting my redesign to about $450-500 bucks TOPS! That might seem like a lot of money but it's NOTHING compared to having a professional closet company come in and do it for you. Pro closets can run upwards of $10K for a walk-in closet! Wha? Until I’m making Beyonce money my closet is not where I’ll be spending $10K. I can handle $500. Besides, that's the equivalent of a few pair of shoes or one or two nice handbags.
Thanks for taking the time out to stop by my little ole blog today! I’m excited to share some of the projects going forward so be sure to check back! If you need me I’ll be hanging out in my closet. (that’s not a joke. It’s soon to be the nicest room in the house.).
xoxo
For those who still remember, let me take you back to the episode that showcased Mariah Carey's extravagant NYC penthouse and her freaking amazeballs closet! Jealous much?
But Mariah is not the only celebrity with a dream closet. Gorgeous boutique closets such as hers are where the magic lives. It is the place where all of their fantastic and trendy threads reside.
But what about my threads? My clothes define my style. They speak to how I am feeling on the inside. They give me character and become an extension of who I am. They deserve a special place too... at least I think they do.
No my closet is not nearly as big as Mariah Carey's. But it's big enough for now. I told my BFF Sam that this is only the beginning. Each closet in my life going forward will have to rival the previous. I am outta control!
Today I’ll be sharing the general overview of my fab new closet plans and all of the glorious things I have in store. But first up, let’s see a horrific BEFORE picture, mmmkay? (this is more like a CURRENT picture but eventually it will become BEFORE... let me just check my pride at the door because this is SHAMEFUL hunny!)
So, um, I’m not really sure what to say about this picture except… me sorry?
I know it's a complete disaster. A dumping ground, really. A glorified catch-all. I could get about 2 feet in the door before it became hazardous. Not exactly an ideal place to go and transform into fabulousness. I really have no excuse here except that it is what it is. This is just small amounts of laziness built up over several months. (le sigh)
Just so you know... I did clean it up.
But NOW, I have a plan Stan!
1) ADD IN SHELVING. I am not sure whether I will extend them up to the ceiling or not. But I am definitely nixing the idea of a dresser and adding shelving for my folded items. And I plan to hang some floating shelves for my heels... because they deserve their own special section just for them!
2) NO MORE WIRE HANGERS! OK, I was having a Joan Crawford moment. In truth I don't own wire hangers but I do have those plastic tube ones. I am OVER IT DOT COM. The goal is to have all matching wooden hangers. I am a weirdo about bottoms being folded over hangers, so I will need to find and purchase pants/skirt hangers.
3) COLOR BLOCKING, PLEASE. If you are my personal friend, you know this about me. But for those who don't know, I'll let you in on a little secret. I am SUPER anal about organizing. I know you couldn't tell from the way my closet looked, but I really am weird about my closet. Everything has to be hung by category and then by color. It makes my life easier and it looks better, daggone it. I am a visual person and when things are beautiful, I enjoy them more. I also plan to add small colored stripes of nail polish to the place where the metal hook of the hanger meets the wood to indicate seasons. So my organizing will take a new step. First by season, then by clothing type and then by color. I know... it's OCD. I accept and embrace who I am.
4) LET THERE BE LIGHT! I have grand plans to create a wooden bead chandelier. We'll see whether that happens. But I do love them so. Either way, I plan to DIY some kind of ceiling lamp shade to replace the ugly white glass dome thing-a-ma-bob that is up there now. YUCK! And I need to also add lighting on my vanity for my glam sessions.
5) BOUTIQUE CHIC. All items in my closet will be displayed as if they were in a store. If you have a small closet, you can still accomplish this. Simply group items together by type: handbags, belts, clutches, folded shirts, jeans, etc... Pinterest is a treasure trove of closet design ideas to get you started.
6) STEP IT UP! It's uber important for a shorty like me to have a step stool in my closet. Right now it's pretty basic. White with black steps. Someone gave me the idea to bling it out. Not sure about that but the idea sounds fun. Needless to say, you should play it safe and add a stool to your closet as well. There ain't nothing glamorous about limping around a party because you twisted your ankle while trying to bring your knee high boots down from the top shelf.
7) SHAG ME! That sounds so naughty, doesn't it? But if you want to add a little warmth to your walk in closet, a rug will do the trick. I have plans to add a colorful shag rug because my floors are wooden and get quite cold in the winter months. Besides, no matter what the whether, I just love sinking my toes into a soft, plush shag rug. Mmm... that's good!
8) NO SHOES ON THE FLOOR. I have always kept my shoes on the floor. There are a few things I don't like about it. For one, it's a pain to look through my shoes when they are piled up on the floor. Secondly, it's also a pain to keep them nice and neat. And third of all, bending over to look through shoes is not hot. The plan is to make good use of those shelves and keep my shoes at eye level and organized nicely and neatly.
9) HAVE A SEAT. My walk in is large enough to accommodate a vanity and stool. But even if yours doesn't have that type of space, I encourage you to add a small chair or stool or even a folding chair that you can store away. This will be invaluable when you want to put your shoes on.
10) SPLASH THE PAINT. Two of my four closet walls will be painted. I am still undecided on the color but it will be something bright. Paint is one of the least expensive changes you can make to any room in your home. So paint it will be! And I am so excited about it that I can't even stand it.
11) ART GALLERY WALL. Oh yes, I need to have an art gallery wall. I won't have tons of wall space but that won't stop me from adding a few vibrant watercolors. As a creative, it's imperative that I add a little artwork.
12) FRESH FLOWERS. And of course, as a floral designer, I will regularly keep a small vase of fresh flowers on my vanity.
There are things in my closet that I simply refuse to change.
+ As much as I despise popcorn ceilings and want to shank the genius who came up with that idea, it's way too messy to remove it. Not worth the headache. My ceilings weren't getting repainted. So... the popcorn will stay intact. Choose your battles wisely, I say.
+ I am working with the walnut wood flooring as opposed to against it. I really wanted white furniture pieces but opted instead to stick with warm walnut when I received this vanity set for Christmas. YAY for vanities! (she will be getting a leopard print seat cushion cover soon soon soon!)
+ I am not installing a closet system. Don't get me wrong, I love the way they look. But my budget would only allow the cheap-o wire ones and I prefer the look of the custom built wooden ones... so yeah. Not going to settle. Instead, I will add some cool things from IKEA using a few hacks and make it work, chile. A girl's got standards, ya know.
Things worth noting:
+ I'd say that 80% of this job was just cleaning out all of the old stuff that wasn't wanted/needed anymore (which amounted to 2 huge lawn trash bags full). After I had done that I was tempted to stop because it already looked SO much better. But of course, I won't
+ I'm going to be both purchasing items and DIYing things for my glam room. I'll be sure to provide tutorials and resources where applicable.
+ I'm limiting my redesign to about $450-500 bucks TOPS! That might seem like a lot of money but it's NOTHING compared to having a professional closet company come in and do it for you. Pro closets can run upwards of $10K for a walk-in closet! Wha? Until I’m making Beyonce money my closet is not where I’ll be spending $10K. I can handle $500. Besides, that's the equivalent of a few pair of shoes or one or two nice handbags.
Thanks for taking the time out to stop by my little ole blog today! I’m excited to share some of the projects going forward so be sure to check back! If you need me I’ll be hanging out in my closet. (that’s not a joke. It’s soon to be the nicest room in the house.).
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment