I know this is a somewhat weird time to reveal my walk-in closet, so I wanted to acknowledge it before I write the post. I’ve been meaning to share a full walk-thru of my closet and how I organize it for a full year, but time has passed by before me, and it is still one of my most requested blog posts, so I figured while I am at home and freakishly organizing, it would be a good time to finally shoot photos of it and share. When we moved in to our home, my closet was teeny tiny. Our home was built in 1954, and back then the closets were laughable, and I made it work for a year. When we renovated, we knew that we each wanted separate closets, and since this is our forever home, and I use my closet to film videos for work, I really wanted to meticulously plan it all out. My aunt and uncle were our contractors during the renovation, and they personally recommended Bob Zollino from All Custom Closets in Long Island. Because I am sure some of you will wonder, this was not gifted or anything like that, but I wanted to put his information here since his business is super old school (I don’t even think he has a website) but they did an incredible job every step of the way in listening to what I wanted, and making my closet dreams come true.
In the planning process, the very first thing I knew I wanted was for the shoe wall to have the light shining onto it, so there was great lighting. This may seem silly, but lighting is EVERYTHING, and it is often overlooked. I also wanted to make sure I had a good amount of hanging space. but also leave some space for bag shelving to be glassed in. I hate when things get super dusty, and having glass over the doors is a game changer. I loved that Bob suggested we add a little seat underneath my window. I still need to get a cushion on it, but I honestly use it as a step-up to workout (LOL) so I’ve slacked on it. I want to break down the space and explain all of my choices in case you’re planning your own closet.
I originally envisioned this space as just flat shoe shelving from floor to ceiling, but Bob suggested we make use of the little bit of extra wall space on the left-hand side, and create a wrap around shoe wall. It really has added a ton of extra space for shoes that would have just been dead space. I opted to include space for 90 shoes, and the shelves all move up and down with an easy system. I realize I am a shoe hoarder, and the sad part is that I do have a 1 in 1 out policy. As a blogger, working with brands so often, I am gifted a ton of shoes each season, and I do giveaway and sell a lot of them. I feel really lucky. Shoes are my true weakness, and as crazy as it sounds, I do really wear them all.
In planning storage for my bags, I knew I wanted a full glassed in area for more high-end bags, and then a regular shelved area for my costume bags. I am glad I opted to put glass doors on each spot, because my bags never get dusty, and can live outside of their dust bags. I struggle with keeping these spaces organized, for full disclosure!
Even though I wanted my closet to be completely aesthetic, I also wanted it to be very functional. Bob was a bit concerned that I didn’t have enough hanging space, and sometimes during winter when my coats are in my closet (we do not have a coat closet) it can feel a bit tight as far as hanging goes, but I am very happy that I skimped on hanging space to opt for more spaces in other areas. I have all of my bulkier sweaters folded, which is the proper way to store sweaters. I also have an area for long-hanging, and then two areas for medium-hanging which I use for tops and for dresses. Right before I had Charlie, I went thru and changed all of my hangers over to these velvet ones, so that they all match and maximize storage. That was a huge game changer.
Can you tell I am type-A? HAHA! I am really big into organization, and Bob created these little cubbies for me to store some smaller goods. I am so glad that he did, because I use them for sunglasses, eyeglasses, headbands, scrunchies and in the winter I will store beanies and scarves there. I ordered the eyeglass storage here, and I love it for storing my glasses. I use this to store my headbands, and it keeps them stored in a way that I can see them all. I store all of my earrings in this cute piece. I also love to keep all of my perfume out on a tray that I picked up at IKEA, it just elevated the look of them.
This floor to ceiling mirror opens up, and inside I store all of my jeans, and seasonal pieces. Theres also a big drawer under the bench that I use to store swimsuits, and some extra shoe storage that I keep my weights and work supplies under. It’s the least cute corner of my closet!
I hope you enjoyed this tour, and check my stories for a full video tour!