It’s been three months since I completed Emmy’s closet makeover and we still love it! We started with a dull, cramped closet but made it into a space we love. This space had been on my to do list since we moved in four years and but it wasn’t a priority. One day during a virtual therapy appointment, my doctor encouraged me to just start. Start whatever it is I am putting off. So once the appointment was over, I started demo! Here’s how it went…
The before
We started with a a large wrap around shelf with a single rod across the top. The previous owner had installed several hooks to add a little extra storage as well. Once I cleaned it all out, I pulled the hooks out and starting swinging. This part was a mess but so rewarding. Everyone should have a wall to beat when they need to work through something!
Somewhere between demoing the closet, patching, and painting, I made a mood board using Canva. I have seen so many designers suggest this and I get it now. It made it a lot easier to visualize what would go and helped me shop. Let me know if you would like a tutorial on how to make one!
Once everything was knocked down, I did need to patch and repair a few spots on the wall. Thankfully it didn’t need to be perfect so I patched the holes using spackling. Once it was dried, I rough sanded the walls down and started painting. I am not a perfectionist but thankfully this spot didn’t need perfection. The entire closet was yellow and purple so I painted it all white. It made a HUGE difference! Next came wallpaper. I used this peel and stick wallpaper for the back wall. It is tricky to do ok your own but I managed. If you want the patterns to match up perfectly I might go with something else.
Closet Build
Now that the walls were painted and wallpapered, it was time to build the shelves and install the clothing rods. I had an idea in my mind about what I wanted for the closet and found this post from In Honor of Design and knew it was the right layout. We decided to do a side of shelves and another side with two clothing rods. This would maximize the little closet.
My hubby helped with this portion. Let’s just say it was a long morning at Lowe’s trying to figure out what kind of lumber we needed! We have a portable saw at home so we decided to cut everything at home. I wish I had better instructions on how to do this but we measured several times and bought extra. Here’s a YouTube video on how we did the shelves. We rented a nail gun from Home Depot and I highly recommend doing so. Not only did it make everything so easy, it was really fun to use. I have no pictures of the build because I was too excited and started putting everything away the second I could!
The Final Look
Ahhh I love it so much! These shelves replaced a dresser from Emmy’s closet and we relocated the ikea cube out of the closet. We keep small wardrobes so all Emmy’s clothes fit in her closet. The baskets are from Target or Goodwill. The white rope baskets are perfect for her pjs and bottoms. I replaced her laundry basket with this one from Target. Most everything else was thrifted or we already owned it.
On the opposite side of the shelves, we hung to clothing rods for Emmy’s clothes. I love that she can pick out her own clothes and practice hanging up her clothes on her own. I love using matching hangers and highly recommend basic plastic ones. They are inexpensive and easy to match if you need more. On the new shelf up top, we store puzzles, games, and clothes that no longer fit.
That’s all! I hope you consider tackling your closet next, it’s a rewarding project! Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
