home tour/OFFICE IN A CLOSET

Blurry cell phone pictures, right? Moving on. We have this really large hall closet in our house, and I had been wanting to make it more functional. I had even daydreamed about turning it into a little office-in-a-closet for myself. It was stacked to the ceiling with boxes of storage and old stuff that I hadn't even looked at since we moved. So I spent one whole weekend working on it, making giveaway piles and trash piles, and everything that didn't need to stay inside went out to our little outdoor closet. You can read a little more about that here.

In my daydreams, I'd stick a little desk in the little nook to the left, maybe a built-in since it would have to be super small. Or I'd do one along the back wall, using two little cubbies and a slab of wood (more here). I flip-flopped between the two ideas, and finally decided that it just wasn't the perfect spot for me to use as an office. For one, the only light turns off when the door closes and there's no natural light. For two, there are no outlets. And for three, after a desk was constructed, almost nothing else would fit, and storage would be lost. So I decided to make it a sort of storage paradise. 

I had Conrad take down the shelf and bar along the back wall so I could build a shelving unit. We have one in the closet in Henny's room and it's amazing how efficient the space becomes. One of my goals with this closet was to move all my crafting stuff in here so I could access it when Henny naps. I hate starting a project, finally getting some momentum, and having to stop in the middle because something I need is in the same room as the sleeping baby. So I assembled the shelves (these are our favorite - sturdy, lightweight, easy to assemble, and we can take them with us when we move, unlike a built-in) and started moving my stuff in from Henny's room. 

It was so fun (I'm a total geek when it comes to organization) because everything had it's own perfect spot. I moved stuff into Henny's closet that I knew I'd likely never need to access when he's sleeping, like the car stuff and the big tool box. I kept my little pink tool kit though. You never know what projects you'll need a hammer and nails for. 

With the shelves pushed up against the left wall, there was just enough room to cram our beach chairs. On the other side, there was a little extra floor space, so I moved my wrapping paper over there. That big Nordstrom bag is full of more bags for presents, and that big black box next to it is full of bows. I guess that became my wrapping station! I hammered one little nail into the wall and hung my wreath frames for easy access (wreath projects one and two) More stuff I kept in this closet: a box of Henry's clothes that he's grown out of or will grow into - I do the switches during naptime, water bottles and paper towels/toilet paper, five or six leftover cans of paint from various projects (one two three)

On the wall to the right when you first open the closet, I kept the upper shelf and bar, because it serves as a perfect spot to hang my dresses and skirts (which don't currently fit in my closet). Our vacuum is right in front so I can pull it out easily, and the big white plastic table is against the wall behind everything. 

Up top is a costume box and some sleeping bags. When we were little, my mom had this big costume box in the top of her closet. We'd ask her if we could play dress up, and she'd reach up where we couldn't, pull down the big box, and let us play. There were wigs and dresses and safari hats and green witch fingers and chunky costume jewelry, and we'd wear it all at once. I have such fun memories of "The Costume Box" that I started one after our first Halloween together over four years ago, waaay before we even had kids.

I love this new system for organization. Everything is way more streamlined and easy to get to, especially since it's not in Henny's room anymore. Go organization!