This happens to me all the time. I spend hours searching the stores and online, can't find that perfect answer to my problem, find a compromise, get the project finished and then find the solution I had been looking for in the first place. Well, don't you know Ikea, those Swedish design geniuses and makers of fine meatballs, actually make a storage system that can be used with sloping ceilings like my closet. Check out the Broder line. It's a bit heavy duty, designed more for attic than master closet, but it would have made life a little easier. And it's pretty reasonably priced, too.

Frustrating as it is to have come across that solution now, the closet is working out beautifully and I'm quite happy with it.

Project I Complete!

Closet accomplished!

I can hardly believe how much more space I got out of this project. Not only did I get all my winter and summer hanging clothes in, but ALL my clothes except one shelf in the armoire of heavy sweaters. Plus, it's not crowded and should I choose to buy a dress or two, there is still room to hang them. That leaves a big plastic box on wheels, a chest of drawers and a lingerie chest empty and ready for use in another room. And, our bedroom, when I get to that project, will be less crowded with furniture.

If you look at my original closet picture you might notice that a few items did not make it back into the closet: the vacuum cleaner, old Christmas wrapping paper, the pink corduroys and the white wire drawers. The vacuum cleaner and the drawers have found a new and better place in the house, and the wrapping paper and cords are gone.

This project took me about ten hours stretched over two weeks. That does not include web surfing and reading books for ideas on what to do with the space or how to do it. But it does include sorting through all the stuff, shopping, hanging the rods and shelves, putting together the cubbies and the Container Store/Elfa wild goose chase.

The total cost which included hardware, a stud finder, a large measuring stick with a level, and the Ikea shelving unit was $178.98. That's not bad considering the Container Store quoted me $388.13 for their impractical design.

Now my only question is why didn't I do this years ago?

Phase II of Project I Complete!

Here is a rule of life: no matter how well researched and reasoned your expectations, any project will take longer, be more complicated, and usually cost more than anticipated. Always add at least 10% to your worst time and budget scenario.

Phase II of my closet project was hanging shelves. I expected to have it done yesterday, but I spent most of my available time at Lowe's trying to decide how exactly I was going to hang the long shelf in the back of the closet and what kind of shelving to use. I really couldn't make a final decision because there were too many possibilities that all seemed a bit beyond my abilities or didn't quite fit my closet. Big box stores overwhelm me with their cavernous aisles, but even though they have lots of stuff, it's almost impossible to find that one exactly right thing.

So, today I consulted with The Oracles. We have a little hardware store in town that is manned by a number of older New England gentlemen who seem to have seen it all. I call them The Oracles. Describe what you are trying to do and they will hem and haw for a bit, walk around the store, ask a few questions (which I usually can't answer, like drywall or plaster), and then come up with a way to do what you want to do, put together all the stuff you need, and give you advice on how to do it properly (like what size hole to drill). It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing solution, but it will be practical. They will also give you the name of a good carpenter. I came out with a small brown paper bag and a plan of action.

Executing the plan of action did not go quite as smoothly as anticipated and I nearly gave up and called the carpenter. But, I decided to break for lunch. The movie 300 happened to be on while I was eating and after watching the determined but doomed Spartans for half an hour, I had to give it another go, for Sparta! And I finally got that darn shelf up! And it hasn't fallen down yet! And no body parts were hacked off, either.

Phase I of the closet project completed!

No one describes me as "handy". I have only ever used a drill once, and that was to open a coconut. So it's with great pride and amazement that I announce the completion of Phase I of the closet project.

I hung two closet rods, no one was injured, I do not seem to have permanently damaged the house, nor done something that will cost thousands to repair, and they are working beautifully.
I can't believe how much more I can fit in now. And it was pretty easy. The hardest part was finding the studs. Those stud finders are a little tricky, but it seems to be holding up. Guess I'll find out soon enough.

Phase II is a shoe rack and hanging some shelves.

Hey, just call me Rosie.

The First Road Block

I had planned to take trip to the Container Store today to consult with the Elfa closet organizing wizard, but it was snowing, sleeting, icing and generally not fit for man nor beast to venture outside. There was a two hour school delay, but the kids did eventually go. Not to be thwarted by the weather, I decided to try the online closet design option.

I dutifully entered all the information I had gathered into the online form, and then called the number listed for the consultation. A very nice lady named Carol looked over the information, clarified what I wanted and told me she would email the design to me later in the day. Fantastic!

True to her word, a few hours later I received an email stating the design was done. Here is the design she came up with:

You might notice that there is only a hanging rod for short clothes, and nothing for say, dresses. I'm not a big dress up girl, but I do have a few and have been known to wear one on occaision. There was nothing in the plan for shoes, either. This design was not going to work for me. Not ready to give in to my growing disappointment, I called up to discuss and got a very nice man with a southern accent, who after a few rounds, said there wasn't really any way to accommodate long hanging clothes in this closet.

So, like Dorothy who went to the Wizard and found not much help, I'm just going to have to go figure it out for myself.

Organization Project 1: The Closet

Oh Container Store/Elfa sale catalog, you taunt me with your perfect and beautifully color- coordinated closets. I only have to fill out the form in the back and with your magic computer, you will transform my closet into so harmonious a space that it will be a zen experience just to open the door. And at 30% off, too. Well, I'll give your magic computer a whirl, though even at 30% off the Elfa elves (surely the come with elves and not just shelves?) may be beyond my resources.

I'm starting with my closet, which currently looks like this:


This is not the biggest project I have in terms of stuff, because as you may notice, I'm not exactly a fashionista. However, it may be the most challenging in terms of using the space most efficiently. The closet is under the eaves, so it's deep, but the sloping ceiling makes it a challenge to use the space in the back, except for storing summer clothes and wrapping paper. And I'd like to empty out my chest of drawers and be able to put all my sweaters in the closet, too.

So, I went through everything in the closet, tossing, purging, decluttering, detoxing, and in about an hour I had an empty closet, a 30 gallon trash bag of clothes for Goodwill, and my husband's side of the bed covered in clothes. Fortunately, he's on a business trip this week, which is motivation to get this done before he gets back.

And now the closet looks like this:

During this process, I came to discover that I have some seriously ugly clothes and shoes. What have I been thinking? But, that's another project.

I measured the space, I hung up the short clothes and measured their width, hung up the long clothes and measured, filled out how many socks, bags, belts, sweaters, t-shirts and everything else. Tomorrow its time to take all the info to the great closet wizard and see what they can do for me. I just hope they don't tell me to hang all my clothes in the front and store all my out of season clothes in the back.