How Jocelyn Organizes Her Closet

This week's guest participating in the 'How I Organize' series is graphic designer Jocelyn of The Stylish Type, who makes and sells pretty decor prints on Etsy and frequently shares her uber stylish outfits on her blog. She gives us a peek inside her home and shares with us her beautifully organized closet:

My closet is small and far from the walk-in-closet I would one day like to own. For this reason, I have to be creative with how I organized it and take advantage of every square foot of space I’ve got. That’s where closet storage solutions come in handy. I’m all about using extra hanging rods, shelves, bins, special hangers, and anything else you can get your hands on to make your closet functional. One of my biggest pet peeves is having a huge mess and not being able to see what I own. Accessibility is also important so I organize by type and then color.

My new Real Simple solutions hangers that I purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond are the best for maximizing hanging space. They are ultra-slim and have a built in hook feature that can be used to stack clothing or hang accessories like scarves and belts. Utilizing these babies to their full potential could ultimately give me double the closet space. A belt loop hanger is also a good investment to keep belts organized and visible.

I own a lot of coats for those chilly San Francisco days so I used an extra closet rod to take advantage of the lost space under my tops and skirts. I purchased some stackable shelves to double my shoe storage and used clear bins to store hats, scarves, and clutches. For those narrow spaces where traditional shelves won’t fit, I used an ordinary locker shelf to gain a little extra space. A basket on the floor is also a good place to store extra blankets or miscellaneous belongings.

Extra Tips:

*Use command hooks on the walls to hang hats or necklaces. They are easily to use and don’t require hammering into the wall.

*If you have a door that opens towards you, use the back and hang a shoe organizer. It’s the perfect place to store flats and flip-flops.

How Jean Organizes Her Entry

This month's first guest participating in the How I Organize series is Jean of Flower Hill Design Company, whose design aesthetic I love. She gives us a peek inside her home and shares with us her beautifully organized entry:

My design dilemma was that I had an entryway closet that blocked my front door from my living room space. It was small, cramped, dark and not functional. Living a busy life style, I needed organization that allowed me to keep the daily essentials within reach, without having a space that looked cluttered and unorganized.

My solution was to remove the old entryway closet, opening the front door to the living room and allowing more light to fill the space. I designed a built-in closet in another area of the home that not only had space for in season coats and shoes, but incorporated cubbies to hold the day to day essentials that were ready to "grab and go". Items include my handbag, keys, and accessories like sunglasses or lipgloss. It also needed to provide storage for transient things like my son's school papers that need to be referred to in the short term, incoming mail, a place to store my laptop when not in use, and some basic office supplies (i.e. a pen for a quick note, tape, notepad, etc...). I painted a mural on the interior of the closet. By treating the closet design like another area of my home (not just a storage space) it keeps me motivated to keeps things looking pretty.

There is a hanging rod for in season coats. Beneath the hanging rod there are two shelves which is ample storage for our in season shoes. An upper shelf holds baskets for hats, gloves, and scarves. The cubbies hold my handbag, accessories, laptop, and basic files to hold paperwork that needs to be referred to but is not quite necessary to be filed away in the office filing cabinet. An urn holds pens for quick notes (either notes to the teacher or a grocery shopping list). Simple DIY storage boxes made from shirt boxes hold some basic office supplies like tape and a stapler.

Everything has it's place. The cubbies make everyday essentials easy to find. It makes a busy lifestyle and constantly being on the go so much easier. Having a designated space for everyday essentials keep my countertops clutter free.