Closet Refresh – How Designing Your Closet Can Help You Shop More Intentionally

You might think I’m crazy, but recently I made some updates to our master bathroom which connects to our master closet.

I was blown away with how the updates transformed the bathroom, but I would cringe a little bit when I’d gaze thought the open doors to see our messy closet on the other side.

Something had to be done.

I have been in the process over the last couple of years of really taking the time to be intentional about what I buy and what I wear. I’ve tried to go through my clothing critically every 6 months and donate anything I haven’t worn.

But that takes time and is such a process.

How could I ensure I could keep my closet looking nice and intentional in order to encourage myself to stay that way?

Then it came to me…

When I intentionally design spaces in my home, I’m so much more likely to keep them tidy and put together, sure, but you know what I’m also not likely to do?

Clutter them with unintentional purchases.

Could it be the same way with my closet?

Only one way to find out.

CLOSET REFRESH – HOW DESIGNING YOUR CLOSET CAN HELP YOU SHOP MORE INTENTIONALLY

I decided why not? I would try a few low-cost updates to create more of a designed space, then I would pair down my wardrobe and really try to keep it that way.

I’ll walk you through my process here, from design to how I plan to stay intentional.

But first, let’s take a look at the before…

STEP 1: TAKE EVERYTHING OUT

The first step was the hardest. I decided if I wanted to do this right, I needed to remove everything from my closet.

For starters, I wanted to create a feature wall, so of course things needed to move. But I also knew that if I left items in the closet, it would be all too easy to leave them there when I was trying to simplify too.

STEP 2: START DESIGNING

Before I did any clothing purge, I decided to design my space. That way, I’d want to be more intentional with what I added back into it!

I started with a feature wall. And I know, you might be thinking I’m a little crazy for wanting to add a feature wall to my closet.

But I chose to do Sharpie Shiplap, a simple DIY that took me just a couple hours and cost all of $5! So why not?

For my full Sharpie Shiplap tutorial, head here!

I also decided to paint some dark wooden shelves in this closet a beautiful light, muted green color, Gatherings by Magnolia to help brighten up the space.

Now that my lighter, brighter colors were chosen, it was time to start putting things back together.

STEP 3: PUT THE BONES BACK TOGETHER

After the walls and shelves were ready, we hung our clothing racks back up and put the shelves back in the closet.

But before we could do any more putting back together, we needed to get the closet purge piece taken care of… this is the hardest part.

STEP 4: CLOSET PURGE

This is why I highly recommend taking everything out of your closet to do this step — it’s hard! But if it’s all out of your closet anyway, you have to go through it. So you’re less likely to get lazy and just keep it in there because you’re tired of the process.

I try to do this in a few simple steps.

1. Remove everything from your closet.
2. Ask yourself if you have worn it in the last 6 months or think you’ll wear it in the next 6 months. If the answer is no, donate.
3. When in doubt, try it on! If you have any negative feelings about yourself or the item when it’s on, donate it.
4. Create piles for yourself so you can move faster. Trash, Donate, and Keep. When you’re finished purging, grab your Keep pile and head to your closet.

STEP 5: ADD CLOTHING BACK TO YOUR CLOSET

But it’s not as simple as it sounds. At least not for me! I knew if I wanted to do this, I needed a system of organization and also a system to ensure I don’t continue to purchase clothing on a whim.

I had been wanting wooden hangers for some time, so I decided to purchase this set of 100 wooden hangers for my closet refresh.

But here’s the kicker. I needed to limit everything I put back in my closet to this set of 100 hangers. I would not be purchasing more.

And in the spirit of not purchasing more, that also meant that if I purchase anything new, something has to leave these hangers.

That way I don’t continue to mindlessly shop and buy things I may or may not truly love. I would really have to think about it.

I also chose to organize my clothing by item, color, and sleeve length because I’m weird. But that’s a blog post for another day.

STEP 6: DECORATE

Because why not? Now that you have fresh colors and features on the wall, your clothing streamlined, organized, and bringing you all kinds of joy, and you feel good about your closet for the first time ever, why not decorate?

I chose to add a rug to this space because rugs bring me joy. I went with this gorgeous Boutique Rugs runner that you can save 55% on with coupon code LAUREN55, just in case you were wondering!

I also added these pretty two-toned baskets from Target to create hideaway storage on the top shelves!

That way, the storage solutions looked nice and designed, which would allow me to stay even more organized.

STEP 7: STEP BACK AND ENJOY YOUR BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED SPACE

And that’s really it! I didn’t spend much time or money in here, I just give it some time.

By creating a feature wall, painting the dark shelves, and getting intentional with what I added back in here, I was able to create a space I now enjoy seeing through the newly designed bathroom.

Do you think you’ll go give your closet some love now? Let me know what you plan to do in the comments!