Closet Refresh
Central Park | Denver, CO
My initials are KO, but it’s also my philosophy.
With the Knock Out Method, I helped this client refresh her closet in six easy steps!
We did everything from purge 22 bags (twenty-two!!) of donations and trash, relocated her winter clothing to another closet, created a system and home for everything to keep her organized on a daily basis, and updated the decor to give it a fresh new look!
Check out the below video to see how we used The KO Method to tackle this project, followed by written steps that you can follow in your own closet. Enjoy!
Closet Refresh Using The KO Method
STEP 1: Consult
The first step in any closet is to assess the situation. What's working? What's not working? What are you trying to achieve?
For this closet, she desperately wanted a system (a place for everything) that would be practical and easy to follow. She also wanted everything to look pretty, and if possible, she wanted to potentially use this space for her home office as well.
Here are a few before photos of this closet...
STEP 2: Distill
On the day of the project, the first thing we did was remove everything from the closet. As we did that, my client determined what she wanted to keep vs. donate vs. trash. We also pulled out seasonal items and moved them to another closet. For items she wanted to keep, we made piles by like-item (e.g. boots, heels, dresses, coats, pants, jewelry, etc.).
Here are a few photos of that process, including a super cute shot of my client hard at work!
STEP 3: Clean
Once everything is out of the space, this is a great opportunity to clean it! You would be surprised how much dust and other debris accumulates in a closet, and it's always nice to start fresh when you're getting organized. This is me with my favorite tool: The Dust Buster!
STEP 4: Organize
Next up, time to organize! Once you have all your piles of like-items sorted by category, create a Post-It Note for each category. I find that it's much easier to plan the space with Post-It Notes before you move everything in, as it's super easy to move a Post-It Note around vs 60 pair of shoes if you decide you don't like it's placement, or the spot you picked isn't big enough, etc.. This also ensures that you account for everything and don't get to the end and realize that you have two more categories that don't fit! Eeek!
When planning with Post-It Notes, think about placement for the obvious items first and then work your way through all belongings by process of elimination. So in this clients case, she had built in shoe racks, making it easy to determine where her shoes would live.
Anything that needs to hang on clothing rods are also quick categories you can quickly determine. In this client's case, she had built in pant hangers, making it really easy to determine where her dress pants and jeans were going to live.
Remember to keep like-items together and create zones within your space. For this corner of the closet, we put seaters on the rod, PJs in the first drawer, shorts in the second drawer, and bathing suits in the bottom drawer. When every category has its own designated spot (or zone), it makes it much easier to remember where to find things and where to put things away. We also used product within her drawers where it made sense to further contain her items.
Product can make the world of difference in maximizing your space, helping you stay organized, and making your space look pretty! There are amazing, creative solutions out there, like these bag hangars.
I'm also a big fan of expandable drawer dividers and drawer organizers to keep things tidy inside your drawers. There are several sizes (and colors) to choose from, so be sure to measure! Don't be afraid to buy lots of options and try things. Most retailers will allow you to return items that are unused and still have their tags.
STEP 5: Remove
Before you wrap up, be sure to deliver donations to your favorite charitable organization and get rid of trash to avoid cluttering up your new space and/or other areas of your home.
I'm so proud of this client as she purged TWENTY-TWO bags of donations and trash (not all pictured below). She was on a mission to clear the excess and make space for the things she loved most. She told me a couple weeks after the project that she has been wearing so much more of her clothing and accessories because she can see what she has and feels less overwhelmed! The best feeling.
STEP 6: Reveal
In the end, this closet is less packed and full of love! Meaning, she loves everything that's in it. She got rid of the things that no longer served her, were uncomfortable, and/or she just simply didn't enjoy anymore, and made room for all the beautiful things she actually gets excited about wearing! She also brought in a new rug, new artwork, and a new chair to pull it all together and make the space feel fresh and usable as a home office.
I hope you enjoyed this post! I don't know about you, but I'd like to hang out in this closet with a glass of bubbles and try on some shoes. Doesn't it look inviting?
If you're in need of a closet refresh but are feeling overwhelmed, give me a ring. I'm here to make the process fun, easy, and painless, leaving you with a practical and pretty space you love being in.
Products Used:
Grey Montauk Woven Storage Bins
Diommell Foldable Cloth Drawer Organizers
Neaterize Foldable Cloth Drawer Organizers
Rapturous Expandable Deep Drawer Dividers
*This closet system is IKEA PAX.