My daughter has a cute little room…
… Except for one space.
My kids’ closets can easily become a black hole for everything—clothes in the current size and larger hand me downs ready to go, shoes, toys, random birthday party favors you’ll never look at again (if you’re lucky).
Our daughter’s closet was no different. It was a cluttered mess, complete with a sagging wooden rod and wire racks that seemed to only half-serve their purpose and definitely never looked nice. All of the closets have been on our to-do list since we’ve moved in, but since they are functional enough, we are totally fine using them until time and budget allows for updates. Well, it was finally time for a change.
We started with the usual: we took everything out. Clothes, shoes, stuffed animals, that one odd sock you can’t seem to find the mate to—everything.
Then we removed the wire racks. Those wire racks are better than nothing, but were not necessarily functional either as installed in this closet… as you can tell from the “before” photo. We unscrewed them and filled the holes. Once the compound dried, we sanded lightly until smooth.
Here’s a little plot twist: we let our daughter pick the paint color for her closet. She is 3 years old, so of course she wanted purple. She was open to a light purple. We ended up Sherwin Williams’ Silver Peony. It’s a soft muted shade that doesn’t scream “purple explosion,” but still gives the closet a fun pop of color. Plus, it’s the kind of color that should be able to grow with her and coordinate to future room changes, so we’re all good for a few years (hopefully).
While we had the closet clean and empty, we went ahead and updated the trim as we have been throughout the house, to a 5″ floor trim. A little boost from the builder grade trim.
Once the paint dried, it was time for the final transformation: the organization system. We needed something that could hold everything from ballet slippers and princess dresses to winter coats, swimsuits, and trinkets, and still make the space feel functional and tidy. After a quick trip to Lowe’s, we settled on this ClosetMaid system. It had adjustable shelves, hanging rods, and drawers that can be purchased separately for clothes that do better folded and hidden away.
After assembling the shelves and rods, we made sure to adjust the bottom rod for dress-up dresses to my daughter’s height, because nothing says “I’m growing up” like being able to grab your own clothes.
I swapped out the nickel cabinet pulls for these gold ones and the stainless closet rods for the same ones in white. A few baskets later, and we were set.
Now, the fun part: organizing. I used the project momentum to sort through clothes for size and condition, keeping only current size on the racks and putting some seasonal clothes in bins in the corners. Spoiler alert: it didn’t stay that tidy for long, but at least it started out strong. We put her favorite clothes at eye level (dresses), additional dress up accessories in the bottom drawer, shoes in baskets and a few on shelves, and everything else had its designated home.
Until next time! Thanks for following along!
Closet Sources:
ClosetMaid System (Ours is from Lowes – Link; Also sold at Home Depot – Link; Amazon – Link)
Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Silver Peony
Cabinet Hardware: Link
5 inch Floor Trim: Lowes – Link
Baskets (Originally from Target; Similar available on Amazon – Link and Walmart – Link)
The above may include commissionable links
Camp Avenue 