My closet makeover...and more

closet-makeover This is one of the most exciting days in my life.  My closet used to me a room I avoided at all costs... and for someone who loves clothes and fashion as much as I do, that was a little depressing for me.  One of our goals this year is to "beautify" our home and do some simple things to make our home more enjoyable.  One of those things includes our master closet.  It's one room in our house that was very hard to keep clean because we didn't have good usable space.  Here's how it looked before, same view as above... and I'll have you know, this is after I cleaned it!!

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I had tried to organize it before... but without having any shelves or places for shoes....it got out of control and never appeared organized.  My shoes ended up lined up in my bedroom!  I LOVE my clothes and have always dreamed of being able to actually see them and display them in a way that made me HAPPY!  Here it is emptied out...

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Well today.... my dream came true.  I keep going in there just to look at it because it's so beautiful.  I have my purses "displayed" on a shelf now where I can see them!  I have my Marc Jacobs patent platinum shoes... my first special purchase on my very first trip to NYC on a shelf where I can SEE them.  I can just SEE all my clothes that I take pride in and they are beautifully organized.  These are things that can really impact your life.  This thing that we've been putting off has made me so unbelievably HAPPY!!  If the room was just a little bigger... I'd totally hang out in there.  Here's some more pics of our new beauty...

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So, the carpet was cut out around the edges to install the closets, so we haven't gotten the new carpet yet.... so that's the last step!  It would have added quite a lot to the cost to have the wood "backing" added.  What this means is they put the wood paneling on the back of all the shelves in the unit.  This makes it look really "built in".  What I chose to do instead.... and therefore save money.... was to paint the closet a very complimentary color to the wood to make it appear more built in.  You can see the walls here and there at the back of the shelves, so this way it looks very warm and nice.  It matches SO MUCH MORE than leaving the walls white!  I used Benjamin Moore "Quietude".  It's in the "Color Stories" color collection that I am absolutely obsessed with.  They are gorgeous colors that I have used in five room in my house now....I LOVE how they all have turned out.  The grays in that palette are amazing.  I bought their color wheel because I refer to it so much!

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Here's some of the other colors I have used in my home.... bedroom:  "Evening Gown".  It's like a LIGHT taupe-gray/brown with a little pink to it.  It's probably my favorite color in my house.  I have a "linen" tufted bed and matching "linen" curtains from Restoration Hardware and the colors go together so well.  Very neutral, soft and calming.  I use darker gray linen bedding to add some depth.  I also painted an old nightstand and dresser and changed the knobs in a darker gray to match...it's amazing what a little paint can do...they were headed for the trash before paint renewed them!  I chose "Actic Seal" for those.  Here's some pics of the colors...I think they go well with the colors we chose for the closet...

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Some of the darker woods that were available for the closet built ins looked really nice and rich.... but we went with the lighter to match the colors in our bedroom and the color of our wood floors which are "ash"...light colored.

Our boys rooms, they are both off to college now so I have painted their rooms and updated both for guest rooms when they are gone....and a nice place when they are visiting....In used "Castle Gate" and Upper West Side" for them.  Both beautiful neutral grays, one just darker than the other.

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In the guest bath, I used a darker gray called "Wool Peacoat" and did a white stripe with hooks on it from Anthropologie for towels instead of towel bars.  I have a trick to get such a clean stripe!  Use Mod Podge!!  (found that trick on Pinterest of course!)

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Sorry, I'm getting off track from my closet!  I just get so excited about the paint colors I have chosen I thought I'd take a moment to share what I've tried and love in case you need to choose some colors for your home.... it can be overwhelming!!

Here's a few more pics of our new closet...

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I love this "telescoping tie rack" for my husband!!... it slides out.

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I have a "telescoping garment rack" that slides out to hang things temporarily... LOVE this!

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We each have a slide out laundry hamper that has a removable liner....

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Update:  added a rug (until we get new carpet) and an ottoman that can fit more boots in it...DONE!  I think I'm going to pour myself a glass of champagne and go sit in there!  LOL!

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Also, I added my "special" shoe boxes that I couldn't part with to the top shelf... just for decoration:) ...

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It's amazing how much bigger our closet looks now!  The use of space is SO efficient now and everything has a place!  My husband laughs at me HOW excited I am over this closet.  He's just happy I'm happy.  He doesn't really get it.  He has a "shop" that he loves where he keeps all his tools, bikes, snowboards, surfboards.... I told him, "You know how you LOVE your "shop"?....this closet is like my "shop".  :)

-I live in the North Bay area and used Closet Crafters.  They are in Santa Rosa, locally owned...Frank, the owner came out to take a look at our needs and did such an amazing job.  He inventoried our closet and designed a closet just for us.  They are SO fast too.  From the first time he came out, the job was complete in less than 2 weeks.  They build everything right there in Santa Rosa.  I made another estimate appointment with California Closets...the soonest they could even come out for an estimate was a month out...another two weeks from NOW!   I guess I should call and cancel that;)  LOL!  Thanks Closet Crafters, the laundry room is next!  :)