The closet in my bedroom is the one area of the house I am in no rush to purge this month. I don’t mean to brag (of course I do), but my closet is immaculate. Over the last year I have pared everything down so that all seasons fit in one modestly sized closet. I even have my clothing organized by color. The Mister’s closet, on the other hand, is an unspeakable horror. I ask him repeatedly to purge his clothing to no avail. He keeps promising he’ll clean it out, but I know he’s only saying that to keep me out of his closet. Given carte blanche, I’d leave him with three pants and five shirts. Maybe a robe.
I try to put his laundry away, but heck if I know where anything goes. Yelling hasn’t worked. My threats must not be impressive. Dramatically pushing shut closet doors comes across like a comedy. My latest technique is to lay his clothing on a neatly made bed, my passive-aggressive way of saying: I would love to put these away for you but, YOU KNOW. He swears this is the month he cleans out his closet.
I talk a pretty big game considering this is the entry closet.
The entryway is a desolate space in our home used once or twice a month by proselytizers and people selling windows. A couple of months a year we grab a coat if we are going to be outside and a thick sweater isn’t enough. Other than that, this closet is rarely a blip on my radar. Out of sight, out of mind.
I purged the closet of old coats years ago, so almost everything hanging remained. My focus was on taking down the dozens of frames–some with art, some without–waiting quite sloppily for me to work up the nerve to put holes in the wall. That pile I then reduced by half and put the discarded items in the donation pile. Then I tackled the floor, which harbored wrapping paper, one coat off its hanger, and three mirrors from Pottery Barn Kids that I forgot to return.
Years ago.
This was an embarrassing, disgusting discovery. I vaguely remember buying this trio of frames. Vaguely! If I am remembering my facts correctly, they arrived in the mail and were far too small and not what I was expecting. Either I was going to return them or they were clearance items and, therefore, impossible to return. It really doesn’t matter. They were at the bottom of a closet and, until that moment, I had no idea they existed. That’s what matters.
I was already annoyed with myself when I started on the closet, all those frames and prints taunting me. But to find the reflection of my careless spending in three mirrors I barely remember buying? Well. My annoyance quickly escalated into a rage hot enough to incinerate the detritus of a closet benignly neglected. I was on fire. I vowed this was the last time I kicked a roll of wrapping paper to shut a door.
Two hours later I had the floor swept clean, the coats organized by weather, and the hats, gloves, and mittens in a basket. I stared at it for a while and ran the vacuum inside once or twice just because I could. Then I made a few notes about aesthetic changes I would like to make by the end of the month if time permits. When it was time for Mikey to come home from school, I shut the door on the clean floor, on the closet, and on a chapter of my life I won’t ever again revisit.
New here? For the next 31 days Im living according to the famous William Morris quote. You can learn more about the project here.
First, I am really enjoying your 31 DOWM. Monday is my designated organizing day, and it’s nice to see how other’s do it, too. Next, I say eBay the mirrors. Finally, I see that you have white trim & brown doors. Does the contrast bother you at all? I’m painting all our brown trim white, and love it… but don’t really love the brown doors that remain. Not sure if they will grow on me, or if I need to warm up my paintbrush (again).
It bothers me. One of those aesthetic changes I have planned is to paint all the brown doors. I have no idea why they are brown, unless the trim in the house was originally brown as well.
I think the doors look great!
your closet floor is empty. EMPTY. I think I just heard our coat closet weeping.
My closet is empty thanks to you!
I was emotionally prepared to hear you say that you found the Christmas cards…. urghhh, they have been on my mind with each post. OK, maybe not the kitchen or make up drawers but I was thinking *surely* they have to be in the coat closet. With the mirror teaser, I was ready to read- “You’ll never believe what I found?!? Remember the Christmas cards from 20XX” – I can’t remember the year.
Also, my coat closet wants to grow up and be your coat closet :-/
I did find them a while back! Thanks for reminding me. Now I have to remember where I put them…
Fabulous!! Much much better. Feels good, right?
“a rage hot enough to incinerate the detritus of a closet benignly neglected” = pure, unadulterated awesomeness
And you realize, don’t you, that you’ll occassionally have to “look” for something in the closet, just so you can open the door and gaze upon the loveliness of it all …
I didn’t even kid myself that I was going in there to look for something. I flat out opened the door and patted myself on the back.
I am agog.
The entry closet is the bane of my existence. As it is for my parents. And having seen them, apparently also my parents’ parents.
It’s the spot for “crap we don’t know what to do with.” Half the time, the doors wont even.shut all the way.
I’m not even sure what all exists in our entry closet, but I do know I haven’t seen it’s floor since we moved in. Sad to say, facing it down actually intimidates me! Nevertheless, I suppose it’s time to follow your act, put on my big girl pants, and get it done. Thanks for the inspiration!
Jules, what are you doing with your giveaway pile? Our Cub Scout troop is filling a Goodwill truck next month; we’d be happy to take them off your hands if you don’t have another plan yet! :)
Goodwill, but I will gladly wait until next month. Mikey wanted to do Cub Scout/Boy Scout this year, but his schedule is too crazy in the fall.
I want the frames.
Oh and good job.
I am loving this series on your blog. My first visit was on day 6 I think, and now I”m an inspired follower. This weekend I tackled 6 projects that were never getting done/cleaned up, and I feel like I’m on a roll. Next up on my list – the paperwork pile. Ugh.
All the best for the rest of the 31!
~mel
Only day 11 and you’ve done so much!! I keep taking a peek at all your projects and I’m SO wanting to do the same. So… today is my day 1 (gulp!).
Well done. Looks great.
Please come over and paint all the doors in my house as well as the trim. It should only take you a few years. :)
Love this series. Love how you kicked that closet’s butt. This inspires me! When we moved in August, I shoved all the “I’ll deal with this later” crap into our two downstairs closets. Yup- still there. Not being dealt with.
Maybe today’s the day.
Things fell on me the last time i tried to open our faux front closet. Now i read this post. There are even actually some coats in there and Wet Season has started in Seattle. Trying to take this as motivation to pile on more motivation to clean it out. :/ yours looks lovely.
lov’n’ this series. i love clean sweeps, closet makeovers, rearranging and before/afters!
i also love william morris. i have studied his socialist work and his utopian novel, news from nowhere. smart fella.
i recently tried the coat closet and i’ve found that if i revisit the same areas in cycle, purging is easier/harder depending on my mood. do you find that some days you can’t part with a torn item and other days you are ready to donate your entire closet? i’m odd like that.
Yes, I’m the same way. :)
My girls would LOVE those mirrors. They’re getting ‘big girl’ rooms this year for Christmas (and have no idea) and little things like that are exactly what I’m looking for. Pottery Barn Kids you say hmmm …
This is amazing.
I find that my biggest struggle when doing these projects is that I get to 1/3 completion, and don’t know how to handle the next step. How do you manage the “give away” pile? Do you bag it up and take it immediately to the car for the next trip out, or do you relocate it for when you have more stuff to give away?
I purged my wardrobe over the summer, and all of the “put away elsewhere” and give-away clothes are STILL sitting on top of my dresser, while the “fix it or alter it” pile is blocking my way to get in bed (and has been since this SUMMER… did I mention that already?). I’ve almost reached the point that I have to go through it all over again… nightmare… just finish the dang project, Renee!
My garage is insane right now. I’m making that the holding area, although my husband already made a Goodwill run for me on the kitchen items. Part of the good thing about this project is that there are defined timelines. I work well under assignments and deadlines. I need structure because left to my own devices I procrastinate.
I was about to advise you to hang one of those pocket organizer thingies on the inside of the closet door to hold scarves, hats, gloves, and random winter-time pocket gear like Kleenex and lip balm. Then I remembered…duh! California!
But maybe you could do Command hooks for umbrellas or something. I hate to see the inside of a closet door bare. I’m all about the vertical space :)