So if you read Part One of my Tidying Up blog post, you know I recently binged Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix! Based on her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie helps families follow a step-by-step guide to the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing called the KonMari Method. This method helps one transform their space and transform their life by eliminating everything in his or her home that doesn’t “spark joy.”
I’m tidying up BLB and sharing the process with you all in a four-part series. After knocking out my master bathroom a few weeks ago, I finally mustered up the courage to tackle the rest of my master suite, specifically my dresser and walk-in closet. Let’s take a glimpse at the dresser first, shall we?
Here’s a look at the overwhelming BEFORE:
The drawers were overflowing with underwear, bras, socks, tank tops and gym clothes. Not much was folded, and for what was, you could barely tell what was what and get a clear sense of the inventory in each drawer. Laundry was always a pain as I lacked room to get all of my clean clothes in the drawers (you know it’s sad when some clothes have to be dirty in order for your drawers to close!). So I began the process by dumping each drawer out, sorting through the contents for what was in good condition and what wasn’t (stained, torn or not worn at all). I used to work at Victoria’s Secret years ago, so even though I didn’t wear many of the free and discounted bras I still hoarded, I needed to free myself from holding on to them based on their retail value. I tossed the items that were in poor condition and put the gently used and never warn garments (underwear excluded LOL) into a box for donation to a local shelter.
After tediously folding every garment and grouping them by color, season and style, I inserted them back into each designated drawer. I also purchased some plastic baskets from Marshalls that I used to divide the socks and tights to keep that drawer separated and organized. Not only do each of the drawers now close completely without issue, they are filled with only garments I use, can be clearly identified and are organized in a way that’s easy to locate and put on.
Here’s a look at the AFTER:
Now, for the big kahuna, my walk-in closet. I procrastinated so long to tidy up my closet, but it got to a point where it was just stressful walking in there. Item by item I pulled everything out and threw it on the bed, then brought out the shoe boxes and stacks of accessories hiding behind the door.
Here’s the monstrous BEFORE:
Crazy right? UGH, I know. Having so many clothes, shoes and bags may make some feel rich, but honestly, looking at this mountain of materials just made me feel sick. I couldn’t believe how many clothes I’d accumulated in the four years I’ve lived in San Antonio and how few of the items I actually wore. Even worse, this is just ONE of the four closets in my house! So began the task of sorting through all of the clothes and getting rid of the items that didn’t spark joy. There were some garments that I didn’t like, no longer fit or were in poor condition that would be put in separate stacks for resale or donation. I also relocated my cocktail and formal wear into my guest room closet and separated the seasonal items such as bathing suits, scarves, hats and gloves. Once the closet was cleaned out, I’d begin putting items back into the the closet sorted by type, style and color, one hanger at a time. I made a few purchases to make life easier in my closet and replace old broken bins that I’d kept my endless collection of t-shirts, pajamas and miscellaneous clothing in. In Target, I found these beautiful pink and natural baskets from the OpalHouse line that would help me hide away flip flops, beachwear and winter accessories while adding a pop of color to the space to match my Safavieh runner on the floor. I also purchased two Elfa Start-a-Stack organizers from The Container Store. Luckily the entire Elfa collection was 30% off and putting the shelving together required zero tools and took all of 15 minutes to assemble. Even after purging through most of my t-shirts, I had more than enough room to store all of the folded items I decided to keep.
My shoes were also quite overwhelming. I had so many shoe boxes that were empty taking up space on my upper shelves. I sorted through all of my sandals, pumps, sneakers and flats, and for those kept, they went back on the shelves in their original boxes, new plastic ones from The Container Store or the built-in shoe rack on the floor. Lastly, I purchased some smaller baskets to organize my purses, cross-bodies and clutches by size on the built-in shelving. By the way, I’m officially obsessed with The Container Store! If you’re in need of tackling some much-needed organization, I recommend you begin there!
My closet is now clean, organized and has plenty of room to spare for more items if needed! Take a look at the AFTER:
Thanks for tagging along with me on this huge endeavor! I can now access all of my clothes, shoes and accessories with ease and know where every item is at all times! Although I may never become a morning person, walking into this space and picking out an outfit is now a peaceful experience and sparks joy like never before. This was by far the biggest effort of this entire project - tackling my office, coat closet and kitchen next should be a breeze!
For more photos of my progress, check out #BLBKonMari on Instagram and stay tuned for Part Three as I tidy up my home office!
Be Tidy & Be Blessed,
ACG
Design Deets:
Plastic Baskets - Marshalls
Large Baskets - Target
Drawer Organization - The Container Store
Plastic Hangers - Target
Scarf and Belt Hangers - The Container Store
Plastic Shoe Boxes - The Container Store
Baskets - The Container Store
Rug Runner - Safavieh, Bed Bath and Beyond
