Today for Marie Kondo Monday we are taking on our small master bedroom closet. I thought I would give my small master closet a mini makeover and simplify my clothes. I really don’t have a lot, but had items that were not bringing joy, as Marie Kondo would say. I decided to do it right this time, by following the Marie Kondo Method, because after trial and error, it is only way to sort through your items. Follow my tips to simplify your life! And BONUS- sharing one of the BEST places to send your unwanted clothes.
Thanks to thredUP for sponsoring this post! thredUP is not affiliated with or endorsed by Marie Kondo and her KonMari Method
Closet BEFORE-
Closet AFTER-
This might not look like a big change. But it feels so much better!! I ended up taking all the hooks off of the door and only keeping two of the jackets that were hanging on the door. Then switched to an over the door shoe holder. Also got rid of about 10 pairs of shoes. And three bags of clothes!!! Once a lot of the shoes were gone I had some space to add some drawers. This is one of the biggest reasons why Marie Kondo says to not buy all the organizing supplies before you actually organize. After you sort through your clothes you might end up with less (which is the case 99.9% of the time) and need different supplies!
I painted the inside of the closet to match the color of our bedroom (Benjamin Moore- Gray 2121-10). I think every closet should be done this way! It makes the space feel more cohesive and actually larger. I also added a hanging sconce (I had) and did the magic light trick! I will break down the entire process of the Marie Kondo Method for closets.
Closet Organizing Tips-
- Remove EVERYTHING! Honestly I have sorted my clothes and organized many times. But never taken all the clothes out at once. This makes all the difference. Having to put back something you really don’t love makes it easier to let it go.
- Pick up each item and ask yourself- Does this bring me JOY when I wear it? Do I feel good in it? Would I pick this item before I pick another, or is it my second or third choice?
- If you 100% love it and wear it often, hang it up!
- Not sure? Then put it in a pile to come back to later. I find that sleeping on it gives you time to see it again for what it is.
- TIP- Don’t associate a price on your clothing to determine if you like it or not. Only decide to keep something if it truly brings you joy.
- When you decide you don’t want to keep an item, then put it in a pile to donate.
- I suggest once everything is out of your closet to CLEAN it!!! Better yet, give it a coat of paint. Add some wallpaper to the shelf. Take some time to care for the space that holds the clothing you wear every single day.
I find that the AFTER part can hold people up. Now what do I do with all these clothes?? I partnered with thredUp to share one of the best ways to get rid of those clothes that are no-longer sparking joy! Did you know that 26 BILLION pounds of clothing gets sent to landfills each year? Only 10-20% of clothing donated to charitable clothing companies is resold back into the community! With thredUP, they are able to resell 2x this amount and ensure all of the clothing sent to us does not end up in a landfill.
If you haven’t heard of thredUp before, they are the largest online thrift store where you can shop items for up to 90% off! You can also send in your clothing to them using their Clean Out bag! Cleaning out with thredUP is super easy! All you do is order a clean out bag or print a label from their site, fill it up with the items you no longer want and mail it back to them for free. They take care of everything else! You can choose to get shopping credit or cash for the items they accept.
Here’s how cleaning out with thredUP works:
Did you know that decluttering and owning less can save you 40% of your time?? Just with clothes alone you will save time in laundry. Go with me here- I found I had almost the exact same green tee-shirt. If I kept those two shirts I could wear one on a Monday then maybe wear the other one on Saturday and now I have two green shirts to wash and my laundry pile is huge. If I only had that one green shirt then I would have done my laundry sooner because I owned less clothes- making my laundry smaller and easier to do. When we have SOOOOO many clothes our laundry just keeps pilling up because, hey, we don’t need anything in that dirty clothes basket, so we keep putting off laundry.
I found that little rubbermaid drawer cabinet and was thrilled!!! I only had 24″ to work with and this fit perfect.And this little drawer cabinet opens so smoothly and fits the space great. I put all my shorts and skirts in here. Then the top has my pajamas. Moving things into this little drawer cabinet cleared up space in my taller dresser.
I also realized that I wear the same gym shoes over and over. I had like 10 pairs. But once I get a new pair I stopped wearing the old. So why keep them? Anyone else do this? So I held onto two pairs of gym shoes (and yes, I work-out 6 days a week). Then when one pair gets worn out I will get a new pair and donate the old. One in and one out.
I had all of THESE plastic shoe containers for my shoes. And yes, there are other options like THESE that open in the front so you can easily pull out your shoes. But, I was happy with these. I used my HP Sprocket to snap a quick picture of the shoes so I can easily see what is in them! I was always pulling them all down and hunting through to find what I needed, or just wearing the same shoes over and over because it was easy.
I had already folded all the clothes the KonMarie way, but not the socks. I picked up THESE and they fit perfectly in my dresser. I also got one for Kevin and then he went through all his clothes! Nothing like kicking off the organizing bug with a new shoe holder!
One of the biggest perks to sorting though your clothes you are taking inventory without knowing it! You will quickly see where you have MORE THAN enough! And maybe another spot you are lacking. After doing my closet decluttering I realized a few items I wanted to replace, because they were looking a little shabby. Remember to head HERE to get your thredUP Clean Out Bag!
Clarissa says
LOVE IT! The hanging lamp inside the closet is not only super cute but complete genius! You could leave your closet door open and just enjoy that view. But could you PLEASE tell me where the floor lamp is from (and maybe where the cute little plant pot too)?? Thank you so much!!
[email protected] says
ahhhhh YES! I just got that floor lamp! (The back part broke off, so I ordered a replacement). Find it here-
https://rstyle.me/+OksxFXfPNHD_KRaXtWLjYQ
That pot came from The Christmas Tree Shop!
Christine says
Never heard of Thredup. Have to check into that!
Laura says
How on earth do you get by with like 20 things hanging in your closet? I have about 15 cardigans (I don’t really wear sweaters). I always see posts about people have like two blouses and three dresses. I just can’t paste down that much😞
Julie says
Great job! I believe I’ve never owned the shoes you have in my life! ha Currently two pairs of walking shoes, clogs and a pair of black flats to go with black slacks…..that’s it. Where I live shoes can get recycled by a nonprofit called SHARE YOUR SOLE. She gets mine and hubby’s shoes when it’s time to say goodbye to them. She takes all kinds. They get cleaned and head all over the US and overseas. I go through my clothes easily quarterly and very much aware of what gets worn and what doesn’t. Don’t deny I’m keeping a sleeveless leopard top my mom bought me years ago, and it’s been kept because she has since died, and I have the memory of where we were when it was bought. Now that I’m thinking about this I just might have a pillow made from it! I think I will….
[email protected] says
I am going to look at this!!! I have SO many shoes to donate between Kevin and I~
Annie Diamond says
Looks fabulous! Just ordered my ThredUp bag!
You are always inspiring me Brooke!
Jenna Stieber says
I just ordered my thredUP bag, never heard of them. Thanks for another great idea. I just Marie Kondo’d my heart out for the nursery for our new little man coming in 3 weeks. Wish I had this technique for the other kids! PS. We’re naming this baby Finn. ♥️
Nadine says
Love how you change your space so it is the most functional. Thank you for all the ideas! Did you do anything diffent to hang the light fixture to the ceiling? I have wanted to add the same light above my kitchen sink and wasn’t sure it would hold.
[email protected] says
I just did a small hook! Nothing really different. It is super light, so it was easy to hang.
cindy says
I noticed your leopard slip-on sneakers on the floor. I thought they were really cute. Did you donate them?
Jan Nesbitt says
Your closet organizing tips are wonderful, if only I could get past #5! I’ve read the comments from others and I’m ashamed to say that at one time in my working career, I had 3 large closets full of clothes and shoes. I still have way to many shoes but I have pared my clothes down to fit into one double door closet. If I could get past what I have spent on an item and just purge it, I would be so much better off. I too typically wear the same things over and over so I really could get rid of a great deal of items as the only time I dress up is for church or an occasional special function. Thank you for inspiring me! Maybe this method will really work for me!
[email protected] says
I hope this helped!!! You kind of have to look at it that you are loosing money keeping it and it taking up space- even just in your mind~
Kim says
Love this! I took the heavy sliding door off my bedroom closet and got rid of my extra clothes—now I’m waiting to pick out some wallpaper to do the inside and add some organizing tools and of course a magic light sconce! My project is kind of in limbo but I do love having the door off and having less clothes. I plan to leave the door off—I love being able to see all my clothes and having the door off motivates me to keep everything neat.
[email protected] says
Oh I love that!!!
Casey Peck says
I’m doing my craft room right now and one of my boys is being able up make anything without having to go to the store. Like tonight, I made my son a Cat in the Hat costume with what I had on hand. So it’s a hard time to Marie kondo, lol!
Debbie says
I enjoyed this post and missed your blog last week.
[email protected] says
Oh thank you Debbie! How kind of you to say that. Kevin was gone all month and I was just feeling overwhelmed. So I appreciate you saying that you care!
Lisa D says
Wonderful! I desperately need to clean out my closet the Marie Kondo way!
Cindy says
Where are your dresses, specifically the orange and white one and the white one I love so much. Are they to the right of your closet door and out of view? Do you store out of season clothing elsewhere? I also live in CT and have winter and summer clothes that I store when out of season. I know I have lots of clothes I could donate as well….I just need to get the energy to go through everything.
[email protected] says
Thanks! These are all the clothes I own (plus the larger highboy dresser- not shown on this post) but you can see here- https://nestingwithgrace.com/shop-our-home/
The dresses are from Sonnet James!
Brenda says
Thanks for all the great tips!! I have such a hard time getting rid of sentimental items.!! One in one out…. my new mantra!!
[email protected] says
yes!!
classic casual home says
This is great! Your closet is smaller than mine (not by much) and if you can do it so can I! I “Kondo-ed” all my purses…and it WAS hard getting rid of my more $$ ones…but the ones left are sparking joy 🙂 Nice work. I’m motivated to do the closet now.
Mary Ann
Kristin Lemons says
I save one (just one) pair of old gym shoes to use when I do yard work. That way it doesn’t matter if I get them muddy, or spill paint on them, etc. When I replace my gym shoes the yard work ones get replaced with the gym shoes I just replaced.