Closet Fantasies And Realities

I will never be too old to play dress up.

I was going to call this post “how a recovering perfectionist cleans out her closet” and tell you all about the mental struggle that made cleaning out my bedroom closet take two weeks but that would take just as long. So let's just say that I had to scale back my dreams and expectations at every turn.

One Of My Fantasy Closets.
Source: HGTV.com - Photo Credit: Timeless Memories Photography

Now, don't think for a second that means I have given up on having my fantasy closet someday. It just means that at this time in my life it isn't a priority. Being able to find my shoes and actually get my closet doors shut without a struggle, however, is.

Reality: Photo Taken While Cleaning My Closet

The truth here is that even if I did have the resources to create my fantasy closet, I would have still had to deal with the clutter in there. Fortunately this wasn't my first attempt at doing this and I found it much easier this go around. Things I had been reluctant to let go of a couple years ago had by now proved their uselessness and I also realized I had gotten much smarter about my clothes and shoes purchases. I had to give myself a pat on the back for that.

What I did struggle with was all the things that didn't necessarily belong in a bedroom closet that had somehow wound up in there anyway. A lot of this was sentimental clutter and this is still a big stumbling block for me. I have to admit that I didn't get rid of very much of it but I did move most of it down to the basement for me to deal with another day.

And then there are just some things I am stubborn about keeping and want close to me for no logical reason. So even though it is taking up potential shoe real estate, my CD collection (kids, ask your parents if you don't know what CDs are) is staying right where it is.

Doesn't everybody keep their CD collection in the closet?

Once I had settled all that, the time came to organize everything. In my fantasies that would be someone else's job and would include the installation of a whole new closet system but in reality it was just me and the scrap wood shelves the previous homeowner installed. I did invest in a couple of shoe organizers though. The one below was a little pricey considering it required assembly (which Hippie did – god bless him) and in the end probably wasn't necessary but I'm keeping it around for now.

Motley Cat's "Shoes" Are Cuter Than Any Of Mine

My second purchase was of far more inexpensive shelves for the top of the closet which I actually like better than the pricey ones (and Hippie put these together too). The best thing about having both of these is that I now have room for more shoes. Hmm...maybe my fantasies are coming true after all!

Clearly I Need To Go Shoe Shopping Soon!

Except that in my fantasy someone would have painted the interior of my closet a bold, luscious color. I guess I could have done that myself but I have so many other projects going on that I decided it can wait and I just painted the inside of the closet door frame for now (a bold, luscious color called “Raspberry Pudding” by Behr).

Princess Poe is not impressed with that pop of raspberry peeking out from the closet
but I am really happy with it.

Oh, also in my fantasy I would have velvet hangers for everything but I settled for rounding up the insane amount of plastic hangers I have in my house for some reason and using only two colors (but I do plan on gradually replacing them with nicer ones when I can).

I hung a couple of thrift store mirrors on the back wall, more for depth and interest
than for any practical purpose.

Then it was just a matter of arranging things in a way that made sense to me and now I have a fully functional closet. It's not my fantasy closet but I think it has a certain charm and now I can find my shoes then close the closet doors with hardly any effort at all. Mission accomplished.

Not My Fantasy Closet But Not Too Shabby Either

So to recap, here are my three big takeaways from this project:

1. Some fantasies can wait but functionality can't!
2. Dealing with clutter is a lifelong practice and process. (I have come a long way but I still have a ways to go and that's okay).
3. I can now buy more shoes!

Thanks for reading about my closet fantasies and realities. I'd love to hear about your fantasy closet or any advice you might have for dealing with clutter if you wouldn't mind taking a few moments to write a comment below.

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