Diary of a Closet Makeover: How Revamping Our Closets Helped My Family Feel Lighter

Here are tips I learned about how to stay organized

STAFF PHOTO: BEFORE

I have a closet confession: It’s been years since I’ve worn more than half the clothes in my closet. So when it became consistently challenging to find things, I made it my mission to purge. I quickly got on a roll, donating pants that were too small, heels that were too high and dresses that no longer served my work-from-home life.

It was liberating to pass along things I didn’t need to make space for what I did. Despite my purging, it was clear that no amount of decluttering would fix the bigger issue: My antiquated closets just weren’t working. Our home was built in 1952, and the closet setup was low on utility. My main master bedroom closet was dated, with one hanging rod and shelf for my husband and I to share, and our other two closets (one for each of us) were also sorely lacking storage space.

I knew I needed a closet redesign but was overwhelmed by the choices and didn’t know where to begin. When I saw a promotion for Alcove Closets, I was quickly drawn in by the fact that the company is based in New Jersey, on the border of Lakewood and Brick, and has designers that will travel to your home (I live in Bergen County) to measure your closets and brainstorm the best use of each space. My plan was to redesign my three bedroom closets but after the consult, I also decided to invest in revamping my daughter’s closet plus our cramped coat closet.

STAFF PHOTO: BEFORE

Alcove designers use software to customize each setup based on your closet’s measurements so you can see many iterations of what your space could look like in real time. We wanted light shelves to open up our small closets and decided on white laminate units.

If you live in an older home, you probably have the old school sliding doors closet with one rod and a shelf. Our designer suggested we divide the closet I share with my husband in half with a hanging space for dresses on one side and double hanging space for tops and bottoms on the other, separated by two columns of shelves in the middle. Besides increasing our hanging space, the added shelves made way for more tops and bottoms which freed up room in my dresser and gave us more storage for shoes. The setup left plenty of height above the top shelf for my bags. Prices vary depending on your space but our sliding door reach-in closet (top right) runs about $1,899 and my daughter’s closet (left) starts at $1,150, which includes installation.

STAFF PHOTO: AFTER

Our other two bedroom closets were redesigned to have three hanging areas each, plus shelves for tops, bottoms and shoes. I chose to have my shelf divide my closet to make extra room for hanging space while my husband chose a model with more shelves. My daughter has two small closets with one rod each but needed more room for sweatshirts and T-shirts so we chose a system that maximized shelf space and left a bit of hanging space for dresses and jackets.

Finally, our coat closet was so tiny that all of our jackets were smushed. The solution? Replace one rod with two and increase the height so the lower rod is tall enough for longer jackets and the upper rod holds waist-length jackets to double our hanging space! Want to redesign your closet? Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that may seem obvious but are also easy to lose sight of:

Purging is everything. Avoid the temptation to fill every bit of added space in your new closet. Think about what you really wear and try to let go of what you don’t. One tip organizers recommend is to hang all your clothes with the hangers facing in the wrong direction. Each time you wear something, rehang it in the right direction. After 6-12 months, it’ll be easier to let go of the things you never wear.

Use the same hangers throughout. Once I revamped my closet, I replaced my old hangers with new ones that took up less space and were kinder to my clothes (no shoulder marks, etc.). I bought velvet hangers from Amazon Basics and it was a game changer.

STAFF PHOTO: AFTER

Keep editing. It’s a process and you’ll need to keep letting go of what you don’t need (or what doesn’t spark joy as you channel your inner Marie Kondo) to keep things accessible and organized. Baskets and bins help (and look pretty, too). My new closets are a life changer and I already feel so much lighter. But I know I’ll keep tweaking and pruning to make sure each closet works best through every stage and season.

Get the latest on the best things to do with your family in and around New Jersey by signing up for our newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram!

Read More:
Thrift Shops Are Trending! Where to Find Vintage Clothes & Beyond in NJ
Metropolitan Window Fashions Has Been Beautifying Homes in New Jersey For 90 Years
3 NJ Designers Create the Baby Nursery of Your Dreams
See NJFamily’s Shopping Services Directory

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Get fun things to do in NJ delivered straight to your inbox.

Latest articles

More from NJ Family