Organizing
How to Style Your Closet (Almost) Like a Celeb
12 closet tips: Sorting, planning, lighting and styling make "What to Wear?" easier to answer
Does figuring out what to wear bum you out because your closet is such a mess? Do you drool with envy over Christian Louboutin collections set up on custom shoe racks and across from color coded wardrobes? Even if you're working with a small closet, you can take inspiration from the closets you see in celebrity home features. Here's how to spiff up your closet with style.
Gratuitous inspiration shot! This closet is larger than most of our homes, but elements of it can inspire you on the journey to your dream closet. Some of the images below will make you say "Yeah, I can do that with my tiny closet," while others will leave you saying, "Get real, Becky!"
1. Clear everything out and sort it into four piles: Keep, Repair, Donate, Toss. If you have a closet that's only big enough to store one season's worth of wardrobe at a time, sort your "keep" pile and set aside the offseason items to store elsewhere. Toss anything that has ever made you feel fat into the "donate" pile without hesitation.
Tip: Closet designer Lisa Adams recommends keeping a permanent "donate" container in the closet, so the moment after you try something on and realize you never want to wear it again, you can toss it in and forget about it.
Tip: Closet designer Lisa Adams recommends keeping a permanent "donate" container in the closet, so the moment after you try something on and realize you never want to wear it again, you can toss it in and forget about it.
2. While it's empty, take a look at what you need to store and the space you have. A trip to IKEA, Bed Bath and Beyond or The Container Store for some racks, baskets or drawer units may be in order.
3. Glam up your lighting. Chances are, you've got a bulb light or a really boring flush-mount ceiling fixture. Here recessed lighting combined with a glittering Caboche Chandelier were used. If you have room, replace it with a small chandelier, a jazzier flush-mount or a drum pendant. I found a chandelier on sale at Neiman Marcus' Last Call for $60 and replaced the depressing light in my closet, and it makes me feel like a star. Just be sure to check with an electrician to make sure the lighting you choose is safe and meets safety codes.
4. Add a full-length mirror. If you have a walk-in, there's no better way to try on ensembles and see how they look.
5. Consider a rug. This will keep the dust bunnies at bay, as long as you keep it vacuumed. In a small closet, 2' x 3' mats will do.
6. Hang some inspirational art. I like to hang my favorite covers of style icons from Bazaar and Vogue magazine covers (for instance, Natalie Portman wearing Audrey Hepburn's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" LBD on the cover of Bazaar) in inexpensive frames from the drugstore. Another good idea is to buy a book of Manolo Blahnik's shoe drawings and cut out your favorites to frame.
7. Wallpaper the closet. Even if you have a tiny closet, wallpapering the back wall provides a delightful surprise when you shove the clothes aside. It's also a great way to use up that extra roll you may have left over from another project.
If you don't have the patience for wallpapering, paint the inside of the closet a fun but impractical color you've always liked, like lavender or turquoise.
8. Banish wire hangers. Most dry cleaners are more than happy to recycle them for you. If you're short on space, Home Goods usually has thin hangers covered in fabric that are a major improvement over wire or plastic.
9. Sort your clothes by type, then by color, and arrange them from lightest to darkest. Now you'll have a good idea of how much space is left for accessories.
10. Corral your scarves, belts, socks, unmentionables, and flip-flops in matching baskets or boxes. Label each one and stack them.
Speaking of flip-flops, many professional closet organizers swear by these boxes that store and display shoes. Stacking them saves on space without requiring one of those over-the-door, pocket shoe organizers that made Carrie Bradshaw gasp in horror.
11. Devise a system for keeping your jewelry organized and accessible. One way is by using decorative hooks for necklaces and bracelets.
Another way is to use a bulletin board or framed screen, which will also accomodate earrings.
See more ways to keep your jewelry organized and accessible
See more ways to keep your jewelry organized and accessible
12. You're almost done. Now tackle the door. Give it a fresh coat of paint and a special knob. Glass knobs are always a glamorous choice. If you still have the DIY fever at this point, trim out the door with paint and add a door knocker like Brian Patrick Flynn did here.
See more closet door ideas
See more closet door ideas
Still don't have enough room? If you're a shoe lover like me, you won't mind putting them on display in your room with something like this storage system from Ballard Designs. I like to do this with purses.
A portable wardrobe like this one will house your off-season threads, freeing up room in the closet for better organization and styling.
Look closely: This isn't a walk-in. It's simply the end of a room that can be curtained off when necessary. If your closet is overflowing or your significant other is moving in, you may need a solution like this one.
More: 10 Elements of the Perfect Closet
Organizing Tips from a Hollywood Dream Closet
Closet Storage Solution: Fall Clothes In, Summer Clothes Out!
More: 10 Elements of the Perfect Closet
Organizing Tips from a Hollywood Dream Closet
Closet Storage Solution: Fall Clothes In, Summer Clothes Out!
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