Jeffrey Calandra is the organizational mastermind behind ocd4life (Organization Concepts Designed 4 Life). For our look at all types of Home Projects this month, we asked him to share some before and afters of work he's done for his clients to help inspire all of us to get more organized by tackling our own projects. Here is a remarkable one to kick things off...
Here is what Jeffrey had to say about this transformation:
A man’s closet can often be in need of some ocd4life. While he will have the space to create a great closet, it is almost never a man’s top priority to get things setup in a functional way. Aside from the clothes coming back from the cleaners on a hanger, the closet can often be a dumping ground for everything from shoes to sweaters. This project was no exception.
When starting the project our objective was to create a clean closet that would provide ample storage and be easy for the client to maintain. The challenge that we faced was that the client, who is living in a rental, was not interested in changing the closet structure. Even though there are excellent temporary closet solutions on the market, he wanted to maintain what the building had put in place.
Our solution was to utilize several cost effective items that would help us create more usable space. Since the shelving was sized inefficiently for sweaters, jeans, etc, we made use of shelf risers to split the built-ins in half. This makes it easier for the client to remove a sweater or a pair of jeans and not destroy the entire pile. We also used three stacking shoe racks and placed them both below and above his hanging clothes. While it is not common to put shoes above one’s clothes, the height on the top shelf made it the perfect spot for a shoe rack that would house his off-season footwear.
In the end, the total transformation took about 6 hours to shop for supplies, sort the clothes, purge old/unworn styles and reassemble the closet in an easy-to-maintain, organized way.
The total cost for the supplies for this project was about $150.
Thanks, Jeffrey!
Images: Jeffrey Calandra/ocd4life
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I can't really get behind all these "look, I cleaned up" posts. I do this to my closet twice a year -- clean out clothes, pick up the stuff that's fallen everywhere and yet again try to come up with a good way of corralling my shoes. Basic maintenance of closets isn't quite worthy of as many posts as we've seen lately....
Its amazing what folding can do.
Spring for better hangers; they will really make a difference.
bravo! no more wasted time on looking for things or ironing wrinkled clothing. the organization can keep shopping to a minimum since everything owned can be seen all at once, and possibly create new outfits, too. feeling organized is a great start to the day, and also makes dressing for evening a seamless experience.
Why didn't the purple sneakers make it into the "after" pic?!
kathryn, i see the purple sneakers on the top shelf.
This guy has three times more shoes than I do! And I'm a woman!!!
im with LSUgrad... so you cleaned up. good for you.
i keep trying to organize my closet....I still don't have it down yet but it is gettting closer.
I concur: as a single guy I manage to tidy my closet pretty often.
@kalemany, my thoughts were similar. I don't know any man with that many shoes. Or that many pairs of pants, actually.
True, this is basically an "oh, you cleaned" post, but I'm a sucker for photos of anything all organized and neat looking.
although i do agree with "so you cleaned up. good for you" comment, people DO often forget that the closet requires cleaning/organization!
same thing with junk drawers, coat closets, underneath the sink, the pantry or even the refrigerator! if you can easily close the door, it's easily forgotten about, right?
although my closet is VERY clean right now, I can't say the same about my craft corner. these posts are inspiring me to get my act together!
Didn't he install more shelves? That's something.
good work! now you just have to keep it up...
I think the point of the posts serve more as an inspiration for those who aren't organizationally inclined. The point isn't for you to applaud like a proud parent because someone cleaned up their mess. It's probably nice for some people to see that from a huge mess you can create order.
Not everyone can be perfect housekeepers.
C'mon, 17 pairs of blue jeans? I mean, the closet looks great.
... but 17 pairs of blue jeans?
@somuchverbiage: Maybe some of those are jean vests and cut-offs?
As a slob, I appreciate these posts. They guilt me into tidying up. Or at least seriously considering it.
Basic posts like this one have a place on AT because they're encouraging and informative. Many AT readers aren't professional designers, myself included. I'm inspired to see how easily shoes storage on my bedroom closet floor could be improved. Plus, photos help me share ideas with family.
I have to admit I love "Look, I organized it!" posts. It's like vicarious cleaning!
@Kaete - I'm with you!
Plus I might learn something new, see a good idea, or find an awesome new organizational product.
Well, I think the kitchen nook post took the biscuit in the "look, I can clean up" bunch of posts!
With all due respect, if you don't want to read these posts...
Some like reading these for inspiration, motivation, etc.
why do some women have issues with men who have more shoes than they do, or more jeans, etc? it's a silly thing to comment on, and it implies that there's something wrong with the guy.
Dude still has too much stuff in there. Cut by another half, move the seasonal stuff into temporary storage, and let that fabric breathe!
+1 on the new hangers. And cedar shoe trees, if you have any shoes that cost money.
I actually like the organizational posts and the b/a pics.
The website "ocd4life" really sounds like this would be about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Not a great marketing tool for organizing. Just my 2 cents.
you need an article on 'A Married Man's Closet Cleanup' where you mention letting go of old shirts & jeans you no longer wear, fit in to or like. Could you also mention how big of a turn on it is to see your man picking up after himself. i need to show THAT article to my lovely husband.
Seriously - if you can't even put your clothes away neatly, you should be reading flylady.com for inspiration. No one deserves a pat on the back for paying someone to stop them looking like a slob.
I like the "after", especially where the shoe problem was solved. I wish all closets had built-in shelving near the floor.
I recently just reorganized my closet and I appreciate posts like this. For me though, the main obstacle was uncluttering. I agree with most of the posters above, this guy needs to remove duplicate functionality items- jeans and sneakers seem like he should pare down to the ones he actually likes and wears often, and donate the rest to charity.
This inspired me, I went and did this last night it was a three hour project- shopping, making and cleaning up and organizing. I've had this one closet that has been neglected for some time and now it looks great and I purged quit a bit.
I don't have as much as this guy does and perhaps he has no chest of drawers so everything in in his closet but I manage to make a huge difference for 60.00 and in three hours.
Thanks for this post!
Simple, but effective.
I hate it when people recommend "nicer hangers". I have a tiny closet, there's no way I could fit all my clothes in with wood or even plastic hangers. Wire hangers are space efficient!
It's always motivating to see a nice organized space!
This was a great closet to begin with; the guy was a slob. Hopefully, he can keep it neat now.
Oh please....this is just taking stuff out of the closet, folding it, and putting it back. It's basic cleaning. I wouldn't pay a professional organizer a dime to do this. I do this up to four times a year.
I love that he has my same lilac Converse sneakers :-P