apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We are less in need of purging since we just moved, but closet organization. With the right closet setup, I think we could rid of some huge and ugly wardrobes from the bedroom. I know of the elfa system and the (seemingly) less expenseive closet maid stuff at lowes. anyone have any recommendations?
(We have 3 large reach-ins and a decent sized walk-in)

"very few exceptions, it's likely that clothing that you haven't worn in six months is clothing you will not wear again"

maybe this is true in LA, but in Montreal clothing that you haven't worn in six months is clothing you will wear again soon, when it's so cold you are obligated to wear several layers of wool in order to survive but wouldn't be caught dead in otherwise.
that's why God created storage rooms. For Canada.

amen, annalyssa.

maybe apply this trick seasonally? i.e. hang everything in the start of the season (i.e., now/2 weeks ago) backwards, and see what's left in may?

except then it'll take a year to see the results :)

Does anyone know where this lamp is from? Thanks.

annalyssa and olya -
olya has the idea...i posted this now since it is the end of warm weather clothing season and the start of (lots of!)layers here in Chicago

KMriley,
The best splurge I ever had was to have my closets professionally fitted. I had my ideas of what would make them more useful, but the designer did it totally differently and he was so right! I'm glad I didn't waste money doing it myself..they would have continued to be big black holes of messiness.

I just installed the Elfa system. It's a bit pricey considering it doesn't look like it. Not sure I like the fact it still can wobble. Seems counterintuitive.

I'm always amazed that the 6-months or 1-year idea for clothes actually works for anyone. Annalyssa points out 6 months is impractical in places that have extreme climate differences between winter and summer, and that's certainly true, but there's also the issue of needing different types of clothing for different segments of life. Maybe most people lead less varied lives than I have, or have lived in/regularly visit fewer climates.

For example, there have been times in my life when I could easily wear a suit to work every day, and times when I could go years without needing one. (Right now I need one a few times a year for conferences, but conferences take place in all seasons in quite a few parts of the country.) I wouldn't dream of getting rid of a suit unless I thought it was one I could never wear again.

Or T shirts. Sometimes I live in them. They're great for summer in the San Francisco area (with a sweater as backup), and when I'm self-employed or doing grubby tasks. When I moved east, I found it was usually either too hot or too cold for T shirts, but all of a sudden I needed sleeveless tops for summer. But I normally spend part of the summer back in the Bay Area wearing T shirts and long-sleeved shirts that are too hot to wear in the east.

I find it much more practical to keep clothes until they either wear out (when I get upset because I can't find the same thing to replace them with) or it becomes clear I'll never fit into them again or that they were a mistake to buy in the first place. I vote for buying clothes that are either infinitely practical or that a person just adores and will wear at least now and then for 10-20 years. (Fashion is fun but trendiness is idiotic.)

Of course, a person still has to find a way to store the clothes... but that's a problem for everyone but the most minimalist among us.

Yeah I agree with Spotsalot. Also since I'm a big thrift shopper I have a lot of special clothes that never wear out and go in and out of circulation depending on my fashion style and mood. Like the 1930's striped chiffon bedjacket that I had 10 years without wearing then suddenly started wearing as a jacket to great success. Its hard to get rid of vintage things because so many of them are so beautifully made, and the craftsmanship to make them has simply died, so they are really works of art form a bygone age. I have started hanging vintage gowns on my walls as a way to display them... and I do purge when need be. For people who are into costumes , adornment, and clothes as art, purge every 6 months 'aint gonna work.

Yes, Spotsalots and mskk. Me, too!