Before & After: An Awkward Closet Gets a Stylish Makeover

There’s always an awkward space in any home. It could be an odd-sized recess in an otherwise normal wall, or a few weirdly narrow cabinets that can’t hold anything wider than a travel mug (a very real issue in my rental apartment). But unlike my current cabinet situation, some of us are lucky enough to be able to do something about the less-than-ideal situations in our homes —like Rachel, the blogger behind DIY in PDX, who transformed a dark walk-in closet into a bright and welcoming space for storage.

The original closet space offered an enviable amount of square footage, but the layout was an odd one. Off to the left and right of the main walk-in area were two tinier closets. Double the closets, double the storage, right? Wrong. Each opened to reveal the steep slope of a ceiling, with a bar half-heartedly tucked underneath. There also wasn’t any light source in either closet, with the main source of illumination only coming from the single socket in the ceiling of the walk-in.

Rachel’s first move was to get rid of the doors on each closet (keeping the old doors that enclose the entire walk-in) and removing the old, thick carpeting. Luckily, there were wood floors underneath the carpet. Unfortunately, the floors had been painted haphazardly in shades of red and brown. The easiest solution was to paint the floors Benjamin Moore’s Icicle, in a latex floor and patio formula. She also used the fresh white hue on the walls and on the ceiling. It’s a decor choice that already made the space appear much brighter and more inviting than before.

Then, it was time to tackle the small closets to maximize storage. Rachel added a new rod, plus shoe racks underneath and a slim shelving unit for accessories and small items. Stick-on LED lights offer a temporary solution for the lighting issue within the closets.

Rachel decided not to clutter up the “main” walk-in area with excessive furniture. But, she did slip in storage in unobtrusive ways. The blue ottoman is a re-covered Target find, and is used to house purses and bags. She also installed white pegboard on the wall to conveniently hold accessories and jewelry. A carpet in a modern pattern, hanging plants, a new overhead light and neutral curtains complete the look.

To see more of Rachel’s closet, visit DIY in PDX.