Before and After: See How These 2 Kids’ Closets Were Transformed to Streamline Clothing and Toy Clutter
When you’re thinking of the aesthetics of your home, your attention may focus more on the rooms that are seen by others. But pleasing-looking spaces aren’t just for appearances. An organized and nice-to-look-at spot, even if it’s one that’s rarely seen, makes you feel good too.
This is especially true when it comes to closets. Closets may be among the most private spaces in homes, but a nicely organized, pretty closet can mean the difference between a frazzled morning and a smooth one that sets the tone for a peaceful start to the day.
Teresa Dinneen, founder and owner of Lifestyled, made this type of functional, beautiful closet a reality for this family looking to revamp their two kids’ closets. They had recently moved into their home and the closets hadn’t been set up properly, shares Teresa. “Clothes were put away, but not in the most useful way or in a way that the kids could grow into the closet as their needs and as clothing sizes changed.”
Additionally, drawers were overstuffed with clothes and toys started to accumulate with no clear storage options, shares Teresa. “There was a need for some organizational systems to be put into place so the kids’ rooms could be better utilized for both clothes and toys, creating a clean but also fun and creative space.”
The main goals for the kids’ closet makeovers were to create an organizational system that would be easy enough for the kids to manage on their own, as well as have it arranged in a way that would encourage them to pick their clothes and get themselves dressed each morning. It was also important that the spaces grew with them.
To make this happen, Teresa began by measuring the closets so she knew exactly what organizing products to buy to maximize space. Next, she removed every single thing from the closets. “The day of the project, we pull everything out of the space — yes EVERYTHING,” says Teresa. “It’s best to start any organization project with a clean slate.”
Categorizing comes next. Items are grouped and zones are created in the closet. Everyday items are put at the child’s eye level and stored in the most accessible way. “We always sort clothing by category, type, and then by color, which is hard to see in these photos but helps kids in learning their colors as well as how to maintain the organization,” says Teresa, who stresses that labeling closet baskets and interiors of drawers as another must-have in kids rooms. “When everyone knows where to find and put away items, it makes for easier organization maintenance.”
The hardest part of the project was reworking the console to be a kid-friendly toy zone. “You want toy storage to be accessible, easy to pull out and put away, but still inviting enough that they want to stay in their room and play,” says Teresa. And the easiest part? “The easiest part was organizing the clothing. I love organizing closets and little kids’ clothes are just too cute to not have fun with it.”
Teresa’s biggest tip for organizing kids’ closets has to do with decluttering their clothes. “The best advice for any kids’ closet organization is to edit out any outgrown or damaged clothing so you are only organizing items your child wears. That way, as you teach them to dress themselves they only pick from items that fit and are appropriate to wear.”
Another thing Teresa swears by is zippered vinyl mesh pouches for smaller toys, doll accessories, games, and puzzles. “ Label each pouch and store in a basket for ultimate space-saving toy organization.” She also loves to color-code books in rainbow order not just for aesthetic reasons, but also to help kids learn how to put them back by color.
Thank you, Teresa!
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