Before and After: A Pro Organizer Brings Peace to This Packed Closet

Getting dressed is a task that happens most, if not all, days, and when your closet is disorganized that means you may feel stressed most, if not all, days. But it doesn’t have to be so hard. Finding what you want to wear should be effortless, and all it takes is a good system to make this daily ritual efficient and peaceful. 

Peace is exactly what Maia Barnett of Mai Organization brought to her client’s overwhelmed and disorganized closet. Before the transformation, there were no systems in place, and the products the client owned were not able to contain her shoes and clothes. She often couldn’t find what she wanted to wear, so she was wasting valuable time in a sometimes fruitless search. 

After consulting with the client, Maia planned and shopped for products that would maximize space in the closet and align with the aesthetic of the space. She chose Utopia Home Premium Velvet Hangers from Amazon, and Target’s Room Essentials 31” Stackable Shelf for shoe storage. The client’s budget was $800, but Maia spent close to $500 for the project. “Succeeding under budget is always a win,” she says.

On project day, Maia worked alongside a colleague to overhaul the closet in seven hours. The two main goals were to create systems for all the shoes and clothing and to maximize space. 

In addition to addressing the hanging items and shoes, they also “micro-organized the client’s undergarments and accessories in clear, acrylic bins,” to make it easy to see everything at once, and to place a limit on the number of items stored in the closet. They also utilized vertical space by storing hats and bags on the door using a clip organizer. 

Despite the radical transformation, Maia considers the project an easy one. “The closet wasn’t hard to organize,” she says. “The easiest part was selecting the products that would best work in her space.” 

Maia’s favorite part of the project was seeing her client’s reaction. “She was so happy with the finished results and excited to maintain her new systems,” says Maia, who loves that her client chose to invest in making her life easier and more organized. “Now she can get ready and pack for her trips with ease.”

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