Here’s How to Organize Your Closet for Under $325

Our front closet is arguably one of the most used spaces in our home. It houses shoes and jackets, hats and grocery bags, and my family spends a lot of time rummaging through it multiple times per day. While I did have the space relatively organized, we had a standard builder’s grade closet (aka one rod and one shelf) in there and we were limited with what we could do. So when Home Hardware approached me to team up on an organizing project, I knew I wanted to tackle the front closet.​

The first thing I did was grab my measuring tape, noted the dimensions and headed over to the Home Hardware website to check out my options. I wanted something that had both shelves and hanging options and was relatively easy to install. So, I chose this closet organizer, and shoe rack, along with these baskets, hooks, hangers and removable hooks.

After removing the original rod and shelf I decided that while the closet was empty I should take the time to repair the walls and put on a fresh coat of paint. I wanted it to be clean and simple so I chose Beauti-Tone Natura paint in the colour White Dew, which is actually their base paint colour! I also impulse-purchased this awesome paint can lid that made the process way easier.

Putting together the closet system was easy and straightforward. I did it by myself with the exception of cutting the closet rods. Please don’t be scared off by this, it’s not actually a necessary (or likely recommended!) step but because our closet is so tiny and I wanted the shelving to be in the middle instead of off to one of the sides, I decided to cut the rods to achieve the look that I wanted.

The next step was the installation of the closet system, which basically only involved securing the shelving to the back wall and the rods to the side walls. Again, it was super simple and straightforward and with the help of my level, power drill and screwdriver I was done in practically no time. I made sure to have one of the hanging rods at kid level so that they could easily grab their jackets and hang them back up without me.

Whenever you look at a space and how to best make it functional, it’s a really good idea to think about accessibility and who will be using the space. Try to have kid items at kid level so that it’s easy to reach. It both allows them to foster independence and means that you don’t have to be involved in the mundane task of getting their bags and jackets. Double win!

For the center shelving I decided to go with lightweight baskets to house extra hats, slippers and shoes. I find baskets to be so versatile when organizing a space, they act like little drawers and allow you to easily access your items while at the same time hiding the mess of what’s inside them. I added a few labels so that it was very clear to everyone in the house what was meant to go in each.

Lastly, I swapped out all of the hangers so that they matched. I chose sturdy wooden hangers for this space as when we eventually transition to winter, our coats will be heavier, and I wanted to make sure there was enough support. Having one type of hanger really helps to achieve that streamlined look and reduce the visual clutter.

I knew from the beginning that I would be satisfied with the project, I mean, who would be unhappy with a closet upgrade? But what I didn't expect was how pleased the whole family is with it as well. My kids keep looking into the closet and marveling over how amazing it looks.