NOW THAT FALL TEMPERATURES ARE SETTLING IN, MANY OF US WILL BEGIN TRANSITIONING OUR CLOSETS FOR THE NEW SEASON. Sandals, tank tops and summer dresses will be moved aside for sweaters, boots and jackets. But no matter what, it often feels like we don’t have enoug h room for it all, which makes this the perfect time to organize your closet. We spoke with Dan Nili, owner of California Closets, abou t some ways we can keep our closets in order all year long, starting by taking everything out. “Do you really need that ripped up old h oodie or the striped blouse with the tag still on it?” he says. “While everything is out of your closet, take that time to refresh the s pace with a new coat of paint, extra shelves, light fixtures and more. With a little TLC your closet can be decluttered, organized and refreshed.”
1. Keep your closet seasonal. At the beginning of each season, rotate your clothes and accessories accordingly. While this seems like a no -brainer, it is easy to push this aside. Nili says basic closets have nothing more than a rod and a shelf, leaving a lot of wasted space. “Storing off-season items in the upper portion of a closet gets them out of the way and puts the stuff you need to wear right now in fro nt of you,” he says. “You’ll be able to find everything in one glance wi thout digging into the back of the closet.” It also keeps things l ooking fresher and your clothes feeling new.
2. Group things together. The key to a beautiful closet is keeping the clothes organized in grou ps. First, separate items by type (skirts with skirts, denim with denim, and so on), and then decide if the grouping needs to be hung, fo lded or put in a drawer. And if you are feeling enthusiastic, go ahead and organize by color—your eyes will thank you later.
3. Rethink closet lighting. Closets tend to be poorly lit spaces, which can make finding th at navy tee among a pile of black ones a particularly daunting task. California Closets offers a variety of lighting options including LED, puck or strip lighting, as well as RPG color-changing lights . “We can also install motion-activated lighting that turns on when you open the door, or more advanced systems have remote control light ing for d ifferent sections of a closet,” says Nili. Lighting can also be installed in drawers to more easily select jewelry or other acce ssories.
4. Bring in color and pattern. Personalize the closet with bins, hooks or a fresh coat of paint. If you love a minimal, clean look, try woven bins with a linen interior to store accessories or intimates. For something a bit more playful, use colorful baskets and quirky hooks to showcase jewelry and scarves.
5. If you add something new, take something out. There is one critical rule of closet organization, says Nili. “If you add some thing, take something out. If you bring home a new piece of clothing and you have to jam it into your closet, when you pull it out to wear it, it will be all wrinkly.” Nili says if you have items with the tags still on them and y ou haven’t worn i t, donate it to someone who will enjoy it. “This policy keeps things tidy and current. If that fails, when you rotate your closet at th e beginning of each season, use that time to cleanse and channel your inner Marie Kondo. The more room your clothes have the better condi tion they will be.”
California Closets
Mount Laurel, Cranbury, Northfield
(609) 655-1899
CaliforniaClosets.com
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Family Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 8 (October 2018).
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