Organization- Master Closet

Let’s get organized!

A three part mini-series

Master Closet

For some, organization comes easy. And for others it is a constant struggle. I personally find myself to be more in the former group. I suppose early on I learned it, for it did not come to me innately. I learned it not because my family was neat but because in many ways they weren’t. There were six of us, my father and mother and four children. If you included the family cats and dog and the occasional rescued squirrel, turtle or tad pole there could be up to ten at any given time living in our home.

Daddy was an engineer and mother worked as a school teacher. We led busy and fun lives, yet in the 60’s all house work and the day to day raising of the children was a woman’s job. So mother ran herself ragged, never able to keep up. Mother did have a lady that came in once a week to help but that never seemed to put a dent in the laundry or the house work. So inevitably loads and loads of clean clothes seemed to creep into the den, covering our sofa and chairs. Those clothes just sat there waiting for one of us children to fold and of course we would be slow to do so.

I think it was living in what I perceived as a mess that made me as an adult want to keep things neat and orderly. And yet as I reflect further on those days it was in that mess where so much love lived.

So when I talk of organization and the home I believe we should plan areas and rooms well to hold our things so we can easily find and use them. It makes dressing or cooking or crafting so much more pleasurable to be organized. But never do I feel a house has to be kept perfectly, for it should feel lived in.

For me one of the biggest treats I gave myself when remolding the house on Gates Avenue was a well thought out and designed master closet. Well made closets are not inexpensive to build. Of course a master closet doesn’t cost as much as a kitchen or bath because there is no plumbing or appliance or marble counter-tops but the cabinet cost could be about the same. So therefore, we need to take the time to think about how we use it and what we want to store.

For myself and for our clients when designing a personal closet we always start with a series of questions.

How many linear feet of clothing do you have?

Shoes, purses, bras, undergarments, belts, ties, and scarves

Jewelry (both costume and real) & Watches

Do you want to share a closet with you spouse?

Do you travel a lot and need a place in your closet to pack your luggage or store a piece of luggage?

Where will you put on your shoes?

Do you need a full length mirror?

Do you need a place to charge a phone or put things when you empty your pockets?

Then, we talk about what to purge. We all try to store to much in our closets, holding on to clothes and things that are too old, worn out and simply items we never wear. So it’s important once we make this initial purge that we do it on a regular bases. I personally change out my closet twice a year with summer and winter. So at that time I go though all my clothes and give away all the items that I no longer want or need. It’s amazing how much you can accumulate during 6 months.

This has been so helpful for me to keep my closet from getting over packed. With this semi-annual purge I’m able to maintain a closet where I can see what I have. This allows me to actually wear more of my clothes.

After all the questions have been answered and after our client have purged (or at least thought about the purge) we plan a drawer, shelf, cubby or rack designed specifically for all items.

There is nothing like a great master closet. If you don’t have one I recommend you make that your next treat.

-Beverly Farrington