I feel like I lost my mind a little bit this past weekend. In a good way. Since I have been in organization/purge/frugal/tax time/autopilot mode, I haven’t really “been shopping” since before Christmas. With all the President’s Day sales and a heart begging for new spring pretties, I shopped. A lot. I shopped online, I shopped local… I even made two trips over an hour away in two days to shop. I linked some of the pretties I scored HERE and as soon as they are delivered and I get my house transitioned a bit more, I’ll be sharing 😉 Searching and finding all the good deals was just what the doctor ordered. BUT, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was finally conquering our little entry – I officially have an organized foyer coat closet.
We don’t have a mud room and our foyer is small. This makes space management in the stationery desk area in the kitchen – next to the garage door (also organized and coming soon) – and the little closet next to the front door extra important.
Our home is still in seasonal transition- the front porch urns are empty and waiting for ferns, the wreath is in its final days, I am looking for a new chest just inside the door, and my new entry lantern (HERE) will be here next month,
Fun changes are coming and after making zero additions over the last few months, I am ready! PS: that hydrangea bloom below? It’s from my sweetheart table (HERE) which was shot over a month ago! I post a few video stories on Instagram about the process I learned from my friend Bree of zdesignathome.com but for those who missed it, you can read about her magic trick to make them last HERE.
Ok, back to the foyer closet makeover! The closet was… typical. One wire shelf running across. It wasn’t terrible… but it was far from acceptable. What you can’t see is that the door frame is 7′ tall but the inside of the closet has 9′ ceilings. It is such a small, shallow closet I knew there would be wasted vertical space but it could be better. Much better. While my mom was in town, we made our annual pilgrimage to The Container Store for the annual 30% off Elfa sale. I met with a designer, gave him the dimensions, and explained the simple solution I had in mind. He created a mock-up and two days later, Dave picked up all the pieces, cut to spec and ready for the install.
I cleared the closet and he took down the wire shelf. I took inventory of what I wanted the closet to hold and took items that didn’t belong to their respective homes. If you aren’t familiar with Elfa, the cool thing is that the entire system runs off of one parallel track. Once you install the level track, you hang the vertical bars from that single piece. Pretty cool, right?
Dave took care of the assembly – he was the one with the head lamp, after all ;). Maggie sat patiently, taking notes. Until she got bored and went back to demolishing the dining room rug.
After 30 minutes, this is what the shelving looked like. At this point, I hadn’t determined shelf spacing just yet. I really wanted to be able to store my vacuum cleaner in here which was a primary consideration when planning with the Elfa designer. Two short hanging rods allowed the space I needed. The top shelf is more shallow than the bottom so I can have room to actually place things up there. I played with the shelving a bit, shopped for baskets twice, and completed the project on Sunday.
As a reminder, here is where I started.
And this is the result!
I got rid of a few jackets with busted zippers but there is far more in the closet now than there was before. The space is just used more efficiently.
The vacuum cleaner was previously stored in the downstairs guest bedroom. I love that it is easy to access now without taking up room in the guest closet.
While we keep most of our shoes upstairs, we each like to have a pair of flip flops, tennis shoes, and/or slippers downstairs. The vertical space was tight so I opted for a basket to corral them. There was also space created for cold weather gear – gloves, ear warmers, hats – which makes more sense than the shelf at the top of our master closet where they were hidden away.
There was even room for two sets of dumbbells and resistance bands that were stuffed under the coffee table. I picked up these cute chalkboard labels and now, I feel like I want to label everything. In the entire house. I have had bad luck with chalk paint markers in the past but THESE are the best I have ever used. They were perfect.
If I had room on the bottom shelf, or on the floor, I would have come up with a shoe solution there. Instead, I decided to store them vertically in the bottom basket.
I left a few extra hangers for guests. A few years ago, I made the switch to all black, slim felt hangers. They are amazing and save so much space! It can be a process to transition your entire house but the coat closet is a good place to try it out. I love to get mine at Costco or, you can get them on Prime HERE with free shipping.
For sitting room sources and details, visit the reveal HERE.
I have my stationery desk organized and coming soon, along with my cabinet under the kitchen sink. I have a whole list of to-do’s but let me know what spaces you want to see. I’ll either bump them up in priority or maybe consider taking on a new project I hadn’t considered 😉
To see some of my other recent organization projects, check out the posts below by clicking on the images.
*post contains affiliate links*
Hover above the image and click “PIN” to save it for later!
Lisa says
February 21, 2017 at 8:46 amOoh,, I LOVE posts like this! Your closet really looks perfect. So much in a little space! What great inspiration! Thank you!
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:24 amLisa, I am so glad! I have a lot more organization posts coming so I hope everyone doesn’t get sick of them! haha 😉
Tiffany says
May 12, 2018 at 8:49 pmI love your front door. What is the style name and color?
Kelley Nan says
May 15, 2018 at 8:44 pmHi! I am so sorry- I don’t know. I picked it out of a lineup :/
Joss says
February 21, 2017 at 9:31 amWow the closet looks great. Seems like you definitely created more storage room, which we all know is of prime value! Great job!
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:24 amJoss, thank you so much! Crazy how a little rearranging can make such a difference!
Georgina Wigley says
February 21, 2017 at 9:32 amNice job Kelley Nan! Very inspiring 🙂
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:23 amGeorgina, thank you!
Bree says
February 21, 2017 at 9:58 amKelley, this is so awesome!!!!! I love how organized you are getting and thank you for mentioning my hydrangea tips ??
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:22 amBree, they are my lifeline!!
Maria says
February 21, 2017 at 10:19 amWhat a difference! Love
How organized it is now! Good job Kel! ?
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:22 amMaria, thank you!!
Michele says
February 21, 2017 at 10:48 amLooks great – and you will want to keep it that way because it is so functional.
My daughter used to work at our local The Container store – oh my word it is heavenly in there, isn’t it? Last time I was there I bought all my flat felt hangers there – wish I woulda waited for Cosco, much cheaper there for sure! Oh well.
So where do you keep long dressy coats? Most of mine are long, so just wondering.
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:22 amHi Michele! Love the Container Store and love those hangers!! If you ever need them again and are a member, check there first 😉 I actually don’t have any coats longer than a pea coat so for us, we didn’t necessarily need to accompate that. If we had, I probably would have figured something out for the far right side with my Elfa designer.
Haneen says
February 21, 2017 at 12:46 pmKelley, this is awesome! Nice work! I needed some motivation! Xo
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:19 amHaneen, thank you sweet friend!
Linda martin says
February 21, 2017 at 2:31 pmLove the new look closet, well done!!
Can I please ask the paint you used on the walls??
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:19 amLinda, thank you! It is Versatile Gray by Sherwin Willians. 🙂
Trudy Chambers says
February 21, 2017 at 4:24 pmCloset is amazing, might I inquire where you got your entry rug, I really like it?
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:18 amHi, Trudy! It was a HomeGoods find from a few weeks ago. 😉
Jennifer Gainer says
February 21, 2017 at 5:41 pmGotta love that elfa it’s the best!!!! Nice job it turned out great, so organized.
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:18 amJen, YOUR elfa station is amazing! And, it probably took us as long to hang this little bar as it took y’all to hang that whole system haha! 😉
Stephanie Meyers says
February 21, 2017 at 9:11 pmI absolutely love this organization posts! After your last post I tackled my linen closet this past weekend. Looks like I may need to do my entry way closet as well.
I would love to see some laundry room or kitchen organization posts, pots and pans, spices etc!
Kelley Nan says
February 24, 2017 at 8:17 amHey, Stephanie! That is awesome! I have a bunch coming up for the kitchen but I will admit, my laundry room needs serious help. Like, full renovation help haha
Gretchen Thomas says
February 25, 2017 at 10:19 amYou always have such vision and then make it a reality. Love this redo. Great job, Honey and Dave!
Katrina says
June 14, 2017 at 11:52 pmLooks great Kelley! Bree mentioned hydrangeas tips?? I’d love for you to share those. We just planted 14 limelights. Any cutting tips would be appreciated!
Kelley Nan says
June 23, 2017 at 10:34 amHi, Katrina! Bree’s tips for keeping them alive work like a charm! (here: http://www.zdesignathome.com/hydrangeas/) For cutting them, they will grow back quickly so don’t be shy about snipping the blooms. Ours were cut down too low and I was nervous but they have come back bigger and better than before, thanks to the weather.
Melissa says
July 8, 2017 at 9:24 pmI love this! I have a very small coat closet in my entryway, as well. I think it may be smaller than yours (I live in NYC). Not sure if this Elfa configuration would work for me, though I like how it’s working for you. Do you remember what the width of your closet is?
Best,
Melissa
Kristin says
October 16, 2017 at 1:15 amYes please! I am also curious about your measurements? I think my coat closet is smaller as well but I love this configuration.
Kelley Nan says
October 22, 2017 at 3:22 pmKristin, I am not sure on the exact measurements but it is barely wider than the standard door. Love how the space is maximized even in a tight area!
Christina Hadley says
August 29, 2017 at 11:19 amMy laundry room closet needs help. Right now everything is just thrown in there. I am not sure where to even start, so this posts helps!
Kelley Nan says
August 31, 2017 at 3:06 amOh, I am so glad! My laundry room needs MAJOR help! Like, a complete overhaul!
Alli Pike says
October 30, 2017 at 9:07 amLove this! And love your front door! Any idea where it came from? I’m currently in the market for one!
Kelley Nan says
November 7, 2017 at 7:42 amAlli, I don’t; I picked it out of a lineup. I’m so sorry!
Elise says
January 5, 2018 at 11:58 amLove your idea. What were the measurements of your closet?
Kelley Nan says
January 8, 2018 at 7:16 amElise, thank you! I didn’t save them (so sorry!) but it was really awkward having such a high ceiling with space that can’t be used. I do know that this closet is actually more shallow than the “small reach-in closets” they display and set up in store.
Heather says
August 21, 2018 at 5:46 pmI love your front door! Where did you get it?
Kelley Nan says
August 21, 2018 at 7:14 pmHeather, thank you! Unfortunately, I picked it out of a lineup and then the builder stained it. I’m so sorry I don’t have a better answer!
Sue says
November 11, 2018 at 4:19 pmLove your front door! Could you let me know what brand it is or where you purchased it from? Thanks so much!
Kelley Nan says
November 13, 2018 at 3:00 pmThank you, Sue! I wish I knew but I picked it out of a lineup :/ so sorry!
Aryn says
December 30, 2018 at 5:32 pmLooks great! Can you tell me how wide the inside of your closet space is?