Operation: Organization – Melissa From Polished Habitat

 Closets are definitely the unofficial theme of this series…guys, I’m pretty sure that we all need these awesome acrylic clutch displays that Melissa designed and made!  Oh, and don’t forget to enter our giveaways at the end of the post.

Here’s Melissa:

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I’m so excited to be back for my 2nd Operation: Organization! Last fall, Amy and Christy were kind enough to feature my pantry, and at the time I really thought it would be my favorite and best organized room forever.

And then I had an idea…

What if I combined my design + function philosophy and tackled the BIGGEST mess in our house? The master closet!

Holy embarrassment!

The big shelves were too deep and tall to do the jobs I wanted them to do. Anytime I cleaned them up, they’d become a big mess again. I couldn’t find anything, stuff needed to be purged, and frankly, I had totally given up on them, which lead to them getting even more out of control.

The rest of the space wasn’t much better.

Twice a year, I take part in a super exhausting insane FUN event called the One Room Challenge, hosted by Linda of Calling It Home. Over 5 weeks, designers and bloggers completely transform spaces and report on the progress each week. I became obsessed with the idea of a glam store-like closet, right in my own home.

I used a 3D software and came up with my dream plan. That big messy shelving area could become a girly vanity. So. Much. Better.

Everything was going great and I was CRAZY happy with the plan and excited to get started. I got some serious exercise hammering out all the existing shelving. Every single piece of it was removed and hauled to the garage.

Cue the total panicked “WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!!?!!” feeling. We are NOT skilled woodworkers. There were some serious heart-racing moments as I wondered if we could pull it off. And those panicked feelings returned several times over the next 5 weeks as we raced the clock and fought complete exhaustion.

I think the end count ended up being 5 gallons of white and navy paint that I used between the walls, ceiling, shelving, and baseboards. But we kept pressing forward SLOWLY. Each day we made at least a little progress.

The drawers are IKEA MALM dressers, but we built right onto them. It was a little disturbing to nail into the side of a brand new dresser, but we wanted everything to look built in.

The last week, it was finally starting to look like a sweet custom closet.

Five weeks later, I was able to move things back in and admire what I couldn’t believe I designed and we built.

Now EVERYTHING has a designated place, including all my purses and clutches, which live in acrylic holders I also designed and we built.

We added lots of little things to keep us organized, like pull-outs for scarves, belts, and ties. The valet rods may be my favorite though. It’s so much easier to pack in the closet, hanging possible outfits on the valet rods. I kid you not, I used to pack with the suitcase on the dining room table with clothes hanging from the chandelier! #classy

There are TONS more photos and details over in the reveal post. I’d love you to visit and say hello.

To see the full reveal/after photos: Organized Glam Closet Reveal
To get the full source list of everything we used in the closet: Closet Source List & How We Saved Big Money
To start at the beginning and see each weekly progress update: ORC Week #1: Closet Before & the Plan

Thanks so much for reading and to Amy & Christy for inviting me back!
Because we want to share the organizing love with you all, we’ve got some great giveaways during this series. Xangar is giving away a 50-pack of their clothes hanger spacers to one lucky reader (a $79.99 value!) so that you can tackle your closet and make it simply beautiful and organized. I’ll be using them in my closet makeover, which I’ll show you at the end of the series, and I’m so excited about them! {Shop for them now here}

 

 

We’re also including one of our 11 Magnolia Lane calendar pads to help you keep your week on track. Read more about how to best use them {here} or shop them {here}.

Good luck! Enter the giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
AND, our newest giveaway just started.  This package includes the 31-Day Declutter Challenge Printables from Mary Organizes, a $40 credit to Polished Habitat’s Etsy shop, and a chalkboard wall calendar from our Etsy shop (it’s perfect for renters).  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Follow our group Operation: Organization Pinterest board {here}.

Operation: Organization 2016
Monday, January 11—Lisa from Organize 365
Wednesday, January 13—Erin from Sunny Side Up
Thursday, January 14—Shand from Quarters One
Friday, January 15—Abby from Just a Girl and Her Blog
Saturday, January 16—Morgan from Morganize with Me
Sunday, January 17—Heather from The Heathered Nest
Monday, January 18—Mary from Mary Organizes
Tuesday, January 19—Melissa from Polished Habitat
Wednesday, January 20—Becky from Organizing Made Fun
Friday, January 22–Samantha from Simply Organizing

Have a beautifully organized day, and thanks for stopping by–