People say don’t mix business with pleasure. This can also apply to how you organize your closet! If you are someone with a job that requires you to dress in a more formal attire, it may save you time getting ready in the morning by keeping your business outfits separate from your leisure ones.

In this Before & After, my client happens to have 2 side-by-side hanging closets. She has a great sense of style, with clothes in many fun colors and patterns. However, her work in the corporate world requires a more monochromatic wardrobe.

After an initial interview and learning about how she envisions her ideal lifestyle, we began to tackle the first category using the KonMari method: clothing. Using her bed as the staging area, we created a pile of clothes by removing them from the hangers. This step may seem tedious, but it allowed my client to touch each piece and see if it sparks joy. It also gave us a chance to separate any mismatched hangers.

As she came across pieces she no longer wanted to keep, we paused to give gratitude for those items that taught her why it was time to let them go. Whether they were the wrong color, the fabric, or no longer fit her current lifestyle, nothing was removed without first understanding why.

BEFORE: 2 more dressers of folded clothes

The photo above is a drawer that holds t-shirts, sweatshirts and some heavy socks that didn’t fit in the sock drawer. The photo underneath is clothes for exercise and some swimsuits and coverups.

 

AFTER: Work Clothes for the weekdays

Since the client has 2 closets side-by-side, it made sense to separate her work clothes from her weekend wear. Take a look at the after photos, I feel like the clothes are happier too!

Not seeing here are the shoes and boots we placed back in the closet. The ones worn more frequently were placed on the floor, and the occasional ones were put away on the top shelf.

AFTER: Leisure Clothes for the weekends

This closet holds dresses for evenings, jackets and long sleeves blouses. The only hangers my client had for skirts were the ones that you can hang 3 pieces from one hanger. So those are temporarily hung on the far right. I recommended getting individual hangers so it doesn’t create a bulky space.

Not Photographed: We stood the suitcase up and made room for her iron, detergent, and other laundry related items to store on the top shelf. The air conditioning unit on the floor has to stay there during the winter seasons, but it made a good spot to put her laundry basket.

T-shirts and tank tops

One simple way to differentiate the tank tops from the t-shirts was by switching them to a different direction. You can also use a small box to create visual boundaries between clothes that fall into different subcategories. (Simple Joy Tip: Fold your t-shirts so they end up about the size of a clutch purse. And fold your tanks and camisoles so they are about the size of a men’s wallet.)

Use your drawers to increase the power of joy with a personal touch. Here we added a spark of joy with a little stuffed penguin poking out. (orange beak near the upper right corner).

Our favorite drawer: a cardigan rainbow!

You can’t help but smile when you see a drawer like this. It only takes ONE TIME to put your clothes away in a color gradient. After that, you just put them back where they belong.

A Denim “Library”

This deep cabinet with shelves was probably a media cabinet and not designed for holding clothes. So it’s more visually pleasing to keep the jeans “standing” and see the “spines” rather than too many lines from all the folds.

The lower shelf holds a few shorts and long sleeves that didn’t fit into other categories. My client later bought some baskets that she likes so they can be more contained and feel like little drawers.

All together we filled out 2.5 trash bags of clothes to be donated. We reorganized 2 closets, 4 drawers, and 2 shelves in under 5 hours. Her clothes now have room to breathe and everything is easily accessible and visible. My client was able to see more clearly the style of clothing, their shapes, and textures that she loves. And getting ready for work and for leisure has become easier and more fun! This makeover definitely sparks joy!

Did these tips help you with your closet organization? I’d love to hear from you. Please share, follow, and comment!