7 Easy Steps to Get Your Closet Ready for Spring

I always feel that when it’s time to move the clocks forward for daylight savings, the universe, or at least Congress, is giving me permission to put away the drab blacks and grays of winter in exchange for the bright colors that celebrate spring’s eminent arrival. Finally! Miss Manners may think it’s a bit premature to pull out the white pants, but how could she argue with that bright melon color that’s showing up everywhere?

Now it’s time to reorganize your closet and be ready for the bright sun and warmer temperatures.  Here are a few tips to help make that daunting task a little more reasonable.

1. As you take out the bulky winter clothes, sort them into four piles:

Keep, Mend, Donate & Throw away. Immediately take the Donate and Trash piles to their respective places and your Mend pile either to your sewing table if you’re a do-it-yourselfer or to the tailor if you’re not.

2. While you’re switching out your wardrobe, take the time to put all of your spring clothes on matching hangers. You will be amazed at how much more organized your closet will feel by taking this simple step.

3. Use a labeling machine and make tags for boxes that you can’t see through so you don’t have to open each box when you’re looking for a specific item.

4. If you store your shoes in boxes, take a picture of them and tape it to the outside of the box so you know exactly what’s in each box.

Putting a photo of the shoe on the front of the box makes finding the right pair quick and easy.

5. Donate the “skinny jeans” you’ve been holding on to for way too many seasons. When –  I’m being positive here – we do get back into the size we want, the style will most likely be outdated. Instead, treat yourself to a new, special pair as a reward for the weight loss.

6. When you return your clothes to the closet, put your favorites and most worn items at the front so they’re easiest to reach. Turn the hangers around so the open part of the hook faces you instead of the closet wall. Once you’ve worn each item, turn the hanger back around;  in the fall when it’s time to switch out your wardrobe again, you’ll know which items you haven’t worn all season and can put them in the donate or throw away pile.

Turn hangers around once you have worn an item. Any items turned the other way at the end of the season (read: it wasn't worn), donate or throw away.

7. Even though the daytime is  great for short sleeves,  the temperature drops fast once the sun goes down, and we still need sweaters or other layering items. Don’t forget to keep some of those close at hand.

Now that you’re closet is ready for spring sit back and relax with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and a huge sense of accomplishment knowing that you’ve just saved yourself valuable time in getting ready each morning.

About the Author

Closet Factory designer Debbie Mauro

Debbie moved with her family to the Denver area in 2009. She has over 18 years in the home improvement industry. As a former business owner, her strong commitment to the highest customer service makes her a perfect fit for the Closet Factory family.

Call Closet Factory at (303) 690-6901 to set up a free consultation with Debbie or any of our other fabulous designers!

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How to: Design Storage When Building a Home

Most clients building a new home use an interior designer for architectural elements, floor planning, interior colors & materials. While they take on the “beauty” part of the design, I look at the the storage options and designate what specific items will go in each space, then design them accordingly. This is especially important when building or renovating a home, because the spaces are a blank canvas and can be outfitted for a specific purpose. In addition, knowing where everything goes ahead of time makes the packing, moving, and unpacking process exponentially easier. (Tip: When packing, use a Sharpie to write exactly where the items belong in the new home i.e. upstairs linen closet, top shelf.)

Drawers with dividers help organize gift wrapping supplies

As a designer with Closet Factory for 17 years I thought I would share with you one of my favorite jobs and a prime example of planning ahead.

A builder brought his client into our showroom with blueprints for their 12,000 square foot home. They were interested in doing their master closets, but after an extensive tour, the client wanted me to work on other areas as well. I asked 1,000 probing questions such as  ‘where are you planning on keeping your cleaning supplies, mops and brooms?’  ‘What about a gift-wrapping storage area?’ and ‘How are you going to utilize your guest room closets?’

I worked closely with the client for several months and we ended up designing, building and installing:  2 master closets, 3 guest bedroom closets, (one for dress up clothes and games for her grandchildren), a pantry, a cleaning supply closet, a large laundry room, a coat closet, mudroom closets, an art studio, 3 areas in the house manager’s apartment and a large craft room.  We had planned almost everything – even where we were going to store the cleaning rags- and they were thrilled with the function of each space, as well as how each fit in with the overall decor of the home.

The left side of the craft room doubles as storage ending in a 2-person craft desk

With the busy lifestyles we all live these days, having an organized house (big or small!) helps us all function a bit more stress free.  Sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes to look at your space for a great storage idea or how to utilize your space better. Call Closet Factory at (303) 690-6901, our designers would be happy to get started on organizing your home!

Senior Designer Jana Henderson

 About the Author:  Jana Henderson  has been a designer    with Closet Factory since September 1994.   The thing she loves most about her job is helping people create organized spaces that are functional and beautiful.   Keeping up with new products & finishes constantly coming into the market place is exciting and she enjoys introducing them into her designs and to her clients.  She lives in Evergreen, CO with her husband Kevin, loves to vacation at the beach and boat in the summer!

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The Design Scene: Meet Local Interior Designers and Builders

Jeane Dole

“When we decided to feature a designer for our blog one of the first names to popped into my head was Jeane Dole with à la carte Design. Over the years I have had the pleasure of witnessing her dedication to the design trade by all the volunteer work she has done for ASID. She is very client focused and has a wonderful ability in designing fantastic spaces for the homeowners who hire her.  Jeane is a great leader delivers her services with enormous integrity. She has been very instrumental in bringing Closet Factory on board in many of her amazing projects. We value her expertise and admire her talent.” –Jacqueline Lewis, Closet Factory Senior Designer

“Many people have a misunderstanding of the full range of services that interior designers can provide,” design expert Jeane Dole says, “often it’s much more than picking out furniture or art. We  look at the layout of a home and develop a plan for the entire space, whether it’s all going to be done at once, or in stages. When clients design one room at a time without an overall plan, they tend to be unhappy with the outcome and the flow of the home.”

After working in corporate environments for many years, Dole returned to school and received her degree in Interior Design. Shortly after, she opened her own firm, à la carte Design. “Interior design has always been a love of mine,” she says, “it’s an incredible combination of the left and right brain – on the one hand everything has to fit in a finite space, but there is also a strong creative element where we need to be innovative and implement aesthetically pleasing design. Together this makes my work incredibly fulfilling. ”

But it’s not all patterns and colors, claims Dole. “The design of these spaces have to be conducive to  an individual family’s design and lifestyle. I assist clients in achieving the vision of their home that they have in their heads but cannot begin to describe. So a large part of my job as a designer  is being an interpreter. We have to take what the client tells us about who they are and then we combine that with what we observe in the way they dress and their surroundings and interpret that information into a style that will reflect who they are and where they are in life. Each household is unique which makes customization a key ingredient of the overall design.”

The same goes for closets. Dole says she recommends that clients customize his or her closet, because she is an advocate of using the space to its fullest potential. She has worked with several designers at Closet Factory over the past 10 years to incorporate stylish organization into her client’s homes. “In addition to efficiently using the space in a closet,  I also think that the closet should be a sanctuary, with colors that soothe and relax the owners.  Closet Factory offers a variety of finishes, as well as a great collaboration on storage solutions specifically tailored to each client’s needs.

Indeed, the partnership between Jeane and Closet Factory is a beneficial one – especially for the client, because working with companies like Closet Factory and à la carte Designs give people beautiful spaces built around their lives, a truly custom piece of heaven.

For more information on Jeane and a la carte design, please visit their website at www.alacartedesign.com. For more information on Closet Factory, please visit www.closetfactory.com or call (303) 690-6901.

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