Wednesday, April 15, 2015

A Fix It

Throughout the year, around-the-house projects pop into my head.  Most of the time, they are not chores that I wish to delve into over the weekends because those are already packed full with regular weekly chores.  Therefore project type chores are added to a list I keep as a reminder.  That list is looked at more seriously over school breaks.  Although this spring break was mostly dedicated to decompressing, I did tick a few spring cleaning type projects off the list.
One such undertaking was the entryway/coat closet. That closet tends to be a jack-of-all-trades closet.  There are coats, gift wrapping materials, random decorations, the table leaves (or is it leafs), games, and lots and lots of accessories.  I am a bit of an accessories hoarder.  Bags, scarves, bags, hats, gloves, and more bags take up a lot of space in the closet.  When I moved into this house, baskets were put on the top shelf to hold a lot of those accessories.  The problem being, I'm not 8 feet tall, so was not able to see inside those baskets and therefore never knew what I actually had.  After a few years of just throwing things in a basket, that top shelf had become a mountain of accessories that sat unused because I didn't want to deal with it.
A few weeks before spring break, I had an idea after one of the big heavy bags fell of the shelf and onto my head.  It seemed like a plausible idea to attach hooks to the ceiling in order to hang several items making them more accessible and freeing up a lot of the shelf space as well.  So I added that to the list of projects for spring break.  As it turns out, it was a better idea on paper than in my closet.  Since I'm a girl, I have no idea how to correctly hang things from anywhere using tools and hardware.    I didn't even want to mess with nails and nail holes.  I had hoped those 3m removable hooks would do the job.   They probably would have if I had been able to find hooks that were deep enough, but the largest available wouldn't even hold one strap of a bag let alone the whole bag.  So back to the drawing board.
Pinterest is a great place to search for ideas and there are several pre-fab organizational options out there.  I wasn't able to find any of the ones that would work for me locally, and I hated to purchase something online without knowing if it would work - the reviews on many of the products were mixed.  I used those options though to figure out some ways to organize the closet.
Some over-the-door hooks with three prongs gave me spots to hang hats and bags on both doors, which then freed up the shelf a bit.
Over the last year or so, I've seen scarf hangers (pre-fab and DIY) all over the place.  I never thought too much about it until I cleaned out those baskets and found about ten scarves I had forgotten about. With the ones hanging on a mirror in the bedroom and those in the basket, there was a need to find some type of organization system.  The pre-fab ones were on the pricier side and the DIY (using hangers and shower curtain rings) needed to be purchased AND put together.  While at the home store I looked at my options and finally decided that the $6 trouser hangers would do essentially the same thing the $15-$20 scarf hanger would do.  I bought two, added the scarves (somewhat by color), and now they all hang on two hangers in the hall closet.
It's certainly not perfect, but simply making the accessories more accessible makes the closet much more functional than it was.
On a side note, the fact that the closet holds more coats and scarves than we've  actually had cold days in the last two years, isn't entirely lost on me.  But I'm ready if the temperature ever does drop!

17 comments:

  1. That thing with the scarves is a good idea. And there's nothing stopping you from putting one over the other when you don't need to view them. Just stack them like two playing cards.
    Overall, those closets/dressing-rooms/gloryholes are incredibly bad use of space. Where to go for ideas is a motor-home sales lot. They have actually thought out far more than the average house designer/architect how each square inch is maximized.
    And you're a girl are you now :-D.

    I cannot really give suggestions as I don't know what you can get your hands on. But think along the lines of how a clothes shop like WalMart displays it's clothes. I reckon you could get a carousel that you could turn or swing out into the room on an armature for both sides. And you could put the bags in a few drawers on the floor. But I think a daylight balanced LED array behind the top of the doors will go a long ways to change the feel of the place. Put it so it's over your head casting light the way you are looking. You can pick up battery ones for a song. Just get ones that really pound light into the area. If in doubt go big.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yah, as competent as I am in the life-skill's department, anything handy is not my forte. Because of that, I usually make things happen rather make-shift. I've got a tool box of sorts that my dad made me years ago, but other than a hammer and a phillips and a flat head screw driver I'm not so sure what the other ones are used for. And I hate asking for help, as I've mentioned, as I've got to save my favors for big stuff. This was a pretty good/easy "make shift" operation. I have been known to use toothpaste for spackle before painting a wall. So, really, this is rather impressive other than I didn't get my ceiling hooks. ;)
      Wouldn't a carousel (or multiple) be amazing for organizing and finding things!?!?! Of course, I'd have to move house in order to fit one inside.
      The lights are a good idea. I had not realized how dark the closet was until I tried to photograph it. There are two window-paned patio doors to the left and a floor to ceiling window and door window on the right. The amount of light I get in that area is rather good, but inside is pretty dark. Trying to photograph inside with all that natural light was hard.

      Delete
    2. But again, the lights would have to battery operated or I could tape a couple of flashlights inside...real lights need screws and drills and electricity!

      Delete
  2. Funny... I didn't even consider the irony of your scarf collection until you mentioned it at the end. ;)

    I do like how you've tackled the problem and arranged things and the trouser hangars were a great idea. I only have about two or three scarfs, so they easily fit on one regular hangar. The pronged hooks are great for any variety of stuff, too.

    I have a bit of a weakness for handbags and was thrilled when I discovered the "Miche Bag" and invested in one of those. The interchangeable "shells" easily fold up for storage, therefore taking up very little room in my closet (leaving more for shoes!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Duh...and I've just realized I must have airplanes on the brain since my closet has hangars in it instead of hangers! :D

      Delete
    2. Ha! Now a closet that has hangars might fit a walmart carousel! :)
      Much of the knitted/crocheted scarves are from my days in New England, but I haven't been able to part with them - I even made a few!
      In fact, the red bag in the dead center of the top shelf is a Miche bag! I do like the idea tons and bought a shell and a couple of covers at a party a few years ago. The style I liked, but it wasn't quite big enough for the contents of my bags. But their larger one was too big for me. So, it's sitting on the top shelf of the closet. Now that its visible again though, it might get some regular use for times I don't need everything with me.

      Delete
    3. How fun that you not only know about Miche Bags, but own one! (even if you don't use it) I'm very minimalist when it comes to purses, so the middle sized one (they now have a really small evening bag type as well as the larger hobo) is perfect for my needs.

      I've actually talked about mine in several posts including this one that also has a link to my interchangeable eyeglasses. :)

      https://ksrgmck.wordpress.com/2010/09/23/coordinating/

      Delete
    4. Here's a better link to show you some of my eyeglasses. Unfortunately, they don't make them anymore, so I hope I don't have to get my prescription changed any time soon!

      https://ksrgmck.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/i-spy-glasses/

      Delete
  3. Great idea...I have a hanger just like that in my laundry room that I hang all my quick dry running shirts on since I don't put them in the dryer. So many uses!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just caught up on reading your other posts....WOW! Congrats! A new car!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm having so much fun with it! Who knew cars could do that...I feel like I'm driving a spaceship. :). Excited giggling still takes place every time I walk out to the garage and remember I have it!

      Delete
  5. i didn't mean you use one of walmart's clothes thingies, I just didn't know what they were called. And I was saying that in a closet like that having one rail through the middle is bad use of the space. It's better, even if it's shorter overall that the coat rail runs into the space not across it.
    But your best bet is Ikea. There must be one of them in your city, if not more. Yep, one in Burbank the other in Torrance. I'd go with two floor level drawers two drawers high, three if you can fit it. Then either divide that rail and raise it or just raise it. There's no one in the house that requires it low. Also, you might think on another clothes shop trick. Two rails, one over the other. Now I know Since You Being a Girl an' all you like to see clothes below eye level. It's probally due to needing to see it as it would hang on the body. But men's shops double-decker jackets suits and coats and I see no reason why for coats you couldn't do just that.
    Why am I suggesting the lower rather than the higher. Simples :-). I don't know what your ceiling is made from, nor do I know the support strength. Nor do I know what's above. You don't want to go punching holes without knowing what's above it. Be that a pipe for water, a cable for electric or even the floor of your shower. But also, since I don't know how tall you are, I don't know your reach. PS but, a but but, I don't really think the area just below the ceiling is all that useful for if you cannot see into a basket/container it becomes nothing but a skip. Yes if you've something tall, but what 3 ft tall are you going to put above your head.

    Oh, I think they've cloth boxes in an array that could be put on the upper shelf at Ikea.

    I think the Since I'm a Girl thing will be reserved for extra """special""" occasions. It could get old quick with over use. And it's because I think you're very competent that you deserve a teasing about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, only on rare/needed occasions indeed, and usually only to explain why I've done something like spackled with toothpaste and other such nonsense. ;)
      So you're saying adjusting the closet to go beyond the straight across rod/shelf? I do agree with that. There is so much wasted space in those closets. My bedroom's closet is far more useful with layers of bars and shelving, and just one small section with a long open space where dresses/skirts/anything else long can hang without anything in their way. It was like that when I moved in...a lot of hole drilling went into that I would imagine!
      Good point on the ceiling as I do not know either! Poking holes into a water pipe...I shudder!

      Delete
  6. WOW, I think I'm a fairly sharp knife.
    I just got the coats and scarfs in LA comment. I read it, but I couldn't get beyond the sheer normality of having an assortment of coats on hooks and wardrobes.
    And I was teasing YOU. Still that girl one is pretty priceless. XD. Oh that's the new emogee for ROTFLMAO. I had to look that up too, btw.
    How's the motor going after a week of driving it ?.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It took awhile to figure out what ROTFL and LMFAO so I had to look up XD too. I guess if you're squinting it looks a bit like a laughing face. It's a little less irritating than LOL, unless of course it gets overused too.
      The car is great! I'm really enjoying it.

      Delete
  7. how did we ever do anything before pinterest.. the closet now looks great.
    I have been trying to spring clean since winter.. and with the amount of junk we have accumulated, received as gifts etc i think i'll still be at it till next winter.

    ReplyDelete