DIY Walk-In Closet Makeover Reveal: Phase I Completion
In less than 24 hours, I’ve transformed a spare bedroom into my dream walk-in closet and can finally say Phase I is officially DONE!
Sometimes when opportunities arise that are so outstanding, as long as the stars align in your favor, you gotta just go for it. That’s exactly what happened to me with this walk-in closet project.
We moved into our home a little over three years ago knowing this may or may not be our “forever” home. We initially leaned in to the “may not be” side and for the last three years I’ve been conservative with my decorating…until now. As of the new year, I decided I was tired of living in a space seemingly void of character. I shared several inspirational Instagram and Pinterest posts with my husband, Max, who wholeheartedly gave his approval for cozier living and offered his support. He is truly amazing.
I decided I needed to start in the very place I start every day: my closet. As an artist I admit that my mood can be greatly impacted by my surroundings. Waking up and staring at a blank space trying to decide what to wear every day is dull, and directly translates to my clothing choices. I’m also a passionate collector and wearer of vintage clothing, though I rarely share these pieces due to the less than appealing surroundings. And since I’m an avid thrifter, I often buy and forget what I have in storage. Keeping things in storage has been an absolute necessity, as I have an extremely small closet to keep limited seasonal clothing in.
The Design Layout
Deciding on a layout was the biggest challenge of this project due to the orientation of the room’s features. As much as I love the look of an island in the middle of a closet and do have the space for one, it would not be practical. I use my closet/office space for workouts. Installing an island would make weightlifting and circuit training nearly impossible and so an island was a “no.” I also have two larger windows not centered in the room (same with a small closet) which is a design layout featured throughout our home. For this reason I was unfortunately unable to dedicate an entire wall to an organizer.
To Enclose or Not to Enclose
I knew I needed my organization layout to be tall and narrow to fit along a single wall since I have a workspace on the opposite side of the room. Would I do custom built-ins or an open-concept with rails and shelving? An open-concept wardrobe would result in the fastest installation (only rods and rails, no bulky cabinetry) and be the most economical.
Custom builds would completely enclose the clothing, have that beautiful “finished” look that I love, and would be the most expensive.
The design ultimately comes down to one key factor. Since we are unsure if this is indeed our “forever” home, I need to be able to break down the wardrobe and easily restore the space into a bedroom for future homeowners.
Custom built-ins were out. I wanted more than rods and shelves on a wall. So I came up with a hybrid of the two: As custom as it can be, but easy enough to revert this space back into a bedroom should we decide to move.
Believe it or not, I was greatly inspired by the “Target Bookshelf Closet Hack” that went viral. If you’re unsure what it is, I recommend checking it out. I continue to be amazed and inspired by the amount of creativity I come across on social media. I was in the process of figuring out how many components I’d need for this new found idea, when I stumbled upon Dakota Closets by accident. I happened to find a design template from them that added over two feet of usable vertical space than the former Target setup allowed. I immediately dropped my original idea in favor of Dakota Closets.
The space as it looked before:
The Build
The very next day, Max and I left our house before 9 AM in search of a piece of furniture for another DIY project I had in mind. Queue the good old, “May we stop by the hardware store on our way home for a few things” line. Luckily, we never found the piece of furniture I was searching for. If we did, we wouldn’t have space in the car for the new found closet materials I came across.
My mind was 100% made up on white cabinetry for my closet. Although, my luck ran out by the time we arrived. The white components were sold out even though they were listed as, “in stock”, on their website. I needed to make a last minute decision of either oak or charcoal for my closet. Max actually suggested the charcoal, and so I followed suit with his recommendation. By the time we left the hardware store we were done for the day. Exhausted, tired, but boy was I antsy to get going on constructing my project.
And so I did.
There were a few hiccups along the way, the largest being how unstable the frame bases were. As an experienced DIY-er, I knew there needed to be another shelf along the bottom to stabilize the entire piece, or otherwise the vertical boards would break. Against the instructions, I went back to the hardware store and purchased another full set of shelving and installed them. The piece rose to the wall effortlessly.
Max held each set of units upright as I used brackets to secure the framework to the wall. Again, I used a much greater amount of L-brackets than what was suggested. This piece needed to be stable and secure to hold the weight of my vintage clothing.
The Completion
In less than 24 hours, my closet space went from drab to fab overnight. I installed the last clothing rail around midnight and joined Max and Aoku in bed. I woke up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and walked into my office. It was surreal, even better than I imagined. As I stood there staring at my work I realized I had completed a goal, a dream I’ve had since I was little: to have my very own walk-in closet.
I’ve been living with my new closet space for a little over three weeks now and can confirm this was a fantastic decision. I love the overall layout as it’s incredibly functional and is large enough to house nearly all of my vintage. Yes, I still have another tub to pull from storage, however I’m confident the items will all fit.
Phase II Plans
I do have plans for additional customization: Valet rods, trim work, and lighting are queued within the coming weeks.
As for the rest of the space, I plan to rearrange my workspace, replace my current desk chair with something a bit more modern and far more functional. Perhaps I’ll acquire an ottoman that doubles up as a lounger? And of course, there’s always the desire for more artwork.
This may be a work in progress, but I believe the progress is coming along nicely.
Until Next Time,
Cassandra