Organizing Your Closet For Spring

It's spring.
Well maybe it doesn't feel like spring yet in Calgary, but at least we can prepare for when it does actually arrive. As soon as the weather turns for the better you will want to be outside. I'm going to give you a few tips that will allow you to take advantage of the next few weeks of cool weather with a complete closet overhaul. Clean, organize and donate
My first tip is to try on all your clothing and quickly eliminate torn, worn and dated items. If they can't be repaired, many charities accept used cotton clothing to sell for rags. If you can mend them and clean them, please do so as Calgary charities appreciate your donations. If you have changed sizes in the last few years, why not consider donating all the good quality men's clothing that no longer fits to The Calgary Drop-in centre and the women's work appropriate items to Making Changes (www.makingchangesassociation.ca/how_you_can_help/donations/)

Friends with tight budgets appreciate your hand me downs as well.

Itemize, categorize and strategize
Now that you have removed all the no longer appropriate items from your closet, it will be easier to sort your items into winter/summer (it's Calgary, no need for fall and spring). I prefer all my clients purchase matching wooden hangers for their closets. Even if you are the only one who sees the closet, it will appear less chaotic – even on the messiest days if everything is hanging from similar hangers. Plus, metal hangers are rather horrible for long term hanging of most clothing, return those to your local dry-cleaner.

Very few of us have more than enough closet space. This is where the strategizing comes in. I don't have any long hanging for my dresses inside my closet so I have utilized decorative metal lockers for this. Do you have an interesting furniture piece that can hold shoes or hanging items? Even if it's in another room, the items will be tightly stored away and out of sight. Baskets are great to store smaller items such as socks and underthings. Kit Interior Objects carries fantastic and practical wool felt baskets from Muuto that I highly recommend (www.kitinteriorobjects.com/).

If you live in a small house without enough closets, consider buying a portable clothing rack to store out of season jackets and boots. I've got mine in my spare room. You can buy inexpensive clothing racks from Ikea and many other sources. I ordered mine from West Elm (www.westelm.com/products/pipeline-clothing-rack-h416).

Hire an expert
A good fashion stylist can help a fashionista pare down her wardrobe. An interior designer can space plan a walk in closet or dressing room. Simply replacing those wire closet organizers with a good closed drawer system can create ample space in closets that you previously thought hopeless. I often recommend California Closets on my two hour interior consultations (I offer two hour consultations for a reasonable rate) and have heard back from many clients that the new closet fittings are life altering.

Now go! Spring is coming!

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