Warning: shoe gals may find some of the imagery in this post distressing.
When we first moved into our house in March this year, I was very excited about the light, airy and (most importantly) spacious master bedroom. We came from a flat with a bedroom just about big enough for a double bed, if you didn’t mind banging your knees on the walls as you climbed out in the morning (I did mind that, quite a lot actually), so I was practically giddy at the prospect of space to hang my clothes and arrange my shoes. I couldn’t wait to spread out. Unfortunately, five months of ‘spreading out’ (and, admittedly, shopping) resulted in this…
Oh, the horror!
Thanks to the lovely people at Sarenza my shoe collection has suddenly exploded, and the discarded corpses of brogues, heels and flats littered the floor around my wardrobe. Inside, more shoes lurked, unseen and unworn, as dresses jostled for space with chunky knits and crumpled blouses. Scarfs hung limply from hooks on one door, and belts slithered to the floor from the other. It was a diaster zone and something had to be done.
I didn’t want a minimalist look – I love a tidy house but I think a bit of organised clutter adds personality. And I didn’t want to hide my pretty shoes away in perspex boxes or cupboards. A flick through the Ikea catalogue gave me inspiration and after a quick visit I had my supplies. Then I started the sorting, clearing and arranging!
For my shoes, I bought this pine bookcase for £14.99. I didn’t want row upon row of shoes, so I mixed in a vintage handbag, straw hat, perfume atomiser and a few other pieces to create a display.
Belts and scarfs now hang from this circle storage hanger, £9.95 from Ikea.
I rearranged my wardrobe, hanging my most-worn pieces and storing everything else in drawers. The hangers are a super-thin style to make the most of the short rail – I bought them in packs of 10 for £5 from TK Maxx. More functional (and less beautiful) shoes are stored here too.
I used the doors of the wardrobe to show off my favourites. A vintage bag, a sequin jacket and the dress I wore to my mum’s wedding are proudly on display.
And finally, my current love-it-and-wear-it-every-day item – the Michael Kors leather jacket I bought at TK Maxx – hangs from a decorative hook on the wall.
My bedroom storage makeover cost about £30, took a few hours and very little effort. And the best thing? I rediscovered the shoes that were hiding under piles of other shoes and the dresses that were covered by cardigans. It’s like going shopping in your own wardrobe!
How do you keep your clothes and shoes neat and tidy? Tell me your storage solutions in the comments…
Very organised!
Love the shelving with different bits mixed in to break up the shoes, great idea.
Mine needs sorting, bigger wardrobes don’t mean more space especially when I take the challenge to fill it! 🙂
xx
Great storage ideas, I think I need to take some of them on board, the contents of my wardrobe keep spilling out everywhere! Love that leather jacket! x
Jen, you inspired me to dig through TK Maxx and find an amazing leather jacket of my own! The Michael Kors wasn’t in my size, but I did find an amazing Muubaa alternative!
T x
I have clothes, shoes and accessorises hiding all over the place. I wouldn’t say it’s a mess (I’m sure other’s would disagree!)but you do forget certain stuff you have until you do a proper clean out. I’m loving the circle storage hanger xxx
My friend stores her shoes on a shelf like that and it looks amazing, I just use an Ikea hanging shoe tidy. I actually have two wardrobes! One for dresses (I have a bit of a problem!) and the other for skirts, blouses, jackets and jumpers. Trousers and tshirts are in drawers, earrings are on a pretty earring tree and necklaces hang from a hook so I see them everyday 🙂
I love this! It looks so cute, like a little boutique shop that I NEED to look in.
I hate not having clothes & shoes to hand, because then I just forget about them, and they’re wasted as I don’t wear them. Having things orgainsed in front of you, and easy to get to is a must for me
x
I know it sounds silly but I had honestly never thought of using a bookcase to store my shoes but that is absolute genius!! I might have to steal that idea!
Also, I’m so in love with your Vivienne Westwood shoes! I’m going to ask for some for Christmas I think 🙂
x
Wow, you are super organised now! I like the idea of displaying your shoes like that x
I have the same circle hanger from ikea! I use it to hang up all my different coloured tights, and hubby has a little bit for his ties. Your shoe display looks lovely 🙂
Rosie xx
Just Listen
Oh I have such a pain in storing clothes and shoes, it’s not that I don’t have enough room I just have so many that I can’t bear to part with. I’ve been wanting a bookshelf for shoes but the problem I have at the moment is finding a place to put the damn thing!
xx
Wow even beforehand everything looks so much tidier than my mess of a wardrobe! It can be so frustrating not to easily see what items you have and that’s what probably leads me to buying more stuff. I like the way you’ve organised your shoes, I definitely will invest in a small bookcase for mine when I eventually manage to move out! Love how you’ve mixed things up a bit too, very artful.
Great way to get organised 🙂 I am a new follower of your blog. Would love if you come by the-wardrobe-stylist.blogspot.com 🙂
You’ve done a great job on reorganising your wardrobe. I’m facing that daunting task soon as I prepare to set off to Uni. I might have to head down to Ikea myself, cheers for the tip! xx
Ohh i may have to copy you and get the ikea shelves for my shoes. Seriously need more storage! x
Good job! I love the bookshelves/shoe rack idea, shouldn’t hide pretty shoes away!
I really love those flexible drawer organisers they sell at Lakeland – Ikea’s tend to be too large for older designs – but they’re a million pounds! (ish) So I got creative with old cardboard boxes and made my own interlocking slats. Now my socks and tights are superduper organised and look so pretty, and all for free 🙂
I love the picture of the shoes, I used to have a wooden rack like that at uni where i put my shoes on too but i painted the rack bright yellow – it was such an eyesore! You have the best taste in shoes! x
It looks lovely, you jacket hook is especially pretty. My bedroom is an awful mess, I have seriously outgrown it so no manner of tidying will improve it besides a bigger house!
p.s Ive moved to an new blog: http://fashionpearlsofwisdom.co.uk/
I so need to organise my shoes, mine are currently residing in bin bags! It’s so horrible!! Def on sorting out mine this week.
That leather jacket is a beauty.
C x
http://memiorsofalittlethingcalledlife.blogspot.com/
I’ve got the circle storage hanger too and its really organised my tights and belts. I wish I had more room for ikea gadgets although I have just put up some of their chunky shelves, which look fab.
I stand in awe! I am utterly hopeless at storing shoes! They are currently, in the bottom of a wardrobe (heap), stuffed into a 3 drawer unit, in a large open washing basket and in a wicker picnic hamper! I need help ahrgh!!
I would love something like this to store shoes/bags 🙂
Ah I love to be organised but I’m so bad at it! Love the idea of this though, so pretty 🙂 xxx
half the world away.
So much better! I have a ton of shoes in boxes under the bed but they are rarely accessed as a result. My dream would be a dressing room – I’m sure all my outfit issues would be dramatically reduced if only I could see everything properly. Which heiress/it girl is it who has a computerised wardrobe? Imagine!
By the way, if you ever get bored of that Michael Kors jacket I would be very happy to free up some space for you…
Your closet is really really nice. What camera do you use to take your pictures, and for a poor college girl in New York, what stores do you suggest I shop in? I mean you probably don’t really know American Stores that well but you’re a fashion/shopping expert so it wouldn’t hurt to ask!
I love this!! I have a mass of shoes under my bed because I don’t have enough room for them! xx
Sirens and Bells
I love this!
Being back at home and therefore having to make-do with the closet space I last had when I was 15 means that the overspill has lead to random piles of clothes popping up around both my bedroom and the spare room, so your article came in the nick of time!
I can’t wait to invest in some much needed (and desired) creative storage solutions ^.^
I love what you’ve done to organize but still keep some personality to the space! I’m with you in that I like to display my shoes/jewelry because I like how it looks AND I tend to wear more things rather than just the few which are on the top of the pile. Double win! 🙂
Looks lovely! Makes me want to organize my stuff whether I’ll get off my ass and do it is another matter…
Annest X
http://jumperjungle.blogspot.com/
Everything looks so much nicer all tidy, really shows off your shoes and bags etc more 🙂 I keep all my shoes in clear boxes so I can stack them up but still see them clearly! xx
http://louisejoyb.blogspot.com/
This is an issue I’m struggling with at the moment – great idea with the bookcase, I wish I could fit one in my box room 🙁
L x
Ohmygosh the before pictures! That would get me so stressed out =l i think i’m a bit of an OCD freak :L. Love your jacket muchly :’) <3
Ooh I have one of those scarf hangers too! Haven’t they gone up in price though?! I’m sure mine was only a few quid. I did buy it years ago though.
I’ve had to go for low double shoe racks for my collection as I have far, far too many pairs to fit on a bookcase. Plus my room is very irritatingly laid out and the only spare wall has a radiator on it so I’d have no room for another bookcase/shoe rack anyway.
I have recently purchased wicker picnic hampers to use for storing seasonal items on the top of my wardrobe. Prettier than boxes and the handles make them easier to reach
I love the idea of the shoe shelves… definitely better than plastic shoe boxes!
My room is looking very much like this at the mo! Just moved and I cannot find room for everything! I love your wardrobe, such an eclectic mix!
http://www.ohthereshegoesagain.blogspot.com
I recently bought some floral boarded boxes from Urban Outiftters. They were reasonably expensive at the price on £28 but they’re worth it, as they’ve made my bedroom look so much more interesting…
fabulous! i love the wardrobe clear out- very sastifying…
katrina from theyoungbridgetjones.blogspot.com
My wardrobe was designed with in-built shoe storage to keep things neat. My parents thought they were being clever. They didn’t take in to account just how many shoes I own!
I will be forever envious of your home x
It seems like everyone is wardrobe sorting right now – I love the shelf display! I went to Ikea for a new chest of drawers yesteday – my new mission is to organise my clothes as prettily as you do!!!
You’ve done a great job of making it look nice and neat without it being to ‘clinical’, it still looks cute & homely!
I’m jealous of your lovely shoe collection too!
Rachelle xxx
http://inspiredbytheretired.blogspot.com/
I reorganised my wardrobe last week. Its so much more practical now i know where all my shoes,bags,scarves,belts,clothes are and i can actuallly see them! I also organised my nail varnishes as well my makeup drawer,only thing left is jewellery!
I had all my shoes in those bags that you store under your bed but they were rubbish and zips kept breaking and my whole floor was covered in shoes and boots so last week I invested in those clear shoes boxes and now every pair has its own box and so far the system is working really well! I did have to throw a couple of pairs of shoes away though as I ran out of boxes!
How organised! I colour block my wardrobe, a legacy of years working in retail.
Wow, it looks amazing just so perfect!
http://justanothergreyenglishday.blogspot.com/
xx
Great post 🙂 xx