Closet Makeover

topic of the articles

As a city dweller in a small space myself, I love the challenge of making useful spaces in my client’s homes. For this space, I worked with Digital Influencer and radio personality Taylor Kaye . She has a ton of outfits, shoes and bags and really had nowhere to put them, so we turned a small room into a space where she can glam up for all her special events.

The first step was to clean out the space and declutter. When cleaning out an area, I always tell my clients it’s a great time to get rid of unwanted clothing, purses, shoes, accessories and really anything that isn’t used, worn or useful to them anymore. My client for this project has a soft spot for Diabetes Canada who also operates a reusable clothing and household goods donation program, so we worked with them to have her gently used clothing picked up. For the items that were of a bit more value, she posted them on Kijiji to help make a few bucks. For those who love the look but want to try to do it themselves great how-to’s are available here.

After the pairing down was complete, we had the space cleaned and painted to give it a fresh look and feel. The base of the closet system we were going to use was white, so I chose a dramatic colour to compliment the whiteness – Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore

Now for the crème de la crème….we worked with Tailored Living to create the exact space my client needed. It was seamless! They did a consult, measured the space, asked questions to determine the needs of my client and then created a three dimensional (3D) drawing to show the client exactly how the design would work in the space.

Tailored Living took inventory of the client’s clothes, shoes, belts and accessories. They discussed how the space would be used and how they could maximize the floor and vertical space. In the end, they were able to provide my client with more than 25 linear feet of hanging space that is organized based on clothing styles (long hanging, medium hang and doubled up short hanging spaces) to maximize the vertical space. They also added shelving for shoes, purses, folded clothing, etc.

To add even more organization to the space, we chose a few key pieces from Neatfreak who specializes in home organization. We used their harmony twill collection small and large bin drawer organizers. These are great to help keep scarves, accessories and jewelry in place within the drawers. They even take care of the little details like non-slip felt hangers so clothing stays where it’s supposed to, and garment bags for when you have to travel and want to keep your clothing clean.

From Neatfreak, we also used their Everfresh laundry baskets. All their hampers have Everfresh Probiotic natural odor control. I love it when practical items have a dual purpose.

A larger more glamourous mirror from Bouclair replaced and old ottoman and mirror; I always recommend my clients try to sell larger items like these as they are always in demand. My client popped these two items on Kijiji for a quick and seamless sale.

To finish off the space I had tons of fun shopping at Bouclair Home for the little, yet important, details to really tie the space together. I picked up a huge mirror, drapes that matched perfectly, artwork and a few other accessories that make the room all that it is, at a great cost.

Jo Alcorn – Design Specialist, B.A. whitewash & co

Alcorn Home

@Jo_Alcorn