September 2023 – simplify the chaos

The kids’ closet renovation is finished!

It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago, the closet looked like this:

In my previous closet post I shared that we went to The Container Store and purchased a custom-designed Elfa system perfectly catered to our needs. I’m happy to report that while you can spend a little more to have it professionally installed, it was incredibly easy to install ourselves!

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself – let’s back up and quickly talk through the prep I did for the space. First off, I had to obviously take everything out of the closet. I took down the rods and shelf and patched all the holes and dings in the walls.

I knew a fresh coat of paint would make a big impact but I didn’t want to spend any additional money. After raiding my paint stash, I discovered I had quite a bit of Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze leftover from painting the living room ceiling. I don’t normally paint walls in a flat sheen but since it’s just a closet, I figured it wasn’t a big deal. We ordered the Elfa system in Graphite, a nice dark bronze metal color, and I thought the monochromatic look would look really cool so I went for it. I’ll admit, I had a moment of doubt when the walls were painted (it’s just so dark!) but once we started putting up the closet system, those doubts vanished. I love the tone-on-tone look!

Once the walls cured, it was time to install. The most important step of installing an Elfa system is getting the top tracks at the right height and perfectly level. We measured up from the floor according to the instructions, used a level to ensure the track was, well, level, and marked each hole. We drilled pilot holes, installed the anchors and screws, and attached the tracks in place. The system comes with everything you need except for the actual tools used to install.

Installing the tracks was the only time a tool was needed, as the rest of the system pieces all just interlock with one another. I hung the vertical tracks off the top track and then locked the shelves, drawers, and rods in place according to the instructions. It was like a big, satisfying puzzle! I won’t re-invent the wheel and repeat all the directions here, but suffice to say the instructions are clear, helpful, and easy to follow. The only snag we ran into was with the drawers – the drawer slides keep falling out after we thought we locked them in place. Turns out, they need to be pushed in very hard to fully lock in place and once we pushed the back rod harder than we thought we needed to, we heard the click that locked them in completely. Other than that, the whole install was quick and smooth sailing!

We did run into a small snag where they accidentally sent me one drawer the wrong size (we had made edits to the original design and for some reason this change didn’t catch in the system). The Container Store was quick to apologize and send me the correct item free of charge. I kept the mistaken drawer and use it as bonus storage on the shelf! I’m very pleased with not only the system but their customer service. Feels like the right time to mention again that this project is in no way sponsored by The Container Store – we paid for it all ourselves and this was just my experience!

Once the system was installed, it was time to bring the clothes back in. Most of their current size + current season clothing is actually stored in the dresser in their room but they each have some hanging clothing too. They like to get their clothes themselves so their current size/season hanging clothes are together on the bottom rod and the current size + off season clothes are hanging on the top rod. I purchased these kid-size hangers – I like that they’re thin, sturdy, made from recycled plastic, and come in cute colors! They are larger than the little baby hangers we had before and will last well into the teen years if not beyond. I got the ocean blues set for LJ and the sunset pinks set for Vi.

Previously, the dresser in their room was stuffed with clothing because I had to store both winter and summer clothing there. I was able to move all their winter clothes into the new drawers in the closet to free up space for their summer stuff to fit comfortably in the dresser and it functions so much better! I’ll swap the two once we get into fall (despite Starbucks bringing back pumpkin spice it is nowhere near fall clothing yet for us haha).

We receive a lot of handmedown clothing from friends and I love it, but I previously had to just store it in giant tubs on the floor. I used the remaining drawers to store Vi’s future 5T clothing, but I needed more storage for other sizes so I purchased these baskets for the shelves and hung little tags off each one to label the contents. I struggled to find baskets the right size, but these fit the shelves perfectly and bonus, are ethically and sustainably made!

I had so much extra shelf space that I could bring in all their extra sheets and blankets, which had the ripple effect of freeing up space in my tiny hallway linen closet. I also keep a little suitcase in here for easy access when we pack for trips and despite storing all that, I still have empty space on the shelves!

It’s nice to know that we have a lot of room to grow and I’m imagining in future years we’ll be storing things like sports uniforms or band equipment or whatever else our kids need in here.