When I first moved into my house there was nothing in the closets. No poles or shelves of any kind. My friend, Allison, and I went to Home Depot and quickly racked up a bill that had us voiding the sale and heading back to the aisles to buy a much more economical closet kit for my bedroom closet, and a few shelves for a utility closet.

We left the guest room and coat closet alone for the time being. I eventually put a shelf in the coat closet (which I don’t actually keep coats in) but four years later all the stuff in the guest room closet was still sitting on the floor. I decided to tackle that project this weekend.

This time my boyfriend and I headed to the HD and I knew enough to head immediately to the closet kits. I knew I didn’t want the same kit that I used in my closet. The guest room closet doesn’t have any clothing in it. It’s mostly extra blankets and pillows, a few boxes, and an air conditioner. So I wanted to keep the floor of the closet free of any obstructions, while having plenty of shelving up high. So I went with one of those adjustable track systems that can be configured however you want it. 

I emptied out most of the contents of the closet onto the bed…and started wondering when I accumulated so much stuff…

Good grief! Although, to be fair, that big comforter and the duvet buried under it are for my bed–they are only in the closet for the summer, and will be out as soon as the fall evenings make it necessary. My boyfriend did most of the installation–which required us to spend a lot of time trying to find a stud, and getting toggle bolts into the wall.

The end result isn’t all that sexy. This isn’t Mariah’s closet. I don’t have 1,000 pairs of shoes. I don’t have any great organizational tricks but now that I have some shelves, stuff is easier to find, and I was able to hide a vacuum in there. I may even move the suitcases that are in my bedroom closet into this one because now there is sooooo much room to spare.

• Finally make a couch decision
• Paint the $30 Goodwill kitchen island
• Touch-up the paint on my blue dresser
• Paint the bookshelf/TV stand
• Fix the wall in the back room
• Find an organization solution for the back room
• Declutter the office
• Get rid of stuff in the guest closet–then put in shelves
• Doctor the curtains