Bedroom Redecoration: Closet Before and After

I feel a bit accomplished to have one part of my room completely redecorated. After the boring cleaning and painting part of the plan, it's nice to actually look at decor and organization pieces. I said on Instagram that it wasn't a surprise that my closet is done first, since I do love my clothes so much, but really it was the project that had the least amount of buying and, rather, involved a lot of downsizing and organization. It mostly needed some love and a few strong decisions in how many sentimental dresses I'll never wear again I really needed. 

Details below:

Before: From afar my closet already had some problems. I had longer curtains before, but got rid of them and put these up ''temporarily" and it needed a good coat of paint on the trim and to replace the wallpaper and magazine page collage on the inside. Of all the younger things I had in my room the pointe shoes I liked the most, but I figured it was time for a change. 

After: The first drastic change is the paint color. I love purple, but I could not stand that shade any longer. I thought I'd end up with some sort of gray to darken the room and bring some sort of warmth, but I stumbled upon this golden-yellow and couldn't pass it up. It's unique and vibrant and I found it challenging, but fun to come up with colors to pair with it. 

I love how these curtains are neutral but bring something to the room with the texture. The hold backs also help for everyday use, so the curtains can look nice but not be in the way while I'm trying to put together an outfit.

Curtains // Curtain Rod

Before: Like I said, this closet needed some serious love. Most of the time I opted for throwing my clothes up on the shelves to get them out of the way, rather than taking the time to fold them properly. 

On the rod, I had a few of these space saving hangers, but I couldn't really be bothered to make sure they lay correctly all the time and when one belt fell, they all fell. 

After: On the shelves I used my metal crates from college to store different categories of clothes (gym gear, pajamas, sweatshirts etc.) You could definitely ditch the baskets and just fold, but I thought they'd keep me a little more organized and optimize the space. On the very top shelf that's a bit hidden, I have seasonal clothes I'll pull out and swap once fall arrives. 

With the help of my dad, and his seriously awesome saw, we put together this storage ladder. Folded up scarves and belts are much easier for me to keep neat. I also figured if they're clearly on display I'd be more inclined to wear them. 

Ladder DIY (Coming Soon) // Ladder Baskets // Metal Baskets

Before: To be fair my shoes weren't always on the floor. They just kind of ended up there since I brought my shoe rack to New York with me. So when I got back things were a little messy but not hard reorganize. 

After: Shoe rack back in place and everything looks much neater and I have more space. Some of it is behind the ladder, so I kept my more fall shoes there and I'll move them when sandal weather ends. I also used the spaces in the far corners to keep a step stool for reaching all the baskets and slippers for the winter. 

So what do you think of my new and improved closet? If you could change one thing about your closet what would it be? 

What to do with Memorabilia: DIY Shadow Box

 Starting simple on the DIY's with shadow boxes (we'll get into the powertools later.) I saw the idea for these on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea that gave a more personal touch to my travel memorabilia. I have a real distaste for the more kitschy, travel decor that I loved when I was a kid, but this feels a lot more special to me. It's also super easy and has enough room to get creative with your own approach.  

First, you don't need much to make these beside the boxes and some adhesive options. I like using push pins because that way if I mess up or want to rearrange everything in a couple of months it's not a hassle. I used the dots for thicker objects that I couldn't puncture and the letters. This is also where you can get creative and add ribbon, glitter, paint or anything else that catches your eye in the craft store. 

Shadow box // Adhesive dots 

I'm a planner, so I lay out everything how I want it first. Then I take a picture for a reference, take everything off, then start pinning from the bottom layer. I opted for gold pins for the smaller box, but didn't want them to look cluttered, so I made an effort to use one pin for things that overlapped as much as I could. 

For the city names I printed out some photos I took there and free-handed some letter. (IMPORTANT) Make sure the letters are backwards, so when you turn it around to the photo they're the correct way. I printed more photos than I needed because I always forget. I just used a pencil and scissors, but stencils and an X-acto knife would be useful if you wanted something more precise and detailed.  

Stick those letters on and now you have some new wall art that'll remind you of your travels, or any event really. Tag me on Instagram (@fishoutofcloset) if you make your own. 

You're Killing Me Smalls! A Break from Redecorating

While starting off my bedroom redecoration project I've spent most of my time covered in dust, wood shavings, and paint. Not a very stylish look, but necessary to create a good foundation and get the ball rolling. I'm rounding the corner to focusing more on decor, but in the meantime it's nice to take a break and dress up a bit. 

This tee always feels right to wear in the summer. We never really vacationed during the break, so most of my memories of summers past are local or centered around the movies I loved to watch over and over on days too hot to play around. Sandlot is definitely a classic. 

Dressed in: Sandlot tee (and another), Topshop skirt (similar), Urban Outfitters necklace, Francesca's Collection Sandals

A New Series and Life Update

My life, like my room, is a bit of a mess. Two months post-graduation and I’m back at home and at a bit of a loss about what to do in so many aspects of my life. I don’t want to share too much, but I wanted to be honest, and add to the ever growing list of people letting younger ones know that most times everything doesn’t work out as you planned. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean you have to give up. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" and all that other poetic motivation,  because it feels a little less terrible than moping around.

So in that vain, August and September are going to be full of posts about redecorating my room.  I haven't felt connected to it for a couple of years; from the clutter to the dated style (I haven't changed much since I decorated it when I was 13) and the lack of functionality it's felt pretty weird to live here. I'm no HGTV pro, but I'm excited to see what I can manage to do to reinvigorate the space and post some DIYs and transformation on here. 

Hope you're feeling a lot better than I am.