The time has finally come for me to address my son’s closet. He is now eleven and his closet needs to be functioning better for him. This is your classic builder’s grade closet where there is nothing but hanging space and a shallow shelf above each rod. I always wonder how they think these will best serve people. I’m excited to share with you Sam’s closet makeover plans and how we will get this space moving in the right direction.

Closet Before

Aside from it obviously not being organized, there are a couple of things that make Sam’s closet a little more difficult to design than when I did his sister’s closet. This back wall, the one you see when you first open the door, has two electrical boxes. The top one basically makes that part of the shelf unusable because you only have about four inches of shelf space in front of it. The placement of these boxes cannot be changed without significant costs so I’m working around them.

The wall to the left of the closet door is where most of his items are placed. The top rod holds items he doesn’t use every day and the shelf below sort of worked for holding his shoes until his clothes got bigger/longer and hung over everything. Bottom rod is for his favorite clothing item, t-shirts. T-shirts and athletic shorts all day everyday and worn 95% of the time since we’re in a warm climate.

Virtual Closet Design Plans

I’m using Easy Closets again because Izzy’s closet came together so well. You can read more about her closet makeover here. You are able to create a custom design based on your closet size and needs. The price is significantly more affordable than other options I researched, which is how I first found them. And, there are so many great features, colors, and styles to choose from too. It’s all DIY install, but it truly is a breeze with their custom instruction/install guide and is even a one person job. Another great thing about the closet system that I’m using is that I don’t have to demo any of the floorboards since it attaches to the wall from a rail.

Ok, you can see from the electrical boxes this is that back wall you first see when you walk in. I’m adding two rows of hanging space on this wall. Making use of that weird box space above the rod by adding a second shelf higher up. The top shelf will more than likely be used to store momentos that won’t need regular access.

This will be the wall that really changes how this closet will function for him. Does it look familiar? It’s the same layout that I did in Izzy’s closet. He will now have plenty of shoe storage along the left side with the adjustable shelves. The largest “drawer” you see on the bottom is actually a built in hamper that has a removable laundry bag. We have LOVED this in Izzy’s closet. Sam said it was at the top of his wishlist for his closet. The drawer above will be able to hold his shorts that are currently living in his dresser. The top drawer is different from his sister’s. She has a more shallow drawer that has a jewelry organizer inside. He won’t benefit from that so I gave him a deeper drawer so he can move his socks and underwear into the closet from his dresser.

Above the drawers will be more shelves for hats, seasonal items in bins, and space for his ever important Pokemon binders. Getting that mess off of his bedroom floors will be amazing. Oh and that little black piece you see to the right of the shelves? It’s a valet rod. Not that I envision him setting out his clothes for the next day like his sister does, but it’s a simple addition in hopes that someday he will.

Closet Demo and Install Timeline

The closet has been ordered and should arrive in just a few weeks! It will take no time to remove existing rods, and shelves. Patching and painting will also be quick so I’ll wait to do that until the system has been delivered before starting any demo. That way his clothing isn’t sitting in a pile on the floor for more than a couple of days. You could definitely have this closet demoed, patched and painted, and installed in a full day. But, I’ll be working on this by myself between two different school drop-offs and pick-ups so it will probably take me a total of 2-3 days.

Here’s a glimpse of how his sister’s closet looked installed so you can see how similar the layout will be.

I’m so excited for him and can’t wait to share the final product with you!