Our Quick Linen Closet Makeover

With just a little bit of time and paint we turned our messy linen closet into a pretty and organized space! Here’s how we created a quick & budget-friendly linen closet makeover.

I’m ashamed, friends. I’m ashamed that I let our upstairs linen closet get this way and ashamed that it took me this long to do something about it. It used to be one of the most unorganized and cluttered spaces in our home, but not anymore. Last weekend I decided enough was enough!

This isn’t a closet that we use often, which is probably why it got to this state to begin with. We have a linen closet in our bedroom as well as one in our laundry room, so this one just holds towels for guest, beach towels, and random other things. When I went to find something not too long ago I realized I had to do something. Things were not only falling out when the doors were opened but the walls and shelves looked dirty. Unlike the rest of our closets in our house, this closet somehow escaped being painted when we bought the house. The 80’s yellow paint was real with this one.

I started by taking everything out of the closet and placing it all on the bed in the guest room. From there I removed the shelves and brackets that were holding them up and set them aside.

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I patched the walls and painted the trim and walls with the exception of the back wall. I decided to hang wallpaper to give the closet a touch of charm. I used this same paper in the coat closet in our foyer and in our laundry room closet. I love the classic print and colors. It’s also extremely easy to hang and strip-able. You simply roll wallpaper glue unto the wall with a small roller and stick the wallpaper to it. No soaking! I stated in the middle of the closet so that the two sides would end on the pattern evenly. The technique I used is the same one I wrote about when I hung the peel and stick wallpaper in Charlie’s room. You can read the how-to here.  The only difference is that you want to leave an extra inch or two at the top and bottom. Once you’ve got the paper in place you can use a sharp knife to cut off the excess.

I painted the shelves and brackets in the garage using a roller and reinstalled them. I did decide to add one extra shelf for more storage. I based the height of each shelf on what I store on them. A couple of the shelves have slightly more room between them. I finished up by going through every item that was in the closet. I used my decluttering process your can read here to get rid of and or more items to a better place to provide a more organized space.

Here’s how our closet looks now –

Meet our brighter, cleaner and, more organized linen closet! I purchased a set of three baskets to hold our iron, power & extension cords, and first aid supplies. I also made space to store toilet paper for the upstairs bathrooms. No more running down stairs to the laundry room.

You know me and my love of baskets. I use them whenever possible. I hate clutter. It makes my very anxious. I’ve found that by putting all of those random necessities in a basket to store I’m able to cut the clutter and keep things tidy. I purchased this large lidded basket to hold more seasonal items like, beach towels, a travel fan, etc.

I can’t help but to open the doors and peek inside when I walk by. It used to be a place that I just wanted to never see or deal with, but not anymore. I’m also no longer afraid that something will fall out on our guests if they go to get a towel, ha! This was a very inexpensive projects. I used wallpaper and paint that I already had on hand. If you don’t want the cost of wallpaper you could always use a pretty stencil to create a wall treatment that looks like wallpaper. I did purchase one can of paint for the shelving and trim for about $30. I paid just $20 for the large basket at TJ Maxx. It was one of the cheapest makeovers I’ve done, yet the result is a night and day difference. I’m so relieved that I can mark this project off the to-do list. Do you have any ugly, unorganized closets in your home? I hope this can inspire you to tackle them this year. You’ll be so glad you did!

 

 

Makeover Sources:

Wall Color – Simply White in eggshell by Benjamin Moore

Trim Color – Simply White in semi gloss by Benjamin Moore

Door Color – Graphite in semi gloss by Benjamin Moore

Wallpaper – Sadly discontinued but you can find the same paper in a different color here.

Pale Blue & White Striped Throw Pillows – Ballard Designs Outlet

Large Lidded Basket – TJ Maxx