Closet & girlie organisation for small spaces...

I live in a small 1 bedroom flat, when I got married I found it REALLY hard to share storage space with my husband. Gone were the days I had 3 wardrobes and all the space I wanted. Now, I have to share a room with baby as well.

Storage and organisation isn't about pretty, it's about functionality and keeping things neat and were they are supposed to be. Here's how I have made it work...


Behind the door I have a wardrobe, On the rail I store jackets, shirts, skirts and scarves. I like to organise by types of clothing and then by colour.


On the shelf I have some jackets folded, a box of all my hair extensions behind, my pyjamas on the right, behind that I have swimwear and socks. I have my vests folded in a box in the middle as I use them most often, I like storing them this way as I can see each colour clearly.
My scarves/shawls are tied onto a 'trouser hanger'.


I have some shoes at the bottom, if you store a pair of shoes with one facing towards you and the other facing away you can fit much more in a row.


On top of the wardrobe I have baskets that house my bags...


I have a chest of drawers, but only the top shelf is mine as the bottom 2 have been dedicated to 'baby bubbles'.


In that drawers I have some of my tops folded into a basket so I can see everything, and some 'feminine' things on the right.


The top drawer has a secret drawer which stores my earrings and rings. I have used acrylic storage from Muji to keep them organised.


My lingerie used to be in the chest of drawers but now I keep them under the bed. I have 2 plastic boxes, one has 'bras' and the other has 'bottoms', behind that is a big box that houses all of my 'sets'.


I also keep this box under the bed which has all of my bracelets, bangles & cuffs.


I also have a built in 'closet', we took the door off to create more space...


Next to my bed I have a side table, "normal" people store books and lamps on this. I store suitcases, the top one holds all of my lotions & potions, the bottom one holds more beauty products and my brushes. Open the door and you will find nail polishes stored inside acrylic Muji drawers with hair products next to them. The shelf in between has a box full of my skincare. Who knew a tiny side table could hold so much?


I didn't have space for a dressing table so I made do with this, these baskets hold my makeup whilst looking clutter free, and I'm all about clutter free.


Oh and "Woopsie" I also have an overflow of makeup in this caddy that also lives under the bed.



Here's what's inside the built in closet... Mainly dresses, again organised by colour.


I have my belts hanging on a belt hanger...


I needed LOTS of space for my necklaces...


I have nails in the wall and I hung them all inside the closet behind my dresses.


On top I have jeans, trousers, leggings and some 'seasonal' things. My wedding dress is in the cream canvas bag on the left, and I have my bed linen on the right which are rolled up. My perfumes sit on the top shelf as I don't wear the items on the bottom that often.


On the bottom I have plenty more things...


I have shoes, I got this shelf from Costco and it works great!


I made use of the sides of the closet by hanging more jewellery, hats and hair tools. Under my hair dryer I have a box for my rollers and hair clips/accessories so it's at easy reach. Furthermore, I have my 'winter' scarves, hats & gloves in a basket.


....And that's how I store my "junk"!

I may change things up a little depending on the season but generally it stays this way. Organisation has to be practical and save you time by being able to find and put back what you need to.

Here are some of my tips:

• First things first, I got rid of a lot of clothes over the past couple of years. You need to purge and I purged good and it's something I keep up. Get rid of anything you feel 'crap' in, anything that doesn't fit and anything you haven't worn in the past year, be ruthless!
• Decide if you want to organise by 'type' or 'colour'.
• Explore new ways of folding or rolling your clothes, you will be surprised how much space you save and how easy it is to find things.
• Asses what works for you with your existing storage and keep it that way, decide on what would make life easier, for example if you have to wear black 5 days out of the week put those items at easy reach.
• Look into baskets, boxes and shelves! It's amazing how much more stuff you can squish into them. I recommend checking out 'TK Maxx 'for pretty boxes if you want them to be on display.
• Don't go crazy spending money on 'organisational' products, make use of what you have at home, like I said it's not about pretty it's about functionality and creating solutions for your storage.
  

Do you have any tips for organising in small spaces?