Organization: Improving A Closet

We have lived in our new place for nearly a month. We had all boxes opened and empty within four days. We did a pretty good job of getting things into drawers and closets within a week. And since then have lived with it as is.

A new place does take some tweaking, rearranging to get things just right or at least improved. This post is about a secondary master bedroom closet. We have another one identical to this one that holds our most used clothing. It does not have a window.

Here's what it looked like before I started to make some changes:

About half of what you see in the picture below...disappears! Moved to other places or put into another container!

This closet is storing our file cabinet, two large bins of keepsakes, my sewing supplies, photographs and albums, framed memorabilia we haven't hung, my husband's Army gear, suitcases (not shown), craft items, and two comforters. 

Because it was overwhelming, I started simple. I moved the graduation gown to my daughter's closet! It did not need to be in OUR closet. There were also curtains that I moved to our linen closet. And the next decision was to remove a couple craft bins and store those in another closet on our lower level where there was more room. And finally, I moved a small shoebox sized bin INTO the filing cabinet. This was something that we actually may want to lock up, so that made sense. Good thing I eliminated so many files earlier this year...lots of extra room in that filing cabinet. 

The uniforms had been to the immediate left in the closet. Most are not used on a regular basis, so I moved them towards the back of the hanging space. I did leave a couple closer to the door. The space in between remains empty.

The items above the uniforms and gear are all photographs, albums and memorabilia. Some of these items had been in a bin on the floor. I emptied it of these items so I could add other items to it. Photographs out of site tend to be out of mind, so I did want them a bit more visible.

I moved two of the large keepsake bins under the military uniforms. These had been parallel to the left wall, but I rotated them perpendicular (or 90 degrees). 

The blue bin seen below is where the photo albums had been. I added three framed keepsakes, a framed flag, a plaque with its stand and some smaller less important albums to that bin, so they weren't just loose in the closet. On top, I stacked the two comforters.  Look at all the floor space! 

Immediately to the left on the shelf, I added my sewing machine, supplies and fabrics. I expect these to be removed from the closet most often, so I wanted them easily accessible. Before, the machine was in the back corner of the shelf and not easy to reach...and it's a little heavy! 

And finally, the finished product! I put some of our bags on the filing cabinet, along with an old computer we rarely use (it's black, so probably doesn't stand out in the photo).

For me, this is an improvement. We do have suitcases that need to be put on the floor in there. I have a couple ideas of ways I may be able to tweak the space, but overall, I'm very happy with the changes. 

Do you have an area of your home that needs some rearranging or tweaking in order to make the space more functional?