Almost every time the husband gets sick he buys a new package of cold and flu medicine – even though we usually have several packages of medicine in our linen closet. I can’t really blame him, though. Not when our linen closet looks like this:
Yes, that is actually our linen closet…and a set of open shelves that was installed during our office renovation last year.
I walk by those spaces at least a dozen times every day, and every time I walk by them they make me cringe. That’s why they are my targets for this fall’s One Room Challenge (ORC).
If you don’t know, the One Room Challenge is a six-week challenge for bloggers to completely renovate and/or redecorate one room of their house. It’s short, it’s stressful, and it’s totally worth the effort. I joined in for the first time last spring by renovating our two-story back yard. Some of my favorite projects came out of that series, and I look forward to getting creative again this fall.
Back to our linen closet. It’s tiny, and that open shelving isn’t much bigger. Together they might be equal to 1/2 of a modern day linen closet. That might be why it’s never been properly organized…ever. And as much as I planned to have a beautiful display in those open shelves, that never happened either.
So after 9 years of living in this house, it’s time to get these spaces organized. But this time, I’m not going to wing it. I’m determined to create a system that is both manageable and beautiful. I wish it was as simple as it sounds.
It’s not simple, but with the right planning, it is possible. And as much as I want to jump in with purging and organizing, we would probably just end up in exactly the same situation a few months down the line. A good plan is essential to avoid another mess like this in the future.
The Right Way to Plan an Organization Project
A good design plan starts with inspiration. Not purging, not pulling together a shopping list, not identifying what projects to make. About a month ago I started browsing Pinterest and Google image searches for closet and open shelving inspiration that I loved. I had no preconceived notions, and I didn’t worry about trying to keep the images consistent. The only requirement is that I had to really love what I saw in the picture.
Why start with this method? It is incredibly helpful for determining what design elements you really like. You might think you know what you like already, but when you are looking at a collection of pictures that you know you love, you can clearly see the common elements. Those are the elements to focus on when you’re designing your final space.
Good #design plans start with inspiration #oneroomchallenge #organization Click To TweetA Beautifully Organized Linen Closet
Credits: 1 – 5 Steps to the Perfect Linen Closet by Bliss at Home, 2 – A Little Peek at Our Linen Closet Makeover by Dear Lillie, 3 – Laundry Room Organization Using the NEAT Method from The Pottery Barn Blog, 4 – Pin Stripe Linen Closet from Better Homes and Gardens, 5 – Organized Linen Closet from Honey We’re Home, 6 – Linen Closet Organization from Waiting on Martha, 7 – Paulette Pantry used as a linen closet from How to Decorate by Ballard Designs
All of the linen closets above are beautiful on their own. But when you see all the pictures together, the common design really becomes obvious. Clearly I like I am drawn to large woven baskets that close on top, bright whites, and neutral tones for the storage. Remind me of this if I start to incorporate brightly colored plastic bins in this project.
Clean & Bright Open Storage
Credits: 1 – Unknown Source via Dawn Radke on Pinterest, 2 – DIY Between the Studs Shelf Closet Makeover by Remodelando la Casa, 3 – Trimmed Storage Niche at Better Homes and Gardens, 4 – Bathroom Storage Shelves by Stacey Risenmay (Not Just a Housewife), 5 – Open Shelving by Aimee Weaver Designs
Again, for the open shelving we see common elements of bright whites with natural woven baskets and a more styled look. Clearly, open storage needs to incorporate a bit more form since it is visible to anyone who walks past it. Hopefully, I can manage to get rid of plenty of clutter.
I’m so glad to have gone through this process of truly defining what I love to look at. Now it’s time for the dirty work of purging before all the fun things like buying and crafting. I can’t wait to get started. And since there’s a nasty virus going around our house right now, I’m also really looking forward to being able to find the right medicine when I need it!
Have you ever organized your linen closets?
Do you prefer colorful or neutral designs?
See more ORC projects:
Oh dear – not in ages. Cassidy and I have a funny system. I will say that I often clean it out of all the free toothbrushes or products I got from blogging (or the dentist) and I donate them all to charity, and then it all gets nice again.
I’m into colorful designs so much. Luckily Cassidy is too!
So many great resources here! Thanks for the much needed inspiration. My linen closet is frightening. Pinning for later. This is definitely a project in my future :).
Oh come do my linen closet! Every time I open it, it saps my will to live!
Well fone 🙂
Oh come do my linen closet! Every time I open it, it saps my will to live!
Well done 🙂
It is like you read my mind as I just thought this weekend that I need to clean out my linen closet and organize it. So definitely going to use some of your tips above when I do it now! Thanks Leslie 🙂
I love this and I am going to apply it to my actual closets because those are worst than my linens! Hoarding baby stuff is real!!!!
I love the ideas you have to improve storage and add a stylish flair. I am constantly changing my linen closet based on my boys. I have twins in college. When they come home with their junk, a lot of it ends up in storage, but some things change with what they take and leave. So, I have to adjust what we have in the closet. However, I only use mine for towels, linens, blankets, comforters and cleaning supplies…at the bottom and bag storage.
Great ideas! I really need to do this! #happynowlinkup
Our linen closet needs a makeover too and I love the idea of the one room challenge! You’ve inspired me to either tackle our wreck of a linen closet OR our totally boring dining room.
#happynowlinkup
Thank you for sharing such great resources! I need to do this ASAP! I am a sucker for organization and for some reason it is the linen closet that gets messy first. Thanks for the inspiration! #happynowlinkup
I’ve let my linen closet go..and go..and go. It’s just piles of towels really. These are pretty inspiration photos. Can’t wait to see your finished product!
Love these organization ideas! It’s time to clean out and organize my own closet, and now the task doesn’t seem quite so daunting. Thanks!
#happynowlinkup
Great ideas!! Looks so organized. The OCD in me would love this! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
My linen closet looks pretty close you yours! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Pinned! Have a great week!
Kim
I need to do this so bad, it’s not even funny! Great tips!
As you can tell by the before photos, our linen closet was in dire straights. Having it cleaned up and organized is so wonderful!
Great Tips! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Great inspiration for a linen closet and other storage spaces.
Aren’t those closets gorgeous! It’s always fantastic to start with good inspiration.
I love this! Our linen closet is not terribly unsightly, but it certainly isn’t pretty. I’d love a “pinterest worthy” linen closet.
It’s been wonderful having an organized linen closet…and I don’t let the family mess it up, either!
For some reason, the linen closet is really hard to make look pretty. I like the idea of adding baskets, that would really add a nice touch. I’m saving this for inspiration 🙂
I think the most important thing we figured out was finding a system that makes it EASY to maintain. Then you make the rest of it look pretty. Thanks for stopping by and for saving!
Great inspiration for organizing a linen closet. I refer to my closets like this as rat’s nests. Things seem to magically collect and become jumbled and lost inside of them. I will be very interested to see what you do. Thanks for sharing!
YES! This was the problem we had. We could never find anything, and then we would end up buying more and more of what we already had. Now we can find things easily and avoid duplicate expenses.
For me, it’s my large pantry/craft room/baking pan storage/dog supplies cluster that’s the problem. I should tackle it…someday! Visiting from Saturday Shuffle party.
Oh, yes. I’ve spent the last few weeks taking any extra time I had to purge my party and craft supplies. It’s amazing how much stuff accumulates that we don’t use!
Thank you for good ideas!
Mimi
So glad you like them Mimi!
I am a compulsive neat freak but even i let my closets get a bit messier than I’d like. I typically go through and organize each winter just after christmas; pulling out everything, deciding what to keep and what to toss and then putting like stuff with like stuff. I’ll buy bins an d label them too… It makes me so happy to take a messy eye sore and make it look pretty again. There are some really great ideas here!!
Isn’t it awesome to see a mess turn into something gorgeous? My closet is done now, and these images were so helpful. I hope they help you too!
Such great ideas! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Our linen closet is really just a couple of cabinets. I would love to have a real closet. In addition to towels and bedding, ours has cat food.in it. Ha! Made me feel so good to purge a bunch of stuff out of it last year. Love those modern styles you chose! Each one of them is something I would like!
Our linen closet is pitifully small. Purging definitely helps. The hardest part is actually maintaining the organization! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Truly inspiring to declutter and transform those overflowing shelves and drawers into a bright and open storage space! Love it 🙂 Happy Thursday!
Thanks so much Maisy! We love our cleaned up linen closet, and this inspiration was instrumental in getting us there.