Building My Dream Closet: How I Built A Walk-In Wardrobe

How I Turned An Extra Room Into My Dream Closet

For over a year, I had a tiny room in my house that never served much of a purpose. I tried making it a guest room, but it was too small for that. Consequently, it became more of a storage room.

But not a good one.

Boxes were stacked haphazardly. Clothes slowly took over the floor. We lost more than one appliance in our home that mysteriously turned up in that black hole of a room.

It was definitely time to make a change.

Of course, my husband and I aren’t handy at all, and her room looked like it had been installed by A-list celebrity home builders. We didn’t exactly have the money for that, but I wondered – was there an affordable option that could give me just as much luxury?

Yes. Yes, there was. And it came in the form of 180 Closet Design.

Here’s how we turned my extra room into a walk-in closet.

It’s So Hard to Say Good-Bye

First things first, if I wanted to turn that extra room/storage room/black hole into the closet of my dreams, I knew I would have to go through the mess that had accumulated in there mysteriously.

I say mysteriously because, really, I couldn’t have made a mess that huge, right?

(My husband says yes. Yes, I could have.)

I knew that going through that room probably meant donating a lot of the stuff. To be honest, I didn’t go in there unless I absolutely had to, which meant that most of the things in there were probably useless.

My green pineapple socks? Okay, those aren’t sentimental. I just love them. (Spoiler alert: I kept those.)

But if I wanted to design my dream closet, some things had to go. So I practiced tough love and forced myself to donate as much as I could.

And by that, I mean I mostly tried to assign even more sentimental value to my clothes, so I had a reason to keep them.

(I have a problem! There, I said it!)

It wasn’t all bad, though. It kind of turned into a mini-fashion show. After all, if I was going to donate something, I had to be sure that I would never wear it again.

This actually helped more than I thought it would. So much of the stuff I had assigned a sentimental value to didn’t even fit anymore. Or the clothes just looked horrible on me. Once I saw those types of clothes on, it was much easier to let them go.

With step one complete, it was time to call in the big guns.

Bring on the Consultation!

My closet savior came in the form of Scot, a genius if I ever saw one.

First of all, the consultation was absolutely free. No strings attached meant I could bail on this project if I didn’t like his design. That issue never came up, though, because it was clear from the beginning that Scot knew exactly what he was doing.

He made it clear that my closet should be tailored to me. While I could draw inspiration from the beautiful walk-ins I’d seen on Pinterest, I had to create my own space.

First, I had to figure out what wasn’t working with my current closet.

I know I’m not the only one out there that feels this way.

Scot suggested a setup that would make it so that I never had to do that again. Can we talk about heroes? Because I think he may be one of mine.

I also had to reassess what I folded and what I hung up. Part of me thought I should go in and just install a bunch of closet rods and hang everything up. It would be easier to see what clothes I had that way.

But then he told me that this actually isn’t a great solution. Certain clothes are better folded because they can be prone to sag or stretch when hung up. Sweaters and heavy dresses fall in this category.

On top of that, I learned so many closet hacks, like utilizing the vertical space that I had ignored for so long.

Armed with this new knowledge (and Scot), we got to work designing my dream closet.

One of the benefits of using 180 Closet Design was the 3-D model he set up to show me exactly what my closet would look like after they built it.

This turned out to be a life (and money) saver because it helped me realize I’d rather have a little nook than an island in the middle of the room.

And it’s probably apparent that organizing isn’t exactly a natural talent of mine, but with the help of the 3-D model, I looked like a pro.

The Outcome

Absolute bliss.

Let me tell you, I went into this project expecting a bigger closet. I came out of it with my own personal oasis.

I’m not exaggerating.

Now I usually can’t get enough color. But we went very simple with the closet. All clean lines and white cabinets. My clothes provide all of the colors.

I’m not saying I’m going to convert to the minimalist lifestyle by any means, but stepping into that room is a breath of fresh air that I didn’t realize my home desperately needed.

My biggest concern with the room was the window that took up entirely too much wall space. I thought I’d either have to cover it up or go with low shelves and incorporate it somehow.

At Scot’s suggestion, we made it the focal point of the room. And as much as I love my clothes, it’s become my favorite part of the whole closet.

By placing a chaise lounge below the window, I now have a bench to try on my collection of shoes. At least, that’s what it’s intended for. But I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t become my reading nook.

The natural light, simple color scheme, and very comfortable seat make the best environment for relaxation. And I’m surrounded by my beautiful new closet. Win-win.

(It’s also the first place my husband looks for me when he can’t find me, which probably says something about how much time I spend there.)

As I said, it’s absolute bliss.

A custom closet may not be for everybody, but it was definitely the best decision for me. And it could be for you, too.

Remember, the consultation is 100% free, so what do you have to lose?

Give 180 Closet Design a call and let them do for you what they did for me.