Having a highly functional closet is so important to the rest of your room (and home) being beautiful and clutter free. The process to upgrade our walk-in closet was very gradual and I’m excited to have this next chapter in our closet makeover complete!
I started this project back in March, or rather, I started it in 2021 when I painted the closet and added shoe shelves. I intended to complete it 2 years ago when I did our organic modern master bedroom makeover, but that never happened. So, I signed up for the One Room Challenge this spring knowing that always helps kick my butt into gear. This year, my participation looked different as I did not have the capacity to actually share about my project until now (hello crazy life schedules!). Stay tuned for the many how-to posts to follow! Now, let’s enjoy ourselves a little walk-in closet before and after…
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Walk-In Closet Before and After
Our walk-in closet was not terrible before, but there were some key items that needed improvement. The existing closet shelving was in good shape, so I didn’t want to replace it, but I did want to dress it up a little by addressing a few problem areas to make it more functional (and beautiful) for us. One of my goals with this project was to buy as little as possible. I was able to use mostly scraps and things I already had on hand to finish this entire closet, which was really rewarding!
Here’s what went down to make this DIY before and after come to life:
- Paint the closet walls and the built-in shelves (2021)
- DIY shoe storage shelves (2021)
- DIY light fixture (2021)
- DIY framed mirror (2021)
- Add more drawers to closet (DIY built-in dresser)
- Move all hanging rods in closer to the wall
- Cover, reframe and paint the ugly Airbox
- Upgrade existing closet drawers to match
- Add beautiful aged brass hardware
- Install rechargeable, motion-sensor LED lights
List of things I still want to do:
- Upgrade to a dimmable 3-light fixture
- Re-frame mirror
- Address lingering details
1. Paint and Adding Storage to Our Existing Built-In Closet
Painting our closet white instantly made it feel much brighter, a big upgrade from the dingy blue, plus some much needed shoe storage helped make our closet much more functional.
When I first installed this DIY Shoe Storage, I left that middle spot open thinking it would be a useful shelf to set things down. However, it just became a place to hold junk, so I installed the missing shelf this time around and now it looks complete. Funny enough, I already had both the shelf and support ready to go, so that was an easy add! You could always buy a full-height shoe storage shelf if you don’t want to build one yourself.
You can also see in the photo below, the added drawers at the back of our closet, plus the upgraded existing drawers. It is amazing what a difference a few simple tweaks can make!
2. Adding More Drawer Space to our Walk-in Closet
Initially, I thought I would build custom drawers for this closet, but then I thrifted a solid-wood dresser that fit perfectly. Of course, I still wanted it to look built-in, and so the process began. I used scrap wood to fill in all the gaps and reused the baseboards I had removed to trim it in and make it look fully built-in. This beautiful green paint I have actually owned for 5 years, purchased on clearance at Lowe’s, so I was happy to finally use it! I had also been eyeing these gorgeous aged brass drawer pulls and couldn’t wait to swap out the old hardware. That was all it took and this dresser upcycle was complete! I will have an in-depth tutorial coming soon.
3. Upcycle the Ugly Air Box
This box covers the air return vent that is in our hallway, so I couldn’t remove it. However, this was quite the eye sore. It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the texture of the box was super rough. I have always hated how the shelving didn’t meet the top of it, so it created a small crevice to collect dust and that I couldn’t paint to match. It drove me nuts!
My goal with this air box was to make it look like an intentional part of the closet. Due to the rough texture, I had to cover it with something. Being that it’s inside a closet, I thought to use some scrap fabric I had on hand. I attached this to the air box, trimmed the whole thing out, and painted it to match!
4. Upgrading Existing Custom Closet Drawers
Once I installed and painted the dresser, I noticed how much better those drawers looked. I couldn’t leave the existing drawers looking so basic. So, I added some trim, primed and painted them to match, and installed the same drawer pulls to make the drawers match the dresser drawers. I always wanted to use the bins below the drawers as our hampers, so I finally bought some cotton hamper liners and am planning to add cute brass snaps to them to hold them up while also being easily removeable.
5. Closet Upgrade Down to the Small Details
The small details always make the biggest difference to me. Things like magnetic motion-sensor LED lights, pretty canvas bins for function and style, moving the hanging rods in, and adding specific storage items like a tie and belt organizer all make such a huge impact!
A few lingering details that I’m considering:
- Paint the face of the shelving units green to match (and possibly add a face frame for that too)
- Close in the top most storage areas for more hidden storage, while still keeping it accessible for larger items
- Add knobs/hooks to hang outfits
- Install new light fixture
- Re-frame the mirror
I am SO PROUD of how this walk-in closet turned out – the before and after just makes me so happy! There were some parts that were definitely more difficult than anticipated (hello switching the dresser drawers from center mount to side-mount drawer slides!). However, it is so satisfying to see my vision come to life and to have a very grateful husband who finally has drawers in our closet! I hope you feel inspired by this DIY walk-in closet before and after with some ideas to upgrade your own closet.
Be sure to check out the incredible reveals on the One Room Challenge blog!
