How I Organized My Overflowing Closet

I have a lot of clothes, plus a collection of at least 50 vintage pieces that bring me joy—including a pink lace jumpsuit—but that I never wear. Despite having an 8 x 8 ft. walk-in closet that I share with my husband, Conan, my wardrobe was always overflowing. I piled excess clothing on the wire shelves above the clothing racks. But whenever I pulled one item out, five others would fall onto the floor.

Conan stored his extra clothes in clear plastic bins, which was better for organization but not visually appealing. I’m a creative director, and my job is to make things look beautiful. But my closet wasn’t pretty at all. I hated looking at it.

To help me declutter—and make my closet look more beautiful—I tapped Helen Youn, a Calgary-based organizer trained in Marie Kondo’s KonMari method.

This is what my closet looked like before I got serious about organization.

The action plan

1. Empty the closet and do a “joy check”—meaning separating my clothes into piles based on whether or not they made me happy.
2. Try on every single piece of clothing I was unsure about, and see how I felt in it. If the item didn’t fit properly or didn’t feel right, it went in a donation pile.
3. Organize the clothes I wanted to keep by categories, and then hang them back in the closet (some categories, like workout pants and sweaters, would be folded and stacked vertically in dedicated drawers and baskets using the KonMari folding method). My vintage collectibles, which had been hanging, would be stored in bins on the top shelf of the closet.

The baskets and shallow PAX drawers are perfect for KonMari-method folding. Unfortunately my husband refuses to fold his clothes. (Photo: Kendra Howard. Custom PAX Wardrobe: IKEA.com)

The time commitment

Emptying out the closet and sorting and trying on all the clothes took a full day. As part of this reorg, I also upgraded my closet to an IKEA PAX system.

I met with PAX designer Sara Famili at IKEA North York, who helped me figure out the best system for my space. The closet installation took another day. After that, I spent a final day getting my clothes back in my new closet and its many drawers—which I love.

The biggest takeaway

I was sad to part with so many clothes, but Youn told me to stay focused on what I kept: “Think about all the wonderful pieces that spark joy.”

How the organized space makes me feel

Every time I walk into my closet, I breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t realize how much the disorganization was weighing on me.

The feedback

“I love all the ‘spark joy’ elements,” says Youn. (Me too—especially catching a glimpse of my mom’s vintage perfume bottles every time I walk into the closet.) “Most importantly, you know where everything is now and that is the key!”

On a decluttering kick? Check out how our editors tamed their chaotic fridge and pantry, a jumbled home office and two very messy drawers.