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Is there a space in your home that tends to fill up with random items? For us, it’s our home office. While I gave the space a makeover a few years ago, it didn’t solve our need for more storage. I finally solved the problem this year with a $60 home office closet makeover.
Here are the steps to how I maximized storage with a budget-friendly home office closet makeover.
01. Evaluate the space
Before choosing any storage tools, I noted how my home office was used and the problems.
First, how it was being used: my office is an office. But it also doubles as a storage area for school & office supplies, family mementos, party supplies, home decor, and gifts and gift wrapping supplies.
Next, I needed to address the problems. Storage in the closet was limited to the floor and the clothing rack shelf. Everything was stacked on the floor, making it difficult to store items properly. Plus, gifts and wrapping supplies were spread around the room. Gifts often sat in a corner for weeks, cluttering the room.
02. Planning the space & setting a goal
After evaluating the space, it was clear we needed a storage system for the following categories:
- School & office supplies
- Family mementos
- Craft supplies
- Home decor
- Gifts & wrapping supplies
- Donations
My goal is always to keep rooms clutter-free, employing hidden storage as much as possible, in a cost-effective way.
To accomplish this, I considered adding another bookshelf to the room with closed storage on the bottom. However, to maximize the entire space it made the most sense to reconfigure the closet.
In the end, I decided to add shelves to the closet for hidden storage.
03. Choosing a storage system
While creating a custom, built-in closet system is ideal, it’s expensive and time-consuming. I wanted a solution that I could use now without breaking the bank.
My solution? A budget-friendly wire shelving unit.
I measured the height up to the shelf in the closet, taking into account the metal support beam in the center. Since I wanted to keep my file cabinets in the closet (they’re not pretty) I measured the length from the wall to the end of the two side-by-side cabinets.
After looking at many options and reviews, I choose this wire shelf from Walmart.
This was the only storage item I purchased. I opted to use the current boxes and bins we already had since they work. The idea is to store them efficiently.
04. Setting up the system
After the wire shelf arrived, I set aside a couple of hours to set up my new storage system.
First, I emptied everything from the floor of the closet, grouping similar items. Next, I vacuumed the closet floor (it’s always good to clean when the area is clear). Then I started putting the wire shelf together, measuring the height of each shelf to fit my containers.
Heavier items like the sewing machine, photo boxes, and picture frames are on the bottom shelf. The middle shelf is reserved for gift bags and boxes as well as a bin for donations.
(On a side note: I have many linen bins like this around my house. They came with a set of cube shelves but the bins have proven versatile and sturdy for many years. There are similar ones on Amazon.)
The upper two shelves are for the remaining gifting supplies, craft supplies, and office paper. I’ll probably stack those paper boxes to make room for more gifts as needed.
On the opposite side of the closet, I repurposed a trash bin for wrapping paper and tissue paper and left extra space for hanging wreaths, tablecloths, and table runners.
A successful home office closet makeover
It’s been a couple of weeks since I revamped our home office closet and I’m so happy with the results.
Now that the area is streamlined, it’s easier for the rest of the family to find what they need for wrapping gifts. I no longer have a bag of donations or gift bags cluttering up a corner of my office —or my brain, for that matter. A clutter-free space truly brings peace of mind!
A successful home office closet makeover
It’s been a couple of weeks since I revamped our home office closet and I’m so happy with the results.
Now that the area is streamlined, it’s easier for the rest of the family to find what they need for wrapping gifts. I no longer have a bag of donations or gift bags cluttering up a corner of my office —or my brain, for that matter. A clutter-free space truly brings peace of mind!
While it seems like I made decisions quickly about what storage solution to use, I spent several months deciding on a storage solution. In the end, it was worth taking my time.
If you want to learn more about the organizing process I used in this post, check out the Start Organizing Your Home Guide, a practical guide that helps you create a personalized plan to organize your home while teaching you a proven decluttering & organizing framework that you can repeat ANYWHERE.
Check out the Start Organizing Your Home Guide here >>>
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