I have a small coat closet off my kitchen that I hadn’t opened all winter.  Not because I don’t have coats.  Believe me, I have tons of coats!  But I wore the same warmest, longest winter parka I have for the entire winter and there had been no room for switching it up!

Every time I looked at the closet, I thought about what a waste of space it was.  One day I was just fed up with that closet and I took out every last coat and piled them up on my couch.  I looked at the empty closet and got so excited about the possibilities!  The only thing left in the closet was a single shelf and the bar where the coats had hung.  My first inclination was to remove the bar and fill the closet with shelves.  But, when I started thinking about what would be most convenient to store in the closet, I changed my mind.

What would be great to have in that closet?  My lunch bag and a couple other bags I use on a regular basis for starters.  Well, those things would be great to hang on the existing bar!  I decided to use S hooks (Which I happen to LOVE for organizing – it’s how I hang all my jeans in my closet!) to hang these items on the bar.

What else would be handy?  Definitely some cleaning products – mops and my Dyson.  So, I added mop holders first off and also mounted my Dyson to the inside of the door.  After mounting the Dyson, I examined the inside of the door and I saw more available space.  Next, I added a really cool rack I found on Amazon to store a couple pair of exercise shoes that usually lived on my kitchen floor.

This closet already felt like heaven!  Next, I needed a place to put returnable cans.  Presently, I was hanging a plastic bag on the closet door handle for this purpose and it just had to go!  I bought a waste bin that fit nicely inside the closet to throw my empty cans and water bottles until I returned them to the store.

This closet was everything already!  And, I still had some room!  I put a large basket on the floor and decided to keep the shelf that existed in the closet; adding two more.  I used my favorite IKEA baskets (Byholma) on the shelves to store some health books and cleaning products.

My son cut some wood for my two added shelves and I painted them the same as the rest of the closet (BM Simply White).

I added a hook for that one coat I wear all winter and a couple of bins to the inside of the door – I wanted to utilize every bit of space.

Point is – the coat closet wasn’t working for me so I needed to find something that would!  Moral of the story is not to accept what is there just because it is there lol!

Now this closet makes me SO happy!  I use it ALL the time and it is so much more practical as a pantry type closet rather than a coat closet.

What, you ask, happened to all the coats?  I purchased two wardrobes (Brimnes) from IKEA for storing the coats and that is where they stay until the rare occasions they are needed!

I hope I have inspired you to rethink/rework some of your space!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie