My Organized Closet with Containers for Family Photos, Mementos and more!

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Operation: A Place for Everything (and Everything in Its Place)

My organizing mission continues! This closet makeover is still in progress so no pretty pictures, but I thought I’d show you what I’ve been working on behind the scenes.

The Closet That Drove Me Nuts

(can you blame me?)

This closet in the Snug was one of those closets.

The “we just moved in” (…almost four years ago 😂) so let’s just stuff it in here for now kind of closet.

It became the delayed decision zone—overflowing with the things I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. Family photos, mementos, files, extra pillow covers… all important, all without a clear home.

At one point it was filled with fluffy pillows, and they would all come tumbling out when I opened the door. I don’t think I took a photo of that.

Why We Chose a Compact Home

We live in what I call a compact home, by choice. It has smaller rooms, a smaller lot, a one car garage, no storage shed, no basement and smallish closets. After years of having more space—extra garages, basements, closets, outbuildings—I realized “extra storage space” just made it too easy to collect too much stuff.

And for someone like me (a person who likes to decorate, can be sentimental, and a recovering procrastinator 😏), fewer storage options actually “forces me” to stay on top of things. Otherwise clutter is multiplying “out of sight, out of mind” (or taunting me every time I open the door).

White photo boxes // Blue stackable bins // Navy linen file boxes // Wall-mounted essential oil organizer // Blue magazine holders

That said, even after years of decluttering and downsizing, I’m still learning important truths, such as:

Small spaces obviously need fewer things—but they also need better systems.

When we had a 5,000 square foot house, we didn’t actually need many systems. People always say a bigger house is harder to keep clean, but it is far easier to stash stuff where no one has to see it.

We had a lot of storage in that house so you could toss in just about anything to “deal with later” and forget you even owned it. Until it was time for us to move. Same situation happened at the next house. It was a smaller home but 1,000 square feet of storage under the house. I had no idea we still had canoes under the house until the day we were trying to load the Uhaul.

By the way, you can read more of my misadventures and solutions found through all of my homes in my books Love the Home You Have and Make Room for What You Love — maybe you’ll relate or just get a good laugh at my struggles ha!

On a related note, I have no idea why I still have this album. I mean, I did like Donny and Marie and had a lot of their albums, but this would not be the one I would choose to keep. Yet here it is.

And why have I moved about 13 times with this album? I have a lot of questions. Ha! Happily, these random finds are becoming more rare. I still have too much stuff, but I’m making steady progress. Let me show you what I’ve been working on!

The Closet Problem (and My Simple Solution)

This closet in the snug, under the eaves, is actually one of the biggest we have, so I knew it had potential. But without stackable bins or a usable structure, it wasn’t going to work for what I needed.

We didn’t need to keep everything, so I started—as a necessity—with a ruthless edit. I’ve come a long way when it comes to letting go, and having limited space definitely helps me be more decisive.

Once the clutter was pared down, I got to the fun part: organizing.

What I Used:

White photo boxes: These hold all our loose photos until we can scan, frame, or sort them.
Blue stackable bins: These are soft-sided but sturdy with handles and spots for labels. Some are file boxes, some are just open bins. I’m not sure how these ended up being two shades of blue (I ordered one set a bit later) but that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect to feel organized.
Navy linen file boxes: These are really sturdy, well-built, and a great size. They came with hanging file folders that are helping me feel so organized!
Blue magazine holders
Wall-mounted essential oil organizer: I added two of these wall shelves months ago and love how they maximize vertical space without cluttering the closet. I definitely need to pare down my oils, but I love all of them. Ha! I still need to tidy those shelves up, though. Baby steps! Side note, this closet smells LIKE A DREAM! I get my oils here.

Everything I needed now stacks neatly into the closet, and there’s still enough floor space to walk in and out comfortably. YAY!

It’s just what I wanted. An easy fix. No need to install shelves or find furniture. No permanent installations. Just a fast and functional solution that works for us now, and is flexible for the future, too.

And most importantly? I can open the door without anxiety. I keep opening the door just to remind myself of how far I’ve come!

Buy bins in larger sets if you know you’ll use them—it’s more affordable.
Look for bins with handles and label slots for easy future organizing.
Don’t buy containers for clutter. Declutter before you organize.
Simple solutions can make a big impact—especially in small spaces.

Voila! This little system saved the day…and my sanity.

One more thing….

Stay tuned for my next installment of A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place—you won’t even believe this one! I came up with a clever idea for the closet door that solved a whole different organizing dilemma. It was a tricky one! I can’t wait to show you.