The Master Closet is one of the most important areas when marketing your home. Storage space is one of the most coveted features of a home. I mean, who wants to trip over piles of underwear and stacks of books on the floor of the Master Closet? We want to create a serene oasis where getting dressed in the morning for work, or wardrobe styling for that big night out is a pleasurable experience!
SAYING GOODBYE!
No–Don’t say goodbye to your closet, silly! Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, can’t be repaired or is just plain old out of style, never to return to “Styleland” again! This is probably the hardest part. I know it can be emotional to go through items that were important to you in the past, but we must make more space in the Master Closet so we can organize the Master Closet to entice your buyer. You know what I’m talking about:
- That fringed leather jacket from 1968
- The Madonna headbands and lace sleeves from 1983
- The old T-shirts that you used to sleep in that are so worn out you can read a newspaper through them
- Clothes that you used for any activity you no longer participate in including ballet costumes, surfing jams or Jane Fonda leg warmers
- Worn out flannel shirts from the 90’s “grunge” days
- Anything else that you would be embarrassed to wear right now
We are also going to want to get rid of anything in our Master Closet that doesn’t have anything to do with getting dressed to go somewhere or changing clothes into something more comfortable to lounge or work in at home. Again, we want to get rid of the following:
- That box of old school papers that your Mom sent you that still has macaroni art in it
- That large stack of books that you “intend to read”
- Accessories that belong to activities you no longer participate in such as ski helmets, rock climbing ropes or your old La Crosse stick
- Trophies that you won as a child or teen, particularly ones that say “Participant”
- Boxes of old make-up or cosmetics that made you look good 17 years ago
- Old Bar-B-Que tools that you bought because you were going to “cook out all the time”
Now, when I say “Get rid of” something, I don’t necessarily mean to throw everything in a trash can. Many things can be recycled or given away to a worthy charity. Another option is to sell some things in a yard sale, a Nextdoor App or Facebook Marketplace. As my Mom always says, “You’d be surprised what some people will buy”! As I look in my own closet, I have to agree with her. I have bought some really dumb stuff over the years!
SORT LIKE ITEMS
After eliminating the items that are not worthy of existing in a “Dream Closet”, the next step will be to group like items together. This is kind of a “no brainer”, but putting like items together gives your Master Closet a calming effect. When things are displayed in a “hodge-podgy” manner, it is extremely distracting and visually unsettling. Our goal is to create a space in which our buyer takes a deep sigh of relief, as if they have finally arrived at their ultimate calm retreat.
- Shoes and Boots should be displayed together.
- Shirts should be hung together. Sort items into groups such as jackets, long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, sleeveless shirts.
- Sweaters can be folded together.
- Pants should be hung together. Jeans should be hung or folded together.
- Accessories can be displayed tastefully or stored in a drawer or cabinet if available
- Purses, belts, hats and the like may be displayed or stored as well.
One thing that I like to do in a closet is to take a couple of my nicer looking accessories and display those, while storing all the others. I mean, you wouldn’t want to sprinkle 97 different purses around in a closet, as that would add to the clutter! Not that I have 97 purses, but, you get the idea! A nice purse or two, maybe a cute hat and scarf can make a nice display in a Master Closet.
ARRANGE LIKE COLORS TOGETHER
Now that you have gotten rid of what doesn’t belong in the Master Closet and sorted your like items together, it is time to arrange your items by color. Think of a high-end department store. They display their items by color to soothe the eye. When I say think of a high-end department store, I’m talking about one that no one can afford to shop in, not the local Walmart where the clothes are jammed into the racks “willy-nilly” with hangers askew and half of the clothes are on the floor! Start with white and hang your white things together, then cream colored items, then move on to light pink, going to darker pink, then moving on to the next color. Don’t get too bogged down with what color comes before the next. The point is to keep like colors together while going light to dark, finishing your clothing with browns and blacks. This is a visually soothing way to display your clothing. Also, make sure that your hangers are adequately spaced so the clothes aren’t crunched together. It is a great idea as well to invest in hangers that are all the same. They don’t have to be expensive wooden hangers. They can be all white plastic hangers as long as they all match. It is best to get rid of the cheap wire hangers, though, as those do not enhance the look of your closet or give it that “Elegant Dressing Room” look that we are trying to achieve. Investing in some nice boxes or baskets that match also gives continuity to your closet while hiding items that you may not want to display.
YOUR CLOSET, THEIR DREAM
Organizing your Master Closet is a gigantic step in your Home Staging journey. This space is extremely important to anyone shopping for real estate. Cleaning out and elegantly arranging and displaying your items as if they are in a New York City window display at Christmas is a worthwhile investment of your preparation time. Homeowners are looking for space that will make them want to linger, imagining their own lives lounging in their own custom closet.
Share below the funniest things that you find in your closet!
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