I live in a very old house – circa 1929 I’m told.  I know there are plenty who prefer new, and when I remodeled the bathroom and the contractor actually pulled newspaper out of the walls , I understood why.  But at the end of the day, I just love my home.  I love that creaky third step and would never have it fixed; I can always tell when someone’s outta bed and up to no good.  I love looking at the hardwood floors and imagining the dozens of people who’ve traversed them over time; I can see the peplums and pleats, capelets and cloches.  I love listening to the wind through the huge trees in our yard at night; I think about all of the families who have gone to bed before me and done the very same thing.

Though my father will insist the very worst thing about my house is the fact that it is constantly in need of repair and is the “money pit” of all “money pits” (Really, Dad?  How about the golf habit?  The convertible in the garage that is rarely, if ever driven?  The wine club membership to every vineyard in Napa and Virgina and a few in between?) I will tell you the absolute worst thing about my house is the closet space.  It is pathetic at best, and keep in mind, I have a nasty shoe habit and three growing girls.  I’m not really sure if people in 1929 just didn’t own many clothes (likely) or were perhaps so diminutive in stature, they actually did own a lot of clothes, but they were tiny clothes (less likely).

I’ve tried everything to create more space.  First, shoe racks. The plus: I could see my fave shoes at a glance.  The minus: The racks actually took up too much space on the floor, and they couldn’t accommodate all of the shoes anyway. Next, portable closet storage thingies that I put in the basement.  The plus: good cardio running up and down the stairs to grab a dress.  The minus: the basement is damp and icky, and so were the clothes.  What worked the best and was truly game changing, were Elfa shelves.  I had the girls’ closets done as well as my own, and they were worth every penny.  I had shelves installed from top to bottom on all three sides of the closets, some with drawers, some for hanging, and I managed to  create enough vertical space to decently accommodate most of our wardrobes.  The folks at The Container Store did all of the design work, and they were very insightful.  To this day, I’m forever grateful for the little drawers they suggested to house belts (me) and Zhu Zhu pets (my girls).

So here’s a shout out to those of you who, while pretty certain your fave LBD is at the back of your closet, know retrieving it will require a carabiner and a crash pad.  The Container Store is currently running its annual Elfa sale – 25% off everything including installation!   And once everything is within eyesight and arm’s reach, you can save even further by shopping in your own closet!

Wishing you tidings of tidy!