How to Organize a Small Closet Without Spending Any Money

Loverly Grey

Hi, friends! Don’t we all wish our closets looked like that? I mean, come on. Dreamy! However, having a closet like that would definitely mean I had to spend some money. Like a lot of it. And that just doesn’t fit with the theme of today’s blog post.

I mentioned in week one of the Wear Color Challenge that I had cleaned out my closet and had a pretty decent amount of space left over (like a whole foot). You can read what the Wear Color Challenge is here. Most of you know that I live in a small, two bedroom apartment. When we moved from Louisiana, we left a three bedroom house, so we definitely downsized. However, coming here to two small closets meant that I was not sharing. I moved all of my clothes, shoes, and accessories into the closet of the guest bedroom, and Paul got the closet in the master. I’ve always had a sort of “system” to how I organize my closet, but since this is the smallest closet I’ve had since I’ve been married, I had to get creative in order to fit everything in (and then some).

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Movie Set Monday- Sex and the City 2

MOVIE SET MONDAY

Welcome back to Movie Set Monday! I am still having the most fun putting these posts together. Interior design and home decor really are some of my passions. I may not always be great at putting it together myself, but I love to look at spaces that have been expertly styled. I learn so much from them. And that’s no exception today.

SEX AND THE CITY 2

In the second movie of the Sex and the City franchise we see that Carrie and Big decided not to live in the beautiful 5th Avenue penthouse we saw in the first movie (that post here), but they did get a stunning apartment that we’re going to look at today.  I’m a sucker for wallpaper. I know that many people, my parents included, have probably sworn off wallpaper after scraping some from the 80s or 90s off walls and ceilings. Yes, ceilings. There was pineapple wallpaper on the ceiling of my parents’ kitchen when we first moved into that house. Nowadays we have things like removable wallpaper, so if we want to try a bold pattern on the walls, we won’t feel so bad about taking it down in a few years when the trend is over. I very seriously thought about doing wallpaper in our bathroom, but I think, based on my budget, I’d better stick to paint.Okay, back to Casa de Preston. I love a foyer with a table in the middle. I guess that room looks as if it’s technically serving as a mini library, but the table right in the center is one of my favorite ways to style a space like that. It’s the perfect excuse for fresh flowers. And that light fixture is just perfection. I am loving interesting light fixtures more and more lately. This bubbly one is very chic. Moving into the living room brings that beautiful ceiling. I love architectural details. That’s what really gives a home it’s character. Another thing I love about this space (because it feels like it’s breaking the “rules” a little bit) is that light fixture. I can’t quite figure out if it’s wooden medallions or bronze ones or maybe brass? Anyway, I think it’s very interesting, but I also like that it’s not centered over the table or the center of the living room. It’s just right in between the two spaces looking pretty.   What a great idea to store your books upright on the coffee table? I never would have thought to do this. See-I’m always learning things. And an added bonus to doing this is the great bookends you get to use.
I notice that Carrie must really like the color blue. Remember the last apartment was all bright and, I feel like, quintessentially Single Carrie. But as she and Big got married and have merged their lives together into one space, she didn’t forget her favorite color. (Just wait for the kitchen backsplash.) She just used it in different shades. The whole apartment is covered in different shades of blue. In the picture above there’s the navy couch, the cornflower blue ottoman, and the teal Foo Dog bookends.  And then those drapes. They cover the room in yet another shade of blue, and it all just works. Here’s another lesson I’ve learned in home decor: It’s okay to mix patterns and prints…as long as you have a color that brings them together to help the space make sense. Nearly every piece in this living and dining space is a neutral or has some shade of blue.

Another light fixture I love is that lamp below. I am definitely a fan of the curved lamp stand. You have to look carefully, but you’ll see the black swan-like neck of the lamp’s stand, and she’s lovely. Way more fun than a traditional table lamp. I’m digging the open floor plan and really loving those built-ins. The lights inside each shelf that illuminates them from within is so pretty and really showcases what you’ve got on the shelves. We also get a glimpse of that wild kitchen. Hello, Carrie’s apartment shade of blue. 🙂 I really love these chairs. The shape, the pattern, everything. And see the light? Is it wood? Is it brass? Is it bronze? Whatever it is, it’s pretty. The kitchen almost feels a little retro to me. Maybe it’s the tile backsplash (feels a little sixties mod) or the light (a little bit 50s). Maybe it’s the color of the wood on the lower cabinets that reminds me of some of the movies  made/set in the 70s. Or the style of the table and chairs. Or the lack of hardware on any of the cupboards. I do love the big rug in the middle of the kitchen. It’s so unexpected. Again, breaking those rules. The open shelving is really nice, and it appears the fridge is just to the right of it. I also really love the floors. When I first saw this movie and they finally arrived home from Stanford’s and Anthony’s wedding, this was the room that had my heart all aflutter. The wallpaper was speaking my language and then I saw it mixed with the patterned headboard and those inky blue drapes with the gold fringe trim. Yes! Yes! Yes!  Another master with a sitting area. I fell in love with the idea when I was putting together the Something’s Gotta Give post, and there’s no exception this time either. I love this little space. I could think of so many things to do in a sitting area in my bedroom. I may need to make this happen…
Also, the drapes on every window a real statement. They are so beautiful. Window treatments are like the perfect piece of jewelry to a room. It just adds a finishing touch that nothing else could accomplish. My mom always says curtains makes a room feel “homey”. I agree. I think they are inviting, and I think I want to plop right there in the seat by the window and have a cup of coffee and read a fashion magazine as Carrie would. 

Or perhaps I’d sit at this lovely desk next to that window and write more about this glorious NYC apartment. 🙂 What a gorgeous piece of furniture, right? I love it’s shape and that wood grain on the inside is so pretty. Well we’ve come to the end. Just like the last SATC set post, I’ll leave you with a view of the perfect closet. His and hers. Again, I love that it’s perfectly imperfect and breaks the rules of symmetry, which I actually happen to love, but this is custom perfection. His is warm and masculine, and hers is light and feminine. And it’s wide enough for a place to sit and fasten your strappy sandals or zip up your boots or tie up your sneakers. And of course she’s still displaying her fabulous clothes as art. Thanks for coming back to Movie Set Monday. Same time, same place next week, right?

Movie Set Monday- Sex and the City The Movie

MOVIE SET MONDAY

Welcome to the second installment of Movie Set Monday! I’m sharing one of my all time favorite apartments that belongs to none other than Carrie Bradshaw. If any of you are fans of the show Sex and the City you’ll remember her apartment being nice, but not overly styled or cohesive. We can all agree the walk-through closet was pretty sweet, but there were no real show stopper pieces in her apartment. Okay, maybe the leather chair she bought from Aidan but not much else. I’d say her clothes and shoes were the real show stoppers.

SEX AND THE CITY THE MOVIE

But then came the movie, and with that came *SPOILER ALERT* a jilt at the altar, a new hairdo, and (my personal favorite part) a newly decorated apartment. 

I was googly-eyed, crazy in love with this wall color. I don’t know what it was. (Probably that it was Carrie Bradshaw’s color so, naturally, I loved it.) I tried to paint the third bedroom of our house in Louisiana a similar color and had different shades of blue painted on the walls trying to find the right one. The ending to that story is I chickened out on going so bold and painted it grey…womp womp. Anywho, I still love this color. I don’t know what room I’d paint that color, but I do know that the decorator, Lydia Marks, who put this look together is fearless and I love her for it!And how smart was it that as Carrie started to actually feel like herself again that her outfit matched her new apartment. I loved that tiny detail. Everything went from dark and depressed to bright and cheerful. It was a lovely moment in the movie. (Just so y’all know, I’m rolling my eyes at myself over here. It’s just that I’ve seen this movie and the TV show so.many.times. I have practically studied the decor and outfits of every episode and movie, so I’m just a big ol’ SATC nerd. And though I may be rolling my eyes, I’m not sorry I know so much about it. AND I could put names of some of you right here that have watched it just as many times as I have. Sometimes even WITH me!) 🙂 The color and pattern mixing are just right. And I love all of the white window treatments and trim and still more white accents here and there throughout the apartment. I think it calms down all that bright blue so that it’s just right and not too much. One of my favorite things is her entryway. I really liked the L-O-V-E wall decal. It was (here comes the nerd part again) such a perfect, full circle moment for Carrie given everything she’d been through with Big. She still believed in Love because she, like me, knows that Love does conquer all when it’s all said and done. Also still obsessed with that bomber jacket.  The storage around her TV was another design element I loved about this apartment. It was so simple and sleek and functional. How perfect is that for when you have company coming over unexpectedly? I’d literally stuff everything in there if I had a messy house before guests arrived.  Can’t end this post without a little closet love. This is a photo from the movie. I love the pendants and the runner. And displaying the clothes is the perfect “art” for this space. Carrie always had unique outfits, so hanging them outward was a great way to show them off. I imagine that she liked to switch them out so she could enjoy all of her beautiful clothes. And who can forget this moment?

The penthouse on 5th was exquisite. But this closet…. all the heart eyes for this closet. Did we not all gasp the moment those doors open and we saw this?Yep. I think we’ll end on this good note. Hope y’all enjoyed the walk around Carrie’s apartment. Come back next Monday for another movie set. Have a great week, y’all!