The Colorful Closet that Wasn’t {Linen Closet Organization}

Every day while checking out the blogs I “Ooh” and “Aah” over beautiful, brightly colored spaces. There are some really talented bloggers out there who have an amazing eye for putting together colors I never dreamed would look so darn gorgeous. Inspired by all of this wonderful color {and probably because I’m so depressed over the gloomy, gray non-spring we are having here in Pittsburgh}, I set off to add some bold and bright elements to my little linen closet while giving it an organizational lift as well. Here’s what I started with:

My plan was to cut some cardboard, wrap it in pretty paper, and adhere it to the back of the closet to add a punch of color and pattern without committing to a long-term paint change. I also picked up some colorful bins at the dollar store to help corral some of the loose items.

I covered one piece of cardboard with my beloved wrapping paper and put it in with the bins to test it out.

It just wasn’t working for me. I loved the paper, and heaven knows I’ve never met a bin that I didn’t like, but I felt like it belonged in a kid’s room, not in my grown-up, soon-to-be-organized linen closet, so I decided to switch gears.

Maybe my neutrals weren’t so bad after all. I picked up a couple of unfinished wooden boxes at Tar-jay {I promise I shop other places sometimes. It’s just that we got this big, beautiful, brand new Target really close to my house and it calls my name pretty much every day. As soon as the novelty wears off, I’m sure I’ll start buying things from other stores again…maybe.} to hold the medicines I was moving to the linen closet from the bathroom cabinet.

Apparently the humidity in the bathroom isn’t great for the longevity of the meds, so it is better to store them elsewhere. I gave the boxes a few coats of whitewash and a cute little medical logo, and they were looking pretty good. {if I do say so myself }

In order to make room for the meds, I had to clear out some of the baby towels and burp cloths that 20 month old “baby” C doesn’t use any more. I may or may not have gotten emotional while doing this. {He’s my last baby! It’s hard!} After that, I was able to pop all of my newly refolded linens back into the closet, and…

Ta-da! When I started this project, I was expecting a much different “after” shot, but I must say, I’m loving the neutrals, and the little details make me smile each time I pass the updated closet.

I love the little box that fits the Cs’ washcloths perfectly.

I love that the towels are getting in on the ombre trend.

And maybe I didn’t get the brightly colored linen closet that I had pictured, but I did get the one that was right for my style, and I’m okay with that.