Can you think of a small room, part of just about every house, that often gets less attention from interior designers than even the garage?
That room is the daily used, under-decorated walk-in bedroom closet.
The blessing in disguise about our triple-digit summer afternoons is that I'm a captive audience for re-evaluating my surroundings. It's a good time to make decisions that will declutter, organize and allow others to enjoy things I no longer wear or use.
While I was sorting and sifting through clothes in my bedroom closet recently, a light bulb went on in my head. I go to that closet a minimum of twice a day. Why not add a few artful touches to make those everyday activities of selecting clothes in the morning and hanging them up at night a little more fun?
I started with the oldest trick in the home decorator's book, that of going on a treasure hunt in my own house. Since I am a lover of things French, I was not surprised to find in the back of a kitchen cupboard a ceramic plaque bought a few years ago on a whim.
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It features a tres chic woman dressed in red, white and black, a gendarme (policeman) tipping his cap to her and the words "haute couture" (high fashion) painted in black. I bought it thinking it would make a cute accent for my French-themed kitchen. However, once I got it home, it was obvious there wasn't much connection between haute couture and a few books in the kitchen on haute cuisine. So, like many "tchotchkes" bought with good intentions, it was relegated to the category of stuff I don't use but can't bear to part with.
Now when I open my closet, that plaque displayed on the back wall is the first thing that meets my eye.
A few other changes got some positive results. Everybody has stuff in their bedroom closet that's purely utilitarian. In my case, this includes a sewing basket, a collection of disposable cameras and binoculars and a bag of key rings, all spread out on a low closet shelf. To camouflage this semi-eyesore, I made use of some birthday cards from my dear friend Mimi.
Another dilemma was what to do with my collection of costume jewelry necklaces. Two sparkly necklace holders are attached to the wall of the opposite closet shelf. Problem is, each is designed to hold five necklaces. The following scenario has repeated itself ad infinitum: I double up with necklaces on the hooks and within short order the necklaces fall off the hooks and wind up in a tangled mess on the closet shelf.
The organization angels must have guided me to Cottage Thrift Shop the other day. The shop at 435 E. Magee Road is owned by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which run Immaculate Heart Academy and Immaculate Heart High School.
A big sign at the shop said everything was on sale at 50 percent off. After poking around there for about five minutes, I noticed a mini jewelry armoire in remarkably good condition. Sold to the highest bidder for $7.50.
The wood-and-etched glass armoire adds a touch of class to the closet shelf. Plus, thanks to its two necklace rounders, a jumble of necklaces is now a thing of the past. A whimsical metal decoration of a girl holding a heart bearing the inscription "l'amour est la vie" (love is life) rests on the new armoire. Behind it is a vintage photograph of La Tour Eiffel. Both decorations were also found stashed in the cupboard. A collection of reading glasses, from functional to funky, completes the setting.
Most of my clothes are solids. The closet was practically crying for a splash of print. Keith Zimmer, owner of Mr. Z, a home repair and remodeling business, painted a border of long-stemmed roses on the closet molding.
Who knew that going to my closet could be fun? It took me almost 10 years of living here to figure that out.
For the piece de resistance I found a small vintage chandelier in a thrift store. Mr. Z hung it up and voila! Now I have a closet that delights and still has plenty of room left to hold what it's really designed for: clothes!
