Front Closet Reorganization

I don't often land on quick projects in our house, and this one really should have been a storage reorganization and that's it!  But, as with many old houses, something quick can spiral and scope creep can set in.  It definitely did with our tiny front closet.  Our closet is only about 20" deep and 26" wide, but its sloppy care over the century had left exposed lead paint on the woodwork, and spots where damaged plaster left a lot of dust. 

Still, this closet needs to work for all six of us!  With our family size in a relatively small bungalow, we do try to keep the amount of things under control. So, each person having a capsule-coat collection really helps.  The big kids each have a light jacket and a winter coat, and the little kids have winter jackets and snow suits.  My husband has just one coat that lives in this closet, and I have four.  

We also have a back entry with slightly more storage space, but it's all open.  So, every day use for the front closet really is dedicated to the big kids.  They each have a hook on the door for their backpacks and the coat of the season.

With four kids and two adults, we really had accumulated a lot of things.  So, the first thing I did was just go through what we had and pack up a few boxes to donate.  Pairing things down and getting organized is a huge goal of mine, and has been for the bulk of winter.  I was a little shocked at how many shoes we had outgrown without removing, and how much we just don't use!  But we're getting there: if we're not using something, we might as well pass it along to someone who will.

With the closet empty and everything cleaned (from things we're keeping to things we're donating), we had to address the lead paint.  The top layers didn't test for lead, but there were so many trim-hits that I could look back on the last century of color choices.  So, I decided to paint the trim as well as the walls.  The baseboards were already painted, so I didn't feel too sour about the rest.  

Since I was covering lead, and I wasn't confident in previous-owners getting the lead encapsulated.  So, I started with an encapsulation primer, and covered everything.  I used Zinsser Peel Stop primer, which I've used in other places around the house, and had on hand.  

Then I did two coats of Sherwin Williams Pure White on the walls.  I used the same exterior trim paint that I used on the garage.  Luckily, I didn't have to buy anything extra for this surprise project, but I probably could have gotten away with a pretty small container in this tiny closet.  On the trim, I did two coats of the leftover paint from the basement stairs treads in Tricorn Black.  The gloss is really easy to clean, so that should work really well on the baseboards and shelving.  

Then, I finally got to what I set out to do: redoing the storage.  I peeked around at Target, and they happened to have what I needed in sizes that worked well for our closet.  I got a hanging shoe rack to use as cubbies for winter gear, and a second shoe rack that *just* fits inside the closet.  I had to take it apart to get around the door casing and reassemble inside.  It's really the perfect fit.  My long coat tucks in the gap above the baseboard, and everything fits like a glove. 

I had a couple storage bins in there, and was able to reuse those to store things that will fit the little kids in a year or two and extra supplies for the dog: sweaters for extra cold days, poop bags for walks, and grooming supplies. With the new storage all set, the items we were keeping slipped right into place.  Sometimes, it just takes a little extra thought and these old houses still work perfectly.