A Moore House Spring Closet Refresh
Design // Moore House Design — Project // Colonial Modernist — Photography // Erin Little
There comes a time every year where we find ourselves wanting to get rid of just about everything in our closets to give ourselves a fresh start. It’s been officially Spring for a while now and the weather is finally beginning to match the season up here in New England… so, that time of year would be right about now! We’ve gathered our thoughts on all things closets to create a guide to cleansing your closet and wardrobe for the season featuring tons of shoppable links to what we’re loving, and bit on how our design team goes about designing dream-worthy closets.
First — Out With the Old, (Clean In Between) and In With the New…
No. 01
Scope out some time.
“If it’s going to be done, it had better be done right”… so the first step here is clearing some time in your schedule and if you’re anything like us, this will likely take a full day. The last thing you want is to explode your closet then have to leave part way through.
No. 02
Pull it all out — Yes. All of it!
We’re visual people here at Moore House, so we find it important to be able to see what we’re working with. Emptying out your whole closet will also give you the opportunity to actually clean the space itself! Say goodbye to the dust bunnies that have made their home there for far too long.
No. 03
decide what to keep, sell or donate.
This is probably the most difficult, but most necessary part of the process. A few things to consider — if you wouldn’t buy it now, your style has probably evolved. If you’ve recently moved or made a significant life change the items in your wardrobe may not fit your needs anymore. And as a general rule, if you haven’t worn it in more than a year it’s time to part ways. Some of the main questions to ask yourself here include, but aren’t limited to: Would I buy this today? Does this fit my lifestyle? When was the last time I wore this? When will I wear this in the next few months? Does this make me feel good when I wear it? Do I even like it?
Second — Now That You’ve Made Your Way Through the Purge… It’s Time To Get Organized. There are some pretty epic services you can hire to do this for you, but if you happy to do it yourself, here are some of our favorite organizational items and tricks.
No. 01
Baskets & Bins
Storage is tricky, but we always like to have a few baskets & bins in our closets because they neaten up non-foldable items.
No. 02
Hangers & Hardware
Having good quality hangers & nice looking hooks is a must for a well-appointed closet. Cedar hangers keep moths away too!
No. 03
Sachets, Sprays & Scented Liners
What’s a refresh without a spritz of fragrance? Though we’re big DIY-ers with room sprays we’re suckers for a quality scent.
3. Diptyque Orange Blossom Room Spray
Design // Moore House Design — Project // A Minimalist Retreat — Photography // Zack Dezon
Third — Our Take on Closet Design :)
We approach closet design the exact way we do any other part of a design and renovation project — planning, planning, planning! We are sticklers here for creating a thorough plan before embarking on it because knowing what our goals are from the start makes for a smoother process. The first step of the greater closet schematic is an excellent spreadsheet we have all of our clients fill out regarding their wardrobe. Yes, that’s right, we get as specific as how many socks they own. Lol.
We serve a wide range of clients with very different needs! Some of our clients are tall and wear a ton of maxi dresses while others hate hanging things and prefer to fold things in drawers… some are watch collectors and others have a shoe collection akin to Carry Bradshaw! One thing all our closet rehabs have in common is their coordination by use and color — we may have minor OCD, but we think this comes in handy when it comes to thoughtful organization. This aforementioned spreadsheet helps us itemize how much space we need for each unit when we are planning out our clients’ closets. We know how much space is needed for heels, boots, sport coats, folded sweaters etc…
Once we have our clients itemized, we start planning the closet(s) in terms of function and look. Obviously look is of the utmost importance to us as designers, but if it doesn’t function right and the flow is off we believe the whole thing is a loss. The goal for us as a design team is to dream up an unimaginably beautiful space that our client will be able to maintain whether they’re a messy person or a little OCD themselves. From personal experience, we feel if something doesn’t have an exact home within the closet that it will never be properly stowed away after use. We like to create what we think of as “zones” for items — this gives our clients a system allowing them to know exactly where everything belongs.
You might be thinking, “what if I get more clothes”… Well, not to worry! We thought of that too! We like to design with longevity in mind so usually account for roughly a 15% addition for new pieces and anything over that needs to be sold or donated because if it’s not being worn, it should pass on to someone who will. P.S. Don’t forget when designing your closet to take into account your smalls e.g. scarves, hats, watches, undies, socks, jewelry and stockings.
Note: This is all still completely true even with even our messiest of clients — we never judge, but when we have done our jobs right it’s not hard to keep a closet clean!
Design // Moore House Design — Project // A Minimalist Retreat — Photography // Zack Dezon
Design // Moore House Design — Project // Colonial Modernist — Photography // Erin Little
Design // Moore House Design — Project // Colonial Modernist — Photography // Erin Little
Fourth — Now That You’ve Purged, You’ve Come to the Fun Part… the Refresh! Here’s What Our Team is Loving for Spring and Summer.
No. 01
SNeaks
A fresh pair of sneaks is a must-have after what a long new england winter does to our footwear.
1. CHLOÉ — Lauren Crochet Sneakers
2. NIKE — Air Huarache Rubber-trimmed Leather, Mesh & Neoprene Sneakers
3. Veja + Net Sustain — v-10 Leather Sneakers
4. Acne Studios — Leather Backless Sneakers
5. Common Projects — Track 80 Leather-trimmed Suede & Ripstop Sneakers
6. Veja + Net Sustain — Rio Branco Leather-trimmed Suede & Mesh Sneakers
No. 02
Dresses
We’re big fans of a fun dress for spring — these bridge the gap between professional & weekend ready.
1. Asceno — Guilia Printed Silk Maxi Dress
2. Reformation — Hilda Wrap-Effect Printed Crepe Maxi Dress
3. Rixo — Maddison Checked Maxi Shirt Dress
4. Madewell — Cio Lucia Gabriela Dress
5. Wardrobe NYC — Belted cotton and silk-blend twill maxi dress
No. 03
Sunnies & Skincare
Springtime means more ‘sun-time’ so we’ve collected a few stylish picks & a few of our go-tos for a fresh face.
1. Saint Laurent — SL 474 Square sunglasses
3. Saint Laurent — Mica cat-eye sunglasses
4. EltaMD — UV Clear Facial Sunscreen Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
5. Armani Beauty — Luminous Silk Face and Under-Eye Concealer
Whew. That was a lot, but it takes effort to be organized. We hope you enjoyed all our thoughts and found some of them useful — Thank you so much for reading! If you’ve got questions, leave them in the comments. If you’d like our design team to give your main suite (or whole house) a gorgeous overhaul, click the contact button below to get on our schedule.
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