I have always been a super organized person! I took pride in home organization! When it came to my schoolwork, I had a pretty planner and lived by it! I never missed assignments. When it came to my house, I put my detergent in the laundry cabinets so it wouldn’t show. My pantry cabinet was practically color coded and alphabetized. Wine bottles went on wine credenzas. TVs went on entertainment units. Everything had a place! At one point I even thought about starting a blog or side business closet designing or as a closet organizer! I’m a firm believer that if you have an organized life, you’ll have a peaceful mind. And life was good.
But, somewhere along the way, life got messy. I couldn’t tell you exactly when it happened, but it happened incrementally, over the course of years.
Since I blame my kids for everything else, I’ll go ahead and blame them for this too. Lol.
Having kids not only adds people to the equation, but those little people come with a LOT of stuff! At first it was baby bottles, baby food, high chairs, strollers, and bouncy chairs.
Now that they’re 4 and 6, there are Power Wheels, bikes, hula hoops, legos…omg the legos…scooters, basketballs, tennis rackets...
Keyboards and keyboard stools are shoved in closets…sleeping bags are stuffed under beds. And it keeps adding up! The crafts! The crafts! I got a craft organizer and even that’s now too full to close! I have Girl Scout supplies taking up my closet shelves and I’ve even stooped to putting big toys in the linen closet.
A person can only hide things and relocate items so many times before the stuff starts to take over! And to think I’m actually a very minimalist person!
I knew I was getting overwhelmed when I needed professional help and googled ‘garage wall organization’. I am so sick of tripping over stuff just walking to my car in the garage!
The problem is that I don’t have the time or energy to be installing something myself that may or may not even look nice. I researched a lot like I do before any major purchase, and even my very handy husband explained that these major garage organizer or closet organizer type things are usually more involved than they seem.
So, I called California Closets and got an in-home consultation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve researched something and then not bothered to make an appointment because I’m so busy. But this time, I did it! Shannon was my expert Design Consultant from California Closets and was FULL of closet organization ideas!
But what I immediately learned after meeting her was that they do WAY MORE than just closets! They actually design garages!!!!!
Shannon went through my house too, measuring every space that I had questions about including my bonus room/formal dining room/office/I don’t even know what room (Below)
She suggested turning it into a half-office/half game room for the kids and I don’t know how I didn’t think of that myself!
We went through an ipad full of ideas and I was even able to change the flooring in the photos so I’d have a better idea of how my flooring would look with each design!
Trust me, I looked at big box stores and have seen everything out there on the market…But, once Shannon shared all of the samples with me, I realized the quality was SO MUCH nicer. I’m so sick of metal wire shelving. California closets are Italian-designed and inspired which I thought was amazing because my taste
has always been very minimal, clean lines, European. I didn’t know before Shannon educated me that California Closets is locally manufactured and family run!
I learned about their white glove installation and how everything is prepped just right so you don’t have people in your house for a second longer than they have to be. They’re all local installers and California Closets employees…no randoms!
All their drawers are soft close…That’s not an upgrade cost either like other closet companies. The color selections and textures were beautiful…some people might want glass instead of wood…Gray instead of white…there are so many options. I’m leaning towards gray and wood but I haven’t even decided how many things I’m going to do yet…possibly more than one room.
My friend who had California Closets design her master bedroom closet in Orlando told me that it added value to her property! When she sold her house recently, the buyers told her a big selling point for them was her CLOSETS!
Even if you’re not ready for an in-home consult, my best advice is if you’re pulling your hair out with a messy, unorganized home, go to one of their showrooms, which will BLOW. YOU. AWAY! There’s one in Tampa and Sarasota.
I can’t wait to share the final blue prints Shannon makes for me so I can decide which room to do first!
Stay tuned for more!
Their website has amazing pictures too --> CaliforniaClosets.com
*I’m a paid endorser for California Closets but also a real customer. Everything written is true and part of my experience so far.*