YOU.  GUYS.  I am beyond excited to embark on the first stages of my wardrobe makeover plan this weekend!  It has been a while since I’ve had a true home project I can tackle and really put my stamp on and I think this wardrobe personalization will be the perfect undertaking to tide me over until I can really get my hands dirty with a new apartment (moving date T.B.D.).

The addition of a wardrobe in our lives was necessitated by a hike in rent.  To cover the cost of higher rent I’m closing my storage unit as of August 1.  The storage unit is full of kitchen odds and ends, some books, art, off-season clothing, and apparently a bunch of stuff that I really don’t need in my life.  I figure if I haven’t used it in the past year it has been sitting there I really don’t need to hang on to it.  The storage unit is also full of a lot of random stuff belonging to my fiance.  When I moved in with him a year ago we had to move a lot of items that he doesn’t use on a regular basis out of his walk-in closet and into my storage unit.  Compromise.  Now these items will be making their way back into our daily lives.

Due to the fact that I have zero interest in making this more stressful of a move than absolutely necessary, we’ve made another compromise.  Going forward, the entire walk-in closet will be his to do what he will with.  I’m literally never again opening the door.  All of my clothes, shoes, and other random items currently in storage are going to go into this swanky new wardrobe.  We will be working towards this August 1 deadline each of the upcoming weekends in July (except for next weekend when my fiance is on the road for work).  This weekend will strictly be dedicated to sorting through everything in the unit, taking stuff down to the dumpster, to Goodwill, and possibly home.  I know, yuck.  No fun at all.

That is why I’m trying to look forward to the really fun part of this process that is just two weeks away!  I’m going to scoop up this wardrobe and three of the baskets shown below from Ikea in the first phase of this project.  The three baskets will make their home on top of the wardrobe for extra storage and to bring a natural element to the piece that will help it tie in with the rest of our bedroom.  I will also be ordering the flowered wrapping paper pictured to line the back of the wardrobe with.  I was initially looking at removable wallpaper for the interior but ultimately decided to go with wrapping paper in order to keep the cost of this makeover down.  Our bedroom is completely gender neutral so I’m going to really enjoy a pop of super girly floral every time I open the doors!

Sources: wardrobe / basket / wrapping paper / slimline hangers / scarf hanger (similar) / shoe rack / tap light

Phase two of the project will be all about the details…  I’m going to finally act like a grownup and get a set of matching hangers.  I’d love them to be wood but this wardrobe is pretty narrow so I think these Real Simple Slimline hangers will be a better option.  I’m also going to pick up a couple of scarf hangers as well as a shoe rack with an adjustable width.  Finally, I plan on adding a tap light to the top of the closet so I’m actually able to see what I’m putting on each morning.

This is all happening in waves due to budgetary constraints…though we are eloping, impending wedding expenses are adding up.  I’m trying to source inexpensive options that will still give me roughly the aesthetic I want in hopes of coming in under budget on this project.  It might not quite be my dream outcome but I’m extremely excited about it never the less.