I’m delighted to welcome my friend Rachel Strisik to the Wardrobe Workshop. I first met Rachel when she was working with Stacy London on the rollout of Style for Hire, and I was a participant in the first-ever Style for Hire training. We went our separate ways and reconnected last year through a fabulous DC networking group called Her Corner. She’s a stylish, warm person who can take charge of pretty much anything. Here she shares her wisdom about closets, one of my favorite topics.

Guest post by Rachel Strisik of Rachel and Company

Not all closets in the world are created equally and I don’t know about you but I have dreams about my “some-day” closet. It is big, totally organized and absolutely gorgeous in its design. However, until I get that ideal closet, I am

working with the closet I have and I am doing the best that I can to maximize it’s efficiency so that I am able to enjoy getting dressed in the morning, put away my laundry and honestly, just see the clothing that I do love to wear. Are you with me on this adventure of conquering your closet? Want to know a secret? Below I lay out a few simple steps to allow you the freedom-in any closet, whether big or small, walk-in or awkwardly shaped-to have your closet work for you.

1. Accept and embrace your closet and work with it-not against it. As you know, your closet isn’t going to magically grow over night and while you should edit the contents of your closet at least twice a year  (that is also where Ketura can come in to help!), the structure of your closet will probably always stay the same.

2. Figure out your closet’s design and systems based on budget and your commitment to the space (are you a renter vs. owner) BEFORE you go out to purchase products. Figure out what you wear on a daily basis and realize that is the stuff that should be in your eyesight, not up high on shelves. Decide on how you want the closet to function and then you can venture off to somewhere like The Container Store to purchase items to actually go a step further and organize those scarves or purses. Or, even hire in a Professional Organizer, like myself, to help you design the overall space.

3. Group like with like. Once you edited your closet and are ready to put items back into your closet, group all items that are similar together into categories. For example, all jeans together, all sweaters, etc. This will allow you to see what you have and get dressed more easily so when you need those black pants you know where to go!

4. Streamline your hangers! This may seem almost too easy, but those bulky hangers you have are taking up SO much room (even your pretty wood ones!). Imagine the inches and maybe even feet of closet space you could get back by switching to slimline felt hangers. Bonus: these slip proof hangers keep your clothes on the rod and off of the floor.

So have you done anything to your closet recently to make it work better for you? I would love to hear more about the steps you have taken to be able to walk into your closet and actually enjoy it. Head on over to my blog and leave me a comment and even post pictures (I truly love closet pictures!) of what is working for you.

Rachel Strisik is an organizing extraordinaire – Rachel uses creativity, style and a little elbow grease to help clients get their homes, schedules and lives in order. A professional organizer and member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, Rachel empowers her clients to lived more organized, productive lives. Rachel works with her clients to customize organization plans to accommodate many different lifestyles – from bachelor pads to large families, and everything in between. Rachel’s keen eye for order, along with her creative style, allows her to create beautiful and peaceful spaces for her clients around the country.

Rachel lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and five year-old identical twin daughters. Rachel can be contacted at 202.669.3719, Rachel@rachel-company.com and www.rachel-company.com