Closets play such an important role in our homes, yet they quickly and easily seem to become a dumping ground for things that don’t have a dedicated spot.

Company’s coming — just shove that stuff in the closet and close the door!  

Just stick it in the closet and we’ll put it where it actually belongs later.

Sound familiar? I’m embarrassed to admit it, but the truth is that I do this all the time. But as you know all too well, when you’re busy chasing children and making dinner and taking a conference call and shuffling someone out the door to soccer practice, sometimes the scenario above is the path of least resistance when it comes to tidying up.

But here’s the problem: Over time, you start to avoid that closet like the plague. It’s messy. It’s overwhelming. You don’t want to deal with it.

Well, that’s exactly what happened with my master bedroom closet. For starters, I loathed the pea green walls and the fluorescent lighting (oh, just wait until you see these photos!), but I also used it as a spot to hide things we had unpacked after our move but never really found a true home for. This was a downward spiral in terms of the closet’s appearance, as well as how I felt about walking in there.

My clothes hung on mismatched hangers, shoes sometimes made it back into the box in which they belonged (although they usually landed right next to said box, or in a pile in the back corner), and my dry cleaning hung in its plastic wrapping for months on end because I didn’t bother to do anything with it until I needed a pair of suit pants for a meeting at work. In short, it turned into a gigantic mess, and I felt anything but stylish when I entered it.

Months later, it finally dawned on me that I was using my closet as a storage unit because of the way I felt about the space. I hated my closet. It was uninviting and a complete mess.

Here’s my closet in all its pea green glory:

So for my birthday, I decided that it was time to give the dreaded closet a makeover. Instead of going out to a nice dinner or spending the day at the spa, I talked with my husband and asked if my gift could be a new closet. He agreed and went to work planning the reno, and picked out a new shelving solution for me from The Home Depot. He also spent a fair amount of time on the Wayfair website (so proud of him!) and selected the light fixture. Beyond that, I had the freedom to design the closet however I wanted.

I quickly pulled together this inspiration board to guide my design process:

Here are a few photos of the makeover in progress, including one of me mid-stencil at 10pm on a Wednesday. (I am obsessed with the way the wall turned out, and Royal Design Studio stencil supplies are amazinggggg.)

Beyond having storage space for hanging clothing and shoes, I knew I needed:

• A way to store (and display!) my massive amounts of jewelry
• Canvas bins or some similar storage solution for separating different categories of clothing, such as leggings, workout clothes, and swimwear
• Open space for things like handbags and hats
• A gallery wall (Because hey, if you’re going to give your closet a makeover, you might as well go all out, right?!)

After six long months with lots of stops and starts, I finally put the finishing touches on the space this past weekend. And if there were enough room in my closet, I would have done a cartwheel right then and there to celebrate. Instead, I ran down the hall and high-fived my husband, saying “It’s awesome!” in my best excited whisper (because #kidsweresleeping #parentproblems).

Ready to see my new favorite room in our house?! Here it is:

This gallery wall — complete with my DIY “The best is yet to come” sign — makes me so happy:

As for the decorative items that I chose for this makeover, my goal was to keep this project as budget-friendly as possible. (Paying for TWO children to go to daycare is no joke.) So while I am in love with the multicolored runner I included in my inspiration board, as well as some of the Rifle Paper Co. artwork, I may have to add those items to the space at a later date. But for a first and wallet-friendly pass at a closet makeover, I’m pretty pleased with the way it all turned out!

What room makeover in your house are you most proud of?

P.S. Since publishing this post, I’ve gotten several questions about where I purchased certain items, so I pulled together a source list below. Enjoy!

• Wall stencil: Royal Design Studio Cheetah Spots Design Stencil
• Closet shelving solution: The Home Depot Closet Maid Selectives closet solution
• Light fixture: Wayfair Crystorama 3-Light Semi-Flush Mount
• Acrylic wall-mounted necklace hangers: The Container Store 11-Peg Acrylic Necklace Rack 
• Brass wall clock: Target 6″ Brass Wall Clock
• “The Best is Yet to Come” sign: DIY Project by Yours Truly — Get the Tutorial Here!
• Framed artwork: I made this artwork by cutting up and framing an old Rifle Paper Co. calendar
• Gold foil pineapple print: Amazon Digibuddha Gold Foil 5×7 Pineapple Print
• Jewelry/trinket trays: Nordstrom Rack, Anthropologie, PaperSource
• Faux succulent in wooden planter: Target Threshold Artificial Layered Leaf Plant in Wood Pot
• Faux succulent in white planter: Target Threshold Artificial Plant in White Pot
• Faux sage plant in metal planter: IKEA Socker Plant Pot and IKEA Fejka Artificial Potted Plant
• Galvanized letter K: Michael’s 5.75″ Galvanized 3D Letter
• Burlap bust necklace stands: Michael’s Darice Bust Necklace Stand
• Burlap bracelet stand: Michael’s Darice Single Bar Jewelry Stand
• Black canvas bins: Amazon Niche Cubo Foldable Fabric Storage Bins, Set of 6
• Mercury candle holders: Target, no longer available (this set of votive holders from Z Gallerie is a pretty close match)
• Brass geometric figurine: Target, no longer available (this other figurine from Target is a good substitute)
• Mirrored jewelry box: Target, no longer available (this Loft by Umbra box, also sold at Target, is similar)

P.P.S. Want to make your own rustic wood pallet sign? It’s SO easy and doesn’t involve sanding, staining, nailing, or anything having to do with a power tool. Check out the full tutorial here.