Learn more about my home studio renovation and tips on how to create a smart space of your own, inspired by California Closets and Marie Kondo! Schedule your own consultation today!
Thank you California Closets for sponsoring this post. #MarieKondoXCaClosets
I recently had a very inspiring online consultation with Jessica Ballesteros, a very talented Design Consultant for California Closets. She and California Closets recently teamed up with Marie Kondo, the author of "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and creator of The KonMari Method.
I sent Jessica a brief explanation of what I wanted from my space, and she gave me lots of amazing suggestions and explained what one could expect from an in--home consultation, which I will explain further into this post. After that, she inspired me to completely re paint, and then overhaul the closet in my home studio / photo studio space. I am so excited to share my experience and new space with you!
The company's professional design consultants will collaborate with you to create custom designs at a range of styles and budgets.
THE STUDIO
To explain the space a bit better, this is one of our three bedrooms, and we had nice Pergo flooring installed a few years ago, but never got around to painting it. We use the space for our photo studio and any other fun and creative projects we come across.
It's a great size space for our photo studio, and the space basically needs to be kept very neat and tidy because when one project is done, we start the next, The space has to be versatile, and changes depending upon what we are working on. These projects range from food and drink recipes to product photography and home decor projects and more!
BEFORE + AFTER
Below, you can see my studio before the transformation. While it definitely wasn't stuffed to the gills with things (yes, it was at one time), it was not very tidy or inspiring. There are things that had been in this closet for years and years, and I would just keep adding thins to it because I didn't have any place else to put them. That should have indicated to me to get rid of some things, but I never gave myself enough time to really dive into making a more inspiring space.
While I did not install actual pieces from California Closets, I did use their mission to inspire my own design.
WHAT I DID
Painting really did help so much. I chose a light grey color called Filtered Shade from Valspar in an eggshell finish.
I also added a metal shelf to the closet, which holds a lot of weight per shelf. This will be amazing to hold props, my cameras, and anything I am using for current projects. This shelf even now has a few empty spaces that can be utilized in the near future for lots of upcoming projects.
I also hung my fabric pieces on hangers, which I use for backdrops or as tablecloths in lots of my photos. I like having a smaller selection of fabrics hung, because then it sets the color scheme for lots of my images, making my posts look more coordinated.
I made sure to keep everything in view, without crowding the shelves too much. I was able to easily store the two large camera cases in the closet and this will overall just be great because I will have everything at my fingertips during photoshoots, instead of having to run to different rooms of the house, which does waste time and energy (which never brought me joy).
IN PROCESS / BEHIND THE SCENES
THE KONMARI METHOD
After reading more into the KonMari Method, here are some key points.
Step 1: Decide what you want to get out of your space.
Ask yourself, what is your ideal lifestyle, and how can this space help you attain that? For me, I want to be a professional, very organized lifestyle blogger, and so this closet space needed to help me with that mission.
Step 2: Declutter and divide like items into groups
Take everything out of the space and organize it into piles of similar items. If there are certain items that do not actually make you feel happy, or that distract you from your initial goal(s), then it may be time to pass those items along. Then, you will be able to better organize those things that you do need.
Step 3: Decide what "sparks joy".
Marie Kondo explains what it means to spark joy. Ask yourself questions like
- Does the item contribute to making you feel good about yourself, your job, and your space?
- Will it help you with that particular job?
If not, then time to remove that item from the space and either discard, donate, or recycle it.
Step 4: Say Thank You and Discard (or Donate)
This is probably the most important and hardest of all of the steps. It's important to first realize how much space you even have for things, because if there are things we just never have room for, it may be time to just simply purge things. It can definitely be "scary" getting rid of things that you are so sentimental or that you have had for along time, but if it's something that you never use, or keep moving back and forth without using or having space for, then it may be time to let it go.
As suggested by Marie Kondo, say a little "thank you" to the items which have served you in the past, and send the items on their way. Discard, recycle, or donate those items which are not fulfilling your mission to "spark joy" in your life, and then give a quickly tidy up or reorganize to the space to now suite your needs better.
For me, I have gotten rid of tons of clothing, old papers, and other photography and food/drink styling related props by asking myself, would I ever really use this again, or is is outdated? Or, is this s timeless piece that I will be able to use again and again?
The Design Consultation with Jessica
As I mentioned, Jessica is a Design Specialist for California Closets, and you can read more about her in the below articles:
https://www.californiaclosets.com/blog/whats-your-organizing-style/
She gave me some expert advice, as stated below:
"If you were wanting to try the KonMari method of organizing your office closet you would first start by removing every single item, and I mean everything. One by one you would hold each item deciding what to keep (things that Spark Joy) and what to get rid of. Then putting everything back in an organized way. Using bins or baskets is always encouraged to help compartmentalize items by category if no drawers are available. Mari Kondo loves using boxes inside boxes to help divide things into categories."
I loved her ideas, and utilized as many as I could.
What an inspiring project this has been! I know that going forward, my new space will be an amazing home studio that inspires me each and every time I see it!
Learn more about California Closets Here! And again, check out my studio space after the revamp, below!
California Closets has an extensive range of beautiful finishes to choose from, from clean and simple white, to proprietary textures imported from Italy, all of which are environmentally sustainable and California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant. You can really go wild and create a dream space of your own.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.