With the help of the KonMari method and a little custom design, you can begin to simplify your life—starting with your closet.

Minimalism and the “simplified life” are becoming ever more popular in the online world. Stores like IKEA are undoubtedly making a fortune on the clean lines and neutral color schemes that have become so popular in residences this year, and nearly every new business has installed the minimalist aesthetic in their offices. Less is more in 2017. And according to every lifestyle guru on social media, the first place to simplify is your wardrobe.

Because we live in a society charmed by excess, it’s likely that we all have closets that are bursting with clothing items—many of which we no longer wear, and some that might still have the price tags dangling from their hems. Shopping remains as fun as ever, and our closets are suffering from the clutter, so it’s no surprise everyone is wondering how to simplify their closets. With a decluttered wardrobe of items that you love and a custom closet to store them beautifully, you’ll have no trouble keeping your life (and your clothing) well organized.

Decluttering with Love

The KonMari Method is a fad if I’ve ever seen one—but it’s also incredibly useful. In her bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo advocates for the simplest kind of minimalism: keeping only the items that “spark joy.” She recommends that you start by putting every single item of clothing that you own on the bedroom floor, ready for culling. Then hold each piece one at a time and keep only those that feel right.

It sounds simple, and it is. The KonMari method instructs you on how to declutter all categories of clothing, from seasonal items to loungewear and everything in between, and helps you decide how to store the items you keep. Her book (and countless online videos) will show you how to properly fold items that don’t need hanging. When you’ve finished doing a deep clean of your entire wardrobe, you’ll have a collection that closely fits your style and the needs of today.

Choosing Your Organization System

The best part about simplifying your wardrobe is that your closet magically looks a whole lot better when you’re done. Your items are no longer fighting for space and pushing each other off hangers, and you don’t have to shift through your entire closet to find the one dress shirt you’re looking for. The next step is to give your decluttered wardrobe a functional and aesthetically pleasing home inside a custom closet.

Whether you’ve got a too-small walk-in or an entire second bedroom serving as a closet, custom design helps you maximize every inch of available space. With help from expert designers and the right custom closet company, you can design a closet layout that includes drawers, dual hanging rods, sturdy thermally fused laminate shelving, adjustable shoe shelves, and countless other accessories—taking your closet far beyond what you could DIY or purchase at a big box store. The clothes that “sparked joy” will have an equally intentional space to rest in when they’re not being worn, and you may even enjoy the meditative ritual of taking care of each item as you put them away.

Maintaining a Simplified Closet

The beauty of decluttering, or “tidying up” in Marie Kondo’s world, is that once you’ve done a marathon session, you don’t really ever have to do it again. Going through your wardrobe piece by piece gives you a very intentional mindset for any new clothing items that pass through your doors. Done right, the KonMari tidying ritual also makes you want to take better care of your clothing—starting with your daily routine.

Behavioral patterns are the dividing line between a once-clean closet and an always-clean closet. With a handful of custom accessories at your disposal, it becomes much easier (and more fun) to place clothes directly where they belong, either in one of your built-in laundry hampers or back on the hanger. In a well-designed closet, these actions become intuitive and flow easily from one step to the next. You’ll never worry about keeping your clothes off the floor again.

Getting Started with Custom Design

Starting with the KonMari method and ending with the daily use of your new custom closet, your wardrobe will undergo a complete simplification and organization overhaul. After all, once you’ve got your clothing all spread out on the bedroom floor, organized and ready to send back to the closet, you definitely want a beautifully designed space to return them to. Your refreshed mindset and ideal storage space will ensure that everything is in its place, perfectly, from now on.

Looking for ideas for your very own custom closet design? Reach out to Closet America by signing up for a free design consultation with one of our design experts. We’ll work with you to put together the layout, accessories, and aesthetics you need to make organizing a beautiful adventure.

Lead image by Unsplash user Gez Xavier Mansfield