Design Your Dream Closet

Unearthing the Inner Dressing Room

Mia Pollard’s bedroom closet in Brooklyn was packed so tight, she could barely wedge in another hanger. “The rod was starting to bend—I was afraid it would snap,” says Mia. Purging came first, then shifting a few pieces to her dresser. Finally, zones were crafted for clothes, purses, shoes, accessories, and makeup.

Before: Crammed With Clothes

Sweaters, dresses, and tops were crammed together (many hadn’t been worn in years). Shoes were piled on the floor—some loose, some in boxes—and purses teetered on top of the footwear. Sweaters overflowed from bins. Dry-cleaner bags (which can trap fumes and harm clothes) made it hard to see what was what.

Found In (and Removed From) Mia’s Closet:

• 1 pair of butter cream–colored leather pants
• 2 bins full of linens she had forgotten about
• 1 hooded hair dryer from the 1960s
• 1 long-lost ring
• 4 oil paintings
• 1 handmade splatter-painted T-shirt that read "Ms. Onyx" on the front and "Hot & Groovy" on the back