Before and After: A Front Closet Makeover

Real Simple restores functionality (and adds personality) to an overstuffed coat closet.

The Closet, Before

Sonya Young used to panic when friends visited. “Don’t go in there!” she would cry when they approached the coat closet, which had become a dumping ground for all sorts of random items―a bowling ball, hardware supplies, you name it. “There was no room in there for guest coats or anything else,” says Sonya, 43, a finance manager in Hawthorne, California. “It was so daunting, I couldn’t face it.”

Found in (and Moved From) Sonya's Closet

12 light switches
6 shelf brackets
4 phone books
4 tote bags
2 paint rollers
2 sets of drapery rods
2 packages of cabinet hardware
1 golf bag
1 bathroom scale!