This page contains affiliated links, which means I may earn a commission on clicks or the sale of a product you purchase through my links at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
This has been one of my most requested blog posts so I am finally writing all about our small nursery closet transformation! If you haven’t seen Kennadi’s entire nursery, make sure to check it out here.
We knew we would be transforming our guest bedroom into a nursery once we were pregnant. The one major change I wanted to make in the bedroom was the closet. I wasn’t sure how it would look with the closet doors removed but I had hoped it would make the room look a little larger and allow us to build an organized closet. I felt this was the only way to maximize the space in the bedroom while having a relatively small nursery closet. A single rod in the closet was absolutely a waste of space!
It was the best decision we made! We started by taking the closet doors off, ripped out the rod, touched up the paint, and then measured the space. Once we had the measurements, I went online to Home Depot and started designing out what I wanted my husband to build.
Keep reading below for details on how we built and organized our small nursery closet.
Small Nursery Closet: Building it Out
The one goal I had in designing the closet was to maximize the space. I knew our baby girl was going to have WAY too many clothes. I also wanted to be able to store swaddles, crib sheets, burp cloths, etc.
My husband had previously built out our master bedroom closet and we used everything by ClosetMaid so that is what I searched on Home Depot.
This would have been a lot easier if the closet was rectangular shaped. However, as seen in the pictures, we have a weird angle on the one side of the closet. This made it a little more difficult as my husband had to use boards/shelves to create a “wall” for one side. We could drill directly into the wall on the other side. So, if you don’t have any weird angles, this would be even easier for you and cost less in supplies!
When I sketched out my idea, I wanted cubbies in the center for storage and clothing on either side. I measured from the start of the angled wall to the end of the closet wall to know the working space we had. I wasn’t sure at the beginning what we would do with the angled wall but we ended up using it for bow and shoe storage and it is totally functional and perfect use of space!
Small Nursery Closet: Supplies
Okay, now for a list of supplies we used. You have two options here for the shelves. You can buy longer boards if you have a table saw to cut them to exact measurements or you can design your closet out according to the different shelving/board sizes. I hope that makes sense!
- ClosetMaid 3 Cube Organizer
- We bought two of these and stacked them on top of each other. This allowed us to have 6 storage cubes.
- Rubbermaid White Laminate Shelves
- These are the shelves we used; the size will be up to you. We chose 12” depth to match the same depth as the storage cube organizer. They have 24”, 36”, 48”, and 72” length for these shelves.
- For our shoe shelves, we bought one shelf: 8” depth by 48” length and cut it into four 12” shelves to use.
- Closet Rods
- As you can see in the pictures, we could have hung four rods. I chose to leave one lower side open and add an extra shelf instead so we had room for more storage and hampers underneath. Three rods have proven to be the perfect amount! These closet rods are adjustable and were very easy to install.
- Hardware
- I cannot recommend this metal support bracket kit enough! We used one pack for each shelf. Again, really easy to install and offered the best support.
- ClosetMaid Shelf Track and Brackets
- We used these tracks for the shoe shelving. My husband decided it would be better to use shelves with brackets so we could adjust the height between each one as needed based off her shoes. We bought the 60” track and he cut it in half.
- Wooden Dowel and Clips
- I knew we would be needing bow storage! And honestly, two rods are not enough but it works! My husband bought one long wooden dowel, cut it into two pieces, and spray painted each dowel. My husband hung each one with two curtain rod brackets so I could pull the rods on and off as needed. I purchased the keyring clips off Amazon and they are amazing!
Small Nursery Closet: Organization Supplies
Once you have it all built out, it is time to organize! For me, this is the fun part. I searched Home Goods, Target, Walmart, etc. for coordinating cubbies, hampers, and extra storage bins. I could not find anything I liked and finally decided to look on Amazon… winner!
The dimensions all just worked out perfectly. I wanted to find storage bins that was more than a solid color, but not overwhelming. I loved that these ones had some cream with the tan and really loved the rope accents. I have everything linked below!
- Cubby Bins
- We purchased two packs for a total of 12 bins.
- Large Storage Bins
- We purchased a three pack of these to fit all the way up top.
- Laundry Hamper
- We had space for two so we purchased two.
- Extra Large Storage Bin
- We purchased this one after Kennadi was born. It fits underneath the lower closet rod.
Small Nursery Closet: How to Organize
I wanted to outline how I chose to organize our closet to help give some tips and inspiration!
- 12 Cubby Bins…. This is everything we have in each cubby bin.
- Clothing in next sizes up (4 bins)
- Swimwear
- Hats and Beanies
- Burp Cloths
- Wraps/Carriers
- Swaddles
- Sleep Swaddles
- Sheets and Changing Pad Covers
- Stuffed Animals
- 3 Large Storage Bins
- 1 Bin: Wipes and diaper pail refills
- 1 Bin: Diapers
- 1 Bin: We chose to store all our boxes for important nursery items (monitor, owlet, etc.)
- 2 Laundry Hampers
- 1 Hamper is used for her laundry.
- 1 hamper holds all her blankets.
- 1 Extra Large Storage Bin
- At one point this bin held toys and then once we created her playroom, I started using this bin for clothing and shoes she had outgrown. Once it filled up, I put it in a storage bin to put up in our attic.
Well, there are all of the details of how we built out and maximized space in our small nursery closet! I hope this post has been helpful and given some inspiration! I never could have imagined that our standard bedroom closet would turn into such a beautifully designed and organized closet.
I am not lying when I say that everyone who comes to our house compliments her closet! It is one of my favorite projects to date! Please comment below or reach out if you have any questions! If you end up following this design or purchasing the same organization bins, tag me so I can see! 🙂
Pin it for Later!
Leave a Reply