A Cedar Linen Closet Makeover

Today I’m going to show you an incredible linen closet transformation I did using cedar planks and white shelves. If you are needing some organization ideas for a closet, this is a perfect project to tackle on a weekend.

For a long time now I’ve been so embarrassed about my lack of organization in the closets throughout the house. With the exception of my boys’ room closet which I made over a couple years ago, our closets had become a place where I stuffed extra home decor, random remnants of craft projects, and in general a complete mess. While I can make my house look pretty for pictures, I’ve felt like a bit of a fraud, since behind ‘closed doors’ (of closets and drawers) I was/am quite disorganized and chaotic.

Well, this year I’ve decided I’m slowly going to transform and make functional every closet in our home. It has started with our linen closet! My partnership with Wood, Naturally in my last post was just the bit of motivation I needed to do this closet makeover using cedar, and I couldn’t love it more!

(some affiliate links used in this post)

Okay, here is where I show you the before and you suddenly feel so much better about your life because you KNOW your closets look better than this! haha

The first thing I did was empty the entire thing out.
Then I started going through all the piles…things I hadn’t used or looked at for over a year. I filled 2 garbage bags full of things I decided to throw away, and then found a better place for the random home decor stuff on the top shelf and the sewing and craft stuff.

After it was empty, I removed the wire shelves. The walls were in rough shape after taking out those wire shelves (holes and such), so I was eager to put in the cedar planks.

I used CedarSafe closet liner planks I found at Home Depot (but also available on Amazon) because they pretty much ready to go out of the box. Each plank already has tongue and groove so they fit nicely together, and all you have to do is locate the studs in the wall of the closet, then nail those planks into the studs (I used my electric brad nailer) making sure each one was level. I also used liquid nails on the back of the planks for an extra permanent hold.

I started on the back wall and worked my way up from the floor to the ceiling. Then I did each side wall. For my linen closet which was about 4′ wide and 15″ deep, I used 4 boxes.

Then for the shelves I used melamine lined panel boards because they are already white (no painting required), and are resistant to scratches and stains. Each shelf is held up with 1×2 cedar cleats screwed into the sides with 2″ screws.

Because each shelf was a little over 4′ long, I wanted to provide a little more support, so I nailed 3/4″ quarter round under each shelf.

Overall, not including the baskets, containers, and bins, I spent less than $200 on this closet makeover.

I wanted the cedar to stand out, so I decided to use all white organization bins and containers. I’m obsessed with the contrast!

I was pretty picky with the sizes and textures I wanted and found most of the baskets and containers at The Container Store.

Including these wire baskets…

I loved these fabric boxes with lids (also Container Store) because the lid is attached at the back so you never misplace it. I hid all the unsightly things like medicine, Kaila’s nebulizer, and other random stuff.

These little fabric coil baskets I found at HomeGoods and since they are small I put band-aids are first aid creams/ointments for easy access for the kids.

The larger glass jars I found at Ikea and I put in some soaps and bath salts.

I’m not embarrassed to say I leave these doors open on purpose now, just so I can admire how pretty it all looks and smell the cedar when I walk by.

Besides the fact that cedar smells great, I love that it naturally repels insects and prevents mildew growth by regulating humidity. It still is pretty red (even purple-looking in some parts) but it fades over time, which I’m happy about. I actually prefer the faded brown look, but for now it looks great with our Brazilian cherry floors.

I hope this post was helpful in some way and you feel inspired to perhaps reorganize one of your closets that is needing some love! 🙂

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Sources

Top Shelf:

Natural Canvas Storage Boxes with Lids – The Container Store // Glass Canisters – Ikea // Bath salt and white bars of soap – HomeGoods

Second Shelf:

White Storage Bins – The Container Store // White Knarra Basket – Ikea

Third Shelf:

Fabric woven basket with white cotton face towels – HomeGoods // Natural Canvas Storage Boxes with Lids – The Container Store

Fourth Shelf:

Rustic Marche Steel Wire Storage Baskets – The Container Store // Au Lait Bath Milk and Au Lait Body Milk – HomeGoods // Bliss Acrylic Canisters – The Container Store // Fabric woven baskets – HomeGoods

Fifth Shelf:

Bath towels – HomeGoods // Round White Storage Basket – The Container Store // Fringe hand towels – HomeGoods

Other:

Aromatic Cedar Closet Liners by CedarSafe – Home Depot or Amazon // Melamine shelves (about 16″ deep) and white quarter round – Home Depot