Creating An Organized Gender-Neutral Nursery
When we started working on our nursery the first order of business was getting organized. We waited until birth to find out our baby’s gender. With that in mind, we settled on a soft sage and peach when we painted the room. Next up was the closet, because just one hanging bar wouldn’t be the most functional option.
Custom Closet Plans
I absolutely love how our custom closet turned out in our main bedroom. The makeover helped us get more organized and maximize the space. However, a custom closet is a big investment. We invested our time and elbow grease and went the DIY nursery closet route.
To get started, measure the width and height of your closet to make it easier to find systems that may work in your space. After measuring ours we decided to go with the IKEA PAX system. Three frames could fit into our closet, with very little wasted space.
Preparing the Space
Getting ready to install this DIY nursery closet requires a bit of elbow grease. I started by removing the existing rack. If you have these builder-grade shelves in your closet, you’ll need a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and some arm power to remove them. I’m a forever student of YouTube University, and this is a great video to help you get started!
After removing the shelf I used spackle to fill the holes. They’ll be covered by the frame, but I didn’t want to leave holes in the wall.
These frames need to be mounted to the wall, so we removed the baseboard in the back of the closet. That may seem unnecessary since the frames will cover that area. However, if you leave the baseboard the frames won’t be flush to the wall. We learned from a previous DIY project that removing a baseboard is easy IF you have the right tools!
We used a trim removal tool. It kind of looks like a mini crowbar. Once it’s wedged between the wall and the trim, just give it a few taps with a hammer. Repeat the process down the baseboard and you’ll be able to pull it off easily!
Once these tasks are done you’re ready to install your DIY nursery closet.
Building the Closet
The directions that come with the frames leave a lot to the imagination. We couldn’t figure out where to get started. Fortunately, YouTube University always comes in handy and this video by R-Ranch Adventures saved us a ton of time!
After we installed the largest frame in the center, we realized it would be easier to finish the project without the closet doors getting in the way. We removed the doors and then installed the two smaller frames.
What drew us to this system was the ability to create a custom storage solution. There are a variety of elements to choose from. We decided on four drawers, six shelves, and four hanging rods. Fortunately, the directions were easy to follow for all those pieces!
Say Hello to Storage!
This system truly maximized our nursery closet storage and created an organized space. After filling the closet we still have two empty drawers and a few empty shelves. I’m not mad about it though, because that means we have room to grow!
Organizing the Closet
Since everything is so tiny, I knew I would need some bins and dividers to help make the most of the space.
I couldn’t resist adding cute hang tags for the different clothing sizes. Although they’re cute, they are also functional because it’s hard to tell a newborn onezie from a 0-3 month size just by looking at them!
Dividers came in handy to make the most of the extra large drawers. In this drawer we were able to create spaces for sleep sacks and swaddles.
We used bins to organize bath towels and washcloths.
Overall, we’re very pleased with how this turned out. We spent about 10 hours, over two days, putting the closet together. The total cost of the closet build was just shy of $800. What do you think about this DIY nursery closet? Would you consider building your own custom closet? Let me know in the comments!
