Would love seeing a post showcasing typical organized closets (i.e. the usual sliding door double closet or smaller closets for older homes). Love looking at these closets (sooooo wish I had one) but would love something added in for typical closet spaces.

I'm curious about door-less closets like some of the ones illustrated above. Don't they get filled with dust? I'm thinking of yanking the doors off mine (the space needed to open the door is about double the depth of the closet itself and I don't have much space) but am wondering about damage by dust, light and - with spring/summer - moths! Anyone have any ideas on this?

I wish! I'm so bad with this. I'm more the untidy creative type, (the creative part is to make me feel better) got to admit I wish I had a wardrobe fairy who could do this for me. Ahhhhh.

I've got a decent-sized, if narrow, closet finally and I'm obsessed with getting all my clothes out of the dresser and into the closet! Anyone have any sources on something similar to the first pic! I LOVE the drawers!

I've been shying away from doing a professional overhaul because of the cost. Perhaps it might be worth it, since most of my stuff is still in the dresser...

@ amandaleighb - the drawers in the first pic look a lot like the Ikea PAX drawers, in "Birch". We have an Ikea PAX wall (about 1' wide) in our bedroom and it really works if you manage the amount of clothing you have. Which I guess is true of every closet system (unless you have a closet the size of Oprah's closet).

No. I don't have any problem with dust in the closet I have without doors. When I renovated, I ripped off all the doors and couldn't replace them right away. None of my things got dusty. You have to dust like normal but I don't think moths are a problem either. And light damage shouldn't be a problem unless you leave curtains open all the time and you get constant sunlight.

you have to be VERY careful about sunlight! Many dyes break down in sunlight, in just a few dozen hours even.

My walk-in closet is great, but it does get dusty. I have to clean it regularly and I worry about the dust getting into my clothes.

I need a closet for years and already made one on the Ikea website but if I buy that one only my bed a nightstand and that closet would fit, I can't make up my mind.

@theresatwist - I took the doors off my bedroom closet because it was difficult to access and because my room is so small that the doors affected the room layout. I DO live in a very dusty town (desert climate), so I just hung a curtain up. I guess not everyone is into curtains, but I like the look, and it sure makes my room and closet a lot more functional. :)

I replaced sliding closet doors with curtains. I used rings so they would slide on the rod easily.

I have an old mid century house and the closet doors are not sliders they are like double french doors but solid and open up into the room, the access is nearly 100%. So if you have enough clearance in the room it works beautifully. I gave up a walk in closet from my last home and initially was really depressed about not having it but this works equally well. I am contemplating adding wallpaper to the back of the closet to make it pretty or I think it would look really great to replace the doors with frosted glass to add some reflective light or just to spruce up the look. Here's some ideas.
http://www.houzz.com/french-closet-doors-for-bedrooms

I agree. If the average person could have such huge amount of closet space to begin with, then we'd all have these nicely organized arrangements like these photos. When you have a regular 1 or 2-door closet, and no high ceiling in it, you can't fit all these nice thick wooden hangers with heavy coats and wool skirts, etc etc in there with everything else.

The drawers in the first picture are fro IKEA, like EngineerChic has already posted. You could use those in other systems, provided you can drill holes in the right size to use their drawer slides. Another option would be to use a company that creates pull-out shelves to update your closet storage. These companies usually are used to upgrade kitchen cabinetry.

I definitely agree! These closets are gorgeous and as much as I wish I had a closet with that much space, something more practical would be useful for those individuals like me who have a typical closet in an older home.

Whenever I see 'organized closet' posts, I immediately feel like ChooseHappiness--where are the real life examples?

if I had an *ENTIRE ROOM* to use as a closet, it would be easy to make it organized and beautiful. I look at the contents of pic #1 and think: does she own no tennis shoes, hiking shoes, biking shoes, or boots? None? Really? If you own 4 shirts, 2 skirts, and 8 cute pairs of heels, well, sheesh, your closet should look nice.

Ok, ok, rant over. I will take these as inspiration. For me (typical sliding door closet), having a dresser spanning half the closet (with shirts and skirts over), and room for longer stuff + a shoe organizer on the other half has worked great. Luckily my husband is a minimalist...

Yes, I would like to see more 'normal' closets. Especially from people who rent and can't tear out the shelf and rod that most closets come with standard. I need some real-world inspiration.

Yes these are lovely closet inpirations.

None of them ever look like functional closets to me. Who only has 4 tops to hang up, with one jacket and three dresses? I may horde/obesses over clothing more than the average person, but I can't be the only one who has more than two pairs of jeans and sweaters to store in their closet. I do the best I can with the space I have and the belongings I have. Mind you I routinely give to Goodwill and consign items every season, I suppose I could live with less, but I'd be unhappy, and frankly it would make me cranky to only get to choose from three dresses to wear to that party!

This doesn't also address the issues of closets in rentals. How does one on a budget, with simple spaces, organize a REAL closet?

I had a lovely, well-organized wardrobe in my last place, but didn't have room for it here. Now I have to share a walk-in closet with a boy! Yuck! He's my husband, but still ...

Do I have way too many clothes!? Or are there hidden chests of drawers in those houses?

Closet posts, make me wonder about the people who own the closets. Much more than, say, kitchen posts or bedroom posts. Who are these people who only have pretty dresses and cute shoes? What life do they lead? Where do they keep their undergarments, their sports gear, their pyjamas, or do they do without? Do their closets always look like this, or do they degenerate, like my tiny wardrobe, as soon as they start pulling out things from the bottom of piles?
And why do my clothes not work as decoration as well? What am I doing wrong? :(

Wow!! I love clothes (and have a lot - don't worry I buy only on sale lol) so this is my dream. I grew up in a colonial house from the early 1930s with tiny closets...my first apartment after had a slightly bigger closet but was a studio so there wasn't a whole lot of other storage space! I'm dreaming of a walk-in closet someday though I know its probably not going to happen.

@ theresatwist Good comment, you could always opt for a sliding wardrobe door. Unlike hinged wardrobes, sliding doors don’t require space to open up into the room, plus you have the choice of bigger doors and larger mirrors too!

I agree. If I had a dressing room to work with I probably wouldn't be on here looking for ideas. Where's the genius design plan for my 1940's 2'x3' closet?