Okay, so we're a little obsessed with organizing. And we love closets. So we thought we'd channel our obsession into something helpful: a list of ways to organize your bedroom closet. Pick and choose from the ideas below...
20 Ways to Organize Your Bedroom Closet
Top: This is our closet/spare room. We don't have any real closets in our apartment, so we turned a 1/2 bedroom into a storage space. If you don't have a closet already, you can install racks and hangers on a wall to make one. We used the ClosetMaid 6'-8' Closet Organizer. It was a pain to install, but it gives us all the storage we need.
Declutter. Use Discardian's Closet Trick to get rid of clothes you don't wear. Image: California Closets.
Store your most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, and least-used items up high. Image: Sunset Magazine.
Combine storage units to fit your different needs: drawers for folded items, hangers for dresses and suits, boxes for odds and ends. Image: Bergen Closet Collection from West Elm.
Use coordinated hangers for a clean look that will care for your clothes and help you stay organized. Image: Bumerang Clothes Hangers, $3.49 for an 8-pack at IKEA.
Use an umbrella stand to hold odd items like a yoga mats. Image: Kartell Umbrella Stand.
Use boxes, cubbies, shelves, or a hanging organizer to sort shoes. Image: 12-Pair Shoe Organizer, $34.99.
Keep folded clothes or accessories neat with shelf dividers. Image: Shelf Dividers from the Container Store, $4.99 - $5.99.
Use vertical space (both above and below the closet rod) to store more. Image: Walnut and Platinum Elfa Closet.
Add lights in your closet between the door and the storage area. Image: Philips SpotOn Light.
If you live in a small space, replace traditional closet doors that swing out with curtains or hanging screens. Image: Woven Wood Panels from the Shade Store.
Use stackable laundry baskets that you can easily carry to the washing machine. Image: Tub Trugs from the AT Store, $14.
Hooks can create extra storage space when you hang them inside the closet. Image: Hanger Holder from Stacks and Stacks, $5.99.
Keep your closet in shape by treating it like a small room. Pay attention to lighting, wall color, and floor coverings. Image: Easy Closets.
Make more room in your closet by storing out-of-season clothes in boxes up high or under the bed. Image: Storage Bed from West Elm.
Color coding your wardrobe can make finding things easier (although it would be tough to pull out anything from these stacks of sweaters). Image: Nan Kemper's Closet.
Invest in your closet by using good-looking storage solutions. Image: Componobili Storage Units from Design Within Reach.
A rolling cart with coordinated boxes can be pulled in or out of the closet and used for clothing or office supply storage. Image: Laura's Pared Down Perfection from AT:NY.
Use suitcases to store out-of-season linens, blankets, or sweaters. Image: Living Etc.
Repurpose standard storage pieces. Solaana used IKEA's Trones Shoe Cabinets to store items along the wall of her bedroom.
Tags
organizing, organization, storage, bedroom closetRelated Links
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- Tips for Rearranging Furniture
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Thanks for the suggestions. I've found those ikea hangars to horde up too much space though. They are at least twice as space consuming as conventional plastic hangars. Plus, they hurt if they fall and clunk you on the head!
view SFGail's profile
nice closet Sarahc. love the rug too!
view Lourdes's profile
I <3 the Michael Graves wooden hangers from Target for non-tshirts. They are thinner (they lie flat, unlike the ikea ones), are well-made, and have a nice rubber piece on the end.
They're a bit pricey at $5 for 3, but I found that the price is managable if I buy 1 or 2 packs at a time.
view theninthcloud's profile
the top photo – where are those fabric drawer units from? are they closetmaid too?
view leanne's profile
Thanks, Lourdes. It's FLOR's Thick and Thin in Persimmon/Cherry.
leanne, the fabric drawers are from IKEA's Antonius system. Look for a post tomorrow on how we redid our closet, with all sourcing info.
view sarah c's profile
thank you sarah! i can't believe i've never noticed those at IKEA before. they'd be perfect for my closet.
view leanne's profile
I love those drawers too. I'm going to have to check them out next time I'm at Ikea. Are they very sturdy?
Sarah, I know you're going to talk about sourcing tomorrow but... did you use Rubbermaid Configurations for your closet?
view Jen (SLC)'s profile
Lowes also sells hangers that are thinner than Ikea's. I believe they cost $20 for a pack of 20, so they are still quite inexpensive.
view mollybb's profile
Oops, I meant $10 for a pack of 20.
view mollybb's profile
wooden hangers are by far the best investment I've made for my closet... sure they take up a little bit more space, but it's better that way as clothes don't get jammed together and wrinkled or damaged. Plus, they look pretty and it makes me feel just a bit more relaxed every morning when I tackle the task of getting myself dressed for the day....
view eebnyc's profile
Thanks for the suggestion about umbrella stand and the yoga mat! I've been pondering what would work for storing my foam roller and my mat. Now it dawns on me that a tall wastebasket or even a laundry hamper could work, too.
view Jeri Dansky's profile
I like Huggable Hangers and buy them off of Ebay. They are thin, have a velvety surface that the fabric clings to so they don't fall off. Plus, they come in all different colors.
view Aldyth's profile
Instead of baskets I use big bags similar to the blue ones from IKEA, but better quality to do my laundry. they are easy to carry and while not in use take up hardly any space in my closet. the dirty clothes go into a NOREBBO that also functions as a place to sit in the bathroom.
view Nina79's profile
wow... I dream of being that organized. I did purchase some collapsable canvas organizers to store sweaters etc.
view http://badhuman.wordpress.com's profile
I find that those hanging storage bags meant for shoes are perfect to corral all of your winter accessories! Just put coordinating hat, gloves and scarf in one compartment and you'll never be hunting for them again!
view tjdotson's profile