So you've found your perfect apartment. The only problem is - there's no closet. Or maybe there's a tiny 2x4 closet that couldn't even begin to hold all your clothes. What to do? You could keep looking...or you could avail yourself of one of these clever solutions.
1. Of course, you could always go old-school and get an armoire, or even a chifferobe. (What's the difference? According to dictionary.com, a chifferobe must have drawers in addition to hanging space.) But what about...shoes in a pie safe?
2. Brian and Kerry tucked an Ikea storage system into a nook in their brewery loft.
3. I love this idea for a room without a logical nook to turn into a a closet — clothes storage behind the bed. In this case, keeping the palette in the rest of the room simple keeps the colors of the hanging clothes from being too overwhelming.
4. You can hang this simple DIY clothes bar from the ceiling pretty much anywhere in the house.
5. Don't think your clothes are pretty enough to look at all the time? You can cover up clothes storage by hanging a curtain in front.
6. Shelves and a hanging rod tuck neatly behind the ladder to a loft. Sporting equipment hangs on the wall beside.
7. A picture ledge with a hanging rod beneath puts clothes front and center — and doesn't protrude too far into the room.
8. Missy from Lookie What I Did made this wall-hung organizer for her hubby's various accessories.
9. This beautiful modern apartment in Malmö makes a freestanding clothes rack look so good.
10. The rack above is from Ikea, but you can make your own from inexpensive PVC pipe.
MORE CLOSET SOLUTIONS FROM APARTMENT THERAPY:
• 5 Alternative Methods to Storing Clothes Without a Closet
• Open Book: Exposed Closets
(Images: 1. Petra Svensson for Elle Interior, via Solidfrog. 2. Brian & Kerry's Brewery Loft 3. Decor8 4. Apartment Therapy 5. Dos Family 6. Design*Sponge 7. Dos Family 8. Lookie What I Did via Apartment Therapy 9. Emmas Designblogg via Apartment Therapy 10. Emmas Designblogg)
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10 Fixes For Apartments *with* A Lack Of Closets.
Sorry I'm so anal.
In #3, where the clothes are hanging at the head of the bed. Do you have to crawl up on to your pillows when you want an item hanging toward the middle?
I use a cheap ikea wardrobe that I spiffied up. The open concept is nice, but in a tiny space, its just visual clutter. Better to keep it neat and tidy behind closed doors :)
i'm sorry but i just couldn't. Closet space is always a priority when apt searching. Not always so easy in NYC, but to me, it's a deal breaker. Better to forgo amenities - doorman, roofdeck, overall space, just to get sufficient storage.
The Container Store has some good Elfa solutions. To go cheap, use 2 tall bookcases, facing each other, and secure (with nails) a dowel or other sturdy piece of wood between the 2, on the top. Then put a narrow bureau between them. Hang a curtain in front. Instant closet, with a hanging rod, shelves inside for shoes, bags, folded t-shirts and sweaters. Bureau for other things like socks, accessories. The only thing is dealing with the cheap backs of the bookcases, but you could always prime and paint, or use more fabric, or hang artwork. A closet is really just a pocket of space. If you don't have tons of hangables, this works. There's also those clothing storage units with canvas covers, which you could replace with custom fabric.
Some of these look good- though some (# 5, 6, and 7) would work if you only own approximately 8 shirts. Hmm...
With the exception of the shoes in the cabinet, all of this looks very cluttered to me. It would make me mental.
Perfect timing. We are currently building out our "dressing room". I especially like the black curio filled with shoes.
houseofthebonestorm.blogspot.com
If I had to do this, I would still want a curtain or a room divider, or, well, anything, to hide the clothes.
Agree with DODIEGOLDNEY. I don't even like the shoe display. You can cover the glass with pretty fabric or contact paper.
#7 is just silly to me. What do you do when you have folks over? Something may get knocked down and soiled.
I like MSpicky's solution better than anything pictured above. Although #8's picture frame is a nice way to make open stuff look neat and organized.
The visual clutter is a little bit much. I'm a huge fan of armoires and chifferobes. Storage AND a convenient excuse for a lovely antique!
I have a closet much like #3 and I love it! I buy pretty clothes and love having them out on display :) just make sure you get nice looking hangers.
Great ideas! What is that shade of indigo on the first images?! Perfection.
A friend and her husband moved into a house without a bedroom closet, so they attached a track for sliding doors to the ceiling and used really lightweight panels. It looked professional and, in my opinion, a lot better than exposed clothes, shoes, and accessories. Not everyone's closet items look good on display!
No closet, no deal.
Would #10 really be strong enough? I've had so many traumatic experiences with clothing racks that have ANY plastic parts.
I really love #1. No more crawling around on the floor pulling shoe boxes from underneath the bed!
Looks like the captions for #4 and #5 got switched...?
I agree with the anal people. I couldn't live with my stuff on display especially in the bedroom. It would give me nightmares.
In my <250 sq ft studio, I got this white minibar from CB2. It's my tv stand/secret sweater and jeans storage. When I upgrade to a bigger apartment it will be a REAL minibar!
http://www.cb2.com/storage/dining/swig-mini-bar/f5948
our new apartment has a giant kitchen (top priority!) but a tiny, just under 7x8 bedroom (our queen mattress touches 3 walls, if that gives you any perspective on how small it is), so we lofted the bed out of 2x4's and slats from our old ikea frame, hung a clothes bar under it, and now i have a "walk-in" closet (that i have to get on my knees to get inside) but hey, my clothes are hidden and we didn't have to compromise space where it REALLY counts (i.e. the living room and kitchen)
see it in our "house tour" here:
http://www.beyondthestoop.com/2011/11/house-tour.html
Doesn't anyone have dust? I mean, I have to dust off the shoulders on rarely worn items that sit in my closet. I can't imagine if they were exposed. Oh, and the cats and all their fur.
I agree with others that seeing all your clothing would be far too much visual stimulation for a room I want to be very calm. I'd buy enclosed wardrobes if I had no closets.
Maybe you just need to pare down the amount of clothing and shoes you have. In my original closet, I had six feet of width and I had a double dresser (six drawers and a two door center section with shelves). When we remodeled last year, my new closet was three feet and I have a one foot section containing 5 drawers (like a lingerie chest) and a door above with a shelf area. By getting rid of all the clothes I didn't wear, as well as extra shoes, winter footwear and coats, my new closet as more than sufficient room to house my belongings. In many cases, we have enough room, we just have too much stuff.
Even worse than the kitty fur is my kitty's inclination to attack dresses and neckties. Open racks won't work for us.
Homes in Europe almost never have closets. Wardrobes are pretty standard pieces of furniture...
Although some of these are great ideas (possibly a little impractical, but not having built in wardrobes is impractical period), it doesnt really address the other common problem. Not only does the flat I rent not have closets, it also doesnt have a space where the closet should go. My bedroom is literally a square that is completely filled with my bed. I tend to store things beneath the bed, but its such a pain...
The closets in my 1920s rental cottage are not deep enough to hold a standard hanger. I'd Like to see a post on enclosed solutions, since I have cats and, as others have mentioned, open storage is simply not an option.
@DESIGNGRATISLONDON "not having built in wardrobes is impractical period". Er, no. It's not. It may be inconvenient, but stand-alone wardrobes give you more options because they can be moved around, giving you more options for other furniture placement too. And you don't have to go antique armoire either.
@SAUCEFIEND agreed. And I've just checked and American Ikea does sell wardrobes, lots of 'em. Where is the disconnect?
hmm here in Austria i lived in 12 different homes, 10 of them were apartments. we did not have a closet exept in our last one.
people have armoires/wardrobes here. don't like the visual clutter. no way you can keep them tidy in everyday use (unless you are Mr. Monk)
@STATIONERYFIEND
I disagree. In my experience, even when I have had (standalone) wardrobes there was never enough space for them, and certainly no option to move them to a different wall. The last flat I lived in the wardrobe door couldnt even open fully the space was so tight. Thats not practical at all. In large rooms wardrobes are fine, but I wont be holding my breath to be able to afford that kind of space lol.
I have 3 closets in my 473 sq ft studio, but they are by no means spacious. I had to buy an armoire for additional storage. My problem is boot storage. I'm looking for a solution where I can hang boots in the closet, not off a rod, off of hooks maybe. Any suggestions?
Ha. Looks like half of these inspiration photos take up more space than an actual closet would...and I think that #3 is super cute, but highly impractical (same goes with #5 - visually really pleasing, but I have more shirts than that in my DIRTY laundry, much less the clean stuff).
Plus, the modifications you'd have to do to install some of these would be things I can't imagine a landlord would allow you to do, unless you're on very friendly terms. All of the screw holes in the wall? All of the landlords I've had would have an aneurism.
@Molly80 - I have the same problem! Drives me crazy!
@studioren
Could you devote a rod to them? You can use skirt hangers (one clip on each boot; probably not this specific kind, but there are skirt hangers that have padded/rubber clips....)
Open storage in a bedroom is one of those things that looks good in a staged photo but is just ridiculously unpractical. Dust, dust, dust. And I'm not really seeing anything revolutionary in these pics - no built-in closet means you'll have to dedicate a few square feet for clothes storage, and whether it's an IKEA wardrobe or a DIY clothes bar with/without curtain doesn't change much.
1. I don't want any visual clutter.
2. I don't want my clothes smelling like the food I am cooking or, worse, whatever stuff comes in through the open window in nice weather. Let's not even talk about wearing dust...
None of these solutions would work for me except the very first. People in Europe mostly don't have closets. They have been using armoires and dressers for ages. Less waste of space than a closet, more orderly than a closet, definitely better looking and you can move it around to your heart's content as opposed to closets.
I don't see who in their right minds would prefer any of the above solutions to armoires and dressers...
@lepidoptery I may have to devote a rod for boot storage. I'm thinking of these boot hangers from bootique.com (http://www.boottique.com/inc/sdetail/33/38). They are a lil pricey, @3 for $20, but I'm gonna give them a shot.I have a low hanging rod in a wardrobe, which just might work.
OH THANK YOU!!!!! i live outside of the states & we really don't have closets. it's a major adjust ment. more stuff like this please
These all look too cluttered and not very appealing to the eye, especially if you have company. None of these ideas are even clean looking, makes the room look junky and unclean.
Yipes! can someone say, Fire Hazard?! Especially those clothes hanging over the radiator?
I eventually bought myself a wardrobe rack. I don't know why it took me so long to do it. I had been living out of baskets and dresser drawers for over a year. Still haven't found the perfect solution for putting away my shoes. I've got a wire rack that's mostly holding books, magazines and various other crap I want to get rid of. Maybe I'll "re-purpose" instead.
I hate open storage for clothing! YUCK! So visually messy. Give me a proper wardrobe any day!