apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Does anyone make an oval rotating rack similar to the dry cleaner's? Not motorized but something that work like a tie rack.

I have a sort of similar situation in my son's room in our new house, not quite as deep, but similar problem. Not sure if this could work for a grown-up, but here's what I'm planning to do... I'm going to take an old kitchen base cabinet, which is the perfect side for the closet, paint it, and stick it back in there. It's the perfect width for the closet. Remove the door, and it will have open shelves for storage. I'm assuming the cabinet and countertop on top will be strong enough to hold both the kid and me. On top, a rug and a bunch of pillows. A lamp on the wall and voila, it's a sweet little reading nook hideway for a small person (and his mommy, when permitted). There will be a stepstool in front so he can climb up there, of course.

Hi LS,

I feel your pain. I agree with Maxwell about using the vertical space for two hanging bars, but I'm not sure if you could get shelving on the side. I vote for a bottom shelf for storage or shoes, two hanging bars above, a top shelf for storage or shoes, and a stepping stool that folds.

Misha

What are the dimensions of this closet? It looks as though it may be too narrow to do what Maxwell suggests. You can get the clothes in, but walking in there might be a problem.

What I would probably do is hang two rods in the back of the closet for short hanging stuff, and mount hooks (or maybe rods that run parallel to the wall, like in dressing rooms) on the walls at the front of the closet to hold longer stuff like dresses and coats, as well as handbags and belts. If you can mount a door to the closet, you can use the inside of the door for shoe storage; otherwise, shoes can be stored in their boxes on that top shelf.

Geez, I can't type today. Forgive my confused and redundant sentence structure. I think it all makes sense tho.

I also have a similar problem in two of the three closets in our new (to us) house. They are very narrow and deep and have no doors. It appears that there once may have been some sort of folding or accordian door but they are long since gone. I am fine with using a curtain for the doors but organization is a whole other story.... So, I will certainly be checking back in here for more ideas.

http://www.culturalrevolutionary.com/

I recently purchased several of these bins, which have tops to them. I'm crazy about them.

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&parentCats=16198*16296*15776&categoryId=17055&productId=26605&chosenPartNumber=40013473

Maybe put one in front of the other, the rear one for out of season clothes the front one for current use. Then, get 2 more, for a total of four. I think I stacked two together and was very surprised how much it holds. That gets your next higher items away from the dog. Put some shoes on top of the rear top bin, and/or front bin, unless you use that for more "shelf" storage, and/or get another shoe holder that's just 6" wide and holds 10 pairs of shoes.

Get some of these that hold multiple pairs of pants:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=12945&langId=-1&categoryId=16151&chosenPartNumber=30054082

Put shelves across the back and hangers in front, don't pack the front too tightly and then just move the hangers as needed. I see it being low tech but useful. Shoot for less hanging up garments if possible.

Is there room to add extra shelves above the bars?

Also, I'd arrange clothes on the bars by season (i.e. in summer, winter clothes and coats would go on the back bar and vice versa).

As for the shoes, I'd suggest plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store so that you can use the floor space without worrying your dog will chew the shoes to pieces.

And maybe some small, shallower shelves on the side wall for smaller items.

Here's the link for The Container Store's shoe boxes - http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=154&PRODID=61479&searchId=8173157&itemIndex=10

I would take out the existing rods and upper shelf and mount a long rod perpendicular to the original rods, high enough to accommodate a 2nd tier hanging rod (available at container store) or two if you need. You should probably add a center support because that's a long expanse with potentially a lot of weight hanging from it. Leave some room for longer coats or dresses. Then install shelving across the back, top to bottom; elfa is a great idea, I love my elfa! For shoe storage, I'd go with clear stacking storage boxes along the bottom of the hanging clothes. If you have a lot of shoes, a rack on the back of the door would help. I've also seen clear plastic/vinyl shoe racks that hang on the door used to store accessories.

I have a similar problem as well. Well similar in the since that I have a small studio with only a very small coat closet. So I was forced to either get a wardrobe armoire or go the exposed closet route with a simple wall mounted unit and custom shelves
.
see my closet here
- here
- and here

Would it be possible for you to put up a wall-mounted baby gate (one that has hinges and swings in and out), so that the dog can't get in there at all? Then you could put up a curtain to conceal the whole closet and gate...

This is exactly my closet. For years I used a rolling elfa type rod with a shelf at top and bottom. I had purchased it at Hold Everything but there are similar items at The Container Store. I finally grew tired of rolling my clothes in and out each day and purchased a free standing armoire and now just use that closet for storage.

My closet, although much wider, has on one side shelves behind the hanging clothes. I would suggest that you shelve the whole back of the closet and put sheets and towels and out of season clothes in the back and keep the front hanging rod for clothes you currently wear. I prefer solid shelves and you could probably get them cut and put them up yourself. Maybe you could even buy a cheap bookcase from Ikea. I know you would have to squeeze through the hanging clothes to get to the back shelves but you probably wouldn't have to very often. You could then store your shoes and accessories in plastic containers and maybe get a rolling cart for them so you can roll it out of the way. I would also make a curtain or see if your landlord will install a door. A door would be helpful so you could install hooks for coats and other often used items and keep out the dog.

Is anyone else suprised by the cost of closet organizing systems? I would love to see photos of inexpensive solutions. I just did the whole online-Elfa thing and what they designed for a 4x5' closet was about $800! I am currently thinking of creative solutions to keep my budget under $500 and still meet all my needs.

I am starting with a fresh coat of paint and tearing out the old shelf/rod this week!

It would be cool to set it up like a kitchen pull-out pantry.

Use two metal wardrobes, attach casters, and on one end attach a panel "door" with pull. They could roll in side-by side with deep storage in the way back and above. Or maybe there's just room for one.

Better still if you could put in tracks so they could easily roll in and out. I'd have to think it out more but you could figure it out. See how Ikea does their kitchen ones and modify.

Eden, EasyClosets, which advertises on AT, may be a possibility for under $500. It really depends on how much wall space you'll be filling and whether you need a lot of drawers and other expensive components. You can model a closet on their site pretty easily.

Wow. Well, they do make and sell dry cleaner-like movable racks- if you want to spend the bucks:
http://www.onlineorganizing.com/ProductsPage.asp?name=Wardrobe_Valet_Rotating_Closet_Carousel

Too bad, it seems like something like that would be idea.

I have this exact closet and it is just off our entry so it kind of has to be a coat/shoe closet. While I am still not happy with it, I kept the rod along the back and shelf above. I have 3 baskets on the shelf to hold mitts, scarves etc and then I hung a set of coat hooks on either side. On the bottom, under the coats is a basket for flip flops and whatever falls in. Under one side of the hooks, I have a small cube/cubby shoe shelf. It's serviceable for now.

http://theneatfreaks.com/

try the above link for cheaper closet systems than Elfa, California et al. They start in the $200s.
(dollars, not thousands of dollars)

as for closet above: what are the measurements?
I'm imagining something untraditional that may work: a host of short bars or hooks (perhaps a multitude of these?)

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=13592&langId=-1&chosenPartNumber=45699883


lining all the walls so you walk in and are surrounded on all sides by shallow bits of hanging clothes, like in a boutique. You'd hang 3 shirts or a few jackets or dresses from each one; pants and skirts could be put on those multitiered hangers and also hung flat against the walls. Go all the way to the ceiling.
Kinda Shaker in spirit.
I'd put shelves across the back to hold all shoes and bags and keep the floors absolutely clear. In my minds eye you'd be taking up only 6 inches on either side of the closet. If the closet is 3 feet wide (it looks 2 feet though) that would work. It is also extremely necessary that you put in a gorgeous light and cover the walls in some kind of wonderful wallpaper so it feels like a place. Hang a strong curtain that has a few pockets sewn on for scarves, hats (and you can fasten all your jewelry to it), or better yet a door on which you'd hang those clear pocket thingys they sell at Container Store for belts, scarves etc.

This is what I'd try. I'd put a hanging rod waaay up high, running from the back wall to the door. I'd hang out of season clothing there. I'd put shelves/drawers in the back, and I'd put in a rolling rod to hold in-season hanging clothes. I'd pull that out each time.

I have that closet too! And I hate it! Actually my apartment has two of these damn things. (mine and my boyfriend's).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/104/428486104_3371c734d0.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/428498645_bec2a12275.jpg?v=0

I posted them on the flikr group. The pics don't convey their depth ver well. I like the idea of two bars in the back, one on top of the other, and a bunch of hooks along the walls. I'm only 4'10'' so even my pants and dresses are pretty short!
I use the door for shoes but the shoe rack (from the container store) isn't holding up (it's breaking already) and it is hard to shut the door with it. There's one shelf in the back. Perhaps I could get a couple more shelves in. Also - lighting does make all the difference in a closet. I think I might line the ceiling with rope lights in addition to the light bulb. My closet only houses about half of my wardrobe as it is right now. If I could get the whole lot in there and have room to actually find stuff, I'd be a happy camper!!

I have this same closet. I wanted to be able to walk in and get dressed. Along the back wall I have two cube storage things from target( one with drawers and one with a door) Hanging from the bar I have a hanging shoe thing and two of the hanging things where you can fold clothes into them. Above the bar I have shelves all the way to the ceiling. On the left side I have shelves to the ceiling that line up with the shelves on the back. I rigged rods to hang underneath the shelves. Two rods that instead of holding the clothes sideways, the hold them flat against the wall. This way I can walk in easily. Underneath the hanging stuff I have a hamper and a sewing machine. This does not leave a lot of room for hanging items however, but I do not have a lot of clothes that need to hang. On the left side I have hooks attached to the wall. On the door I have a storage thing that has big pockets for purses, stockings and even some shoes.

These hooks would work nicely-

http://www.organizes-it.com/poinstahanger.php?rtnFile=laundry&rtnDisplay=Laundry%20Accessories

Or this wall mounted valet:

http://www.organizes-it.com/polaundryvalet.php?t=1&rtnFile=clostacc&rtnDisplay=Closet%20Accessories

LS - do you have a lot of shoes? What about using the shoe organizers with pockets where the pockets are only on one side? I saw something similar yesterday (I think)on one of the bathroom postings for holding shampoo bottles, etc. You could put several of those along one of the walls and they wouldn't stick out too far, and would keep your shoes off the floor. If it were me, I'd only keep the shoes I wear on a regular basis in them and put the special occasion shoes in the clear shoeboxes.
Do be sure and post a photo when you finally get it all sorted out. I had one of these closets years and years ago when I was in high school. Fortunately, I lived in So Cal so there wasn't a whole lot of moving clothes back and forth due to the seasons.

Found that posting -this is the link for the "showeroo":

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71787&PRODID=67

I'm blushing to say that I saw that this earlier today. With everything that happened today (it snowed, son ran out of gas, then accidentally cut his wrist while trying to cut a piece of hose to syphon gas from another vehicle, I rushed home from work to take him to the hospital, finally got gas into his car to discover it was well and truly stuck in mud, angel disguised as a passing motorist pulled us out, and I spent 2 hours cleaning up the blood) it seems like at least yesterday that I saw this. :-) I hear a glass of wine calling me!

I too have this closet, only with one rod instead of two and with a door. I did something similar to Maxwell's suggestion, for really cheap.
I used some stacking folding bookshelves (wood, anchored to the wall) that go up about 7 feet, with shallow shelves. This closet in our place holds both of our clothes that must be hung up, all of our shoes (on the bottom 2 shelves, maybe you should consider the latching bins, as a simple press on lid is probably no match for your dogs chewing, and he will be able to smell what's inside), all of our towels and linens, and all of my purses. Under the clothes rod we store suitcases, and above the clothes rod are the out of season blanket and keepsake items. I even keep the vaccuum between the suitcases and the shelving (its a small vaccuum). We have that piece of wood on the wall, too, and hang belts, caps, and robes from simple nails (cheaper but not as safe as regular hooks, consider if they'll be at eye level). We spent about $80 for the shelves, for another room awhile back, and some of the nails were already there. Maybe use the second closet rod for out of season clothes, like coats in the summertime... moving the clothes back and forth twice a year might be a good time to reduce clothes clutter? The only problem is that if I don't take that couple of extra seconds to straighten my shoes or fold that fitted sheet properly, it tends to look a little sloppy sometimes. Good luck!

i lived in a space that size by choice once well actually more than once, honest.
i think the UPD is: defensible space.
so i have a simple answer...pull-out closet.
measure the space and build or have built a closet that pulls out of the given dimensional space(like a big drawer).
the door just needs to be unhinged and mounted to the front of the pull-out closet so that its aesthetic appeal is indistinguishable from a hinged closet door.

references:
http://www.knapeandvogt.com/Pull_Out_Systems.html?page=products.3.73

Dwell april 2007 page 82, image A

oh, i'm so relieved to hear i'm not the only one that has the SAME, EXACT closet!

we've also thought about adding shelves to the side, but our closet is so narrow, it would make it difficult to reach things in the back if we add to the sides.

we're keeping the 2 poles, one right behind the other, like in your picture. but, we're also sticking an old dresser that we no longer use against the back wall. we plan to store seasonal clothing and accessories.

we also have 2 shelves on top of the back pole. we store things like bags, blankets, things we don't need regularly.

as for shoes, i use one of those long shoe hangers that have slots for about 8 pairs of shoes. my only problem is my large collection of boots - they are just sitting on the floor of my closet, wasting valuable space... sigh.

I asked this same question about a very similar closet: http://sanfrancisco.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/080306/good-questions/good-questions-a-long-narrow-and-awkward-closet-011347

In the end, I didn't change anything about my closet from what I described in my question. Closet rods two deep like you have, out of season and not often used clothes in the back and often used closed in the front. Lots of hooks for belts, pants that have been worn only once or twice, bathrobe, etc.

It remains a narrow and awkward closet, but "using the side walls as back walls" as Maxwell suggests just won't work in a space so very narrow.

I don't know if lighting is an issue but you can buy battery powered lights that you hang on the wall with one nail and turn on/off by just tapping it. They cost $5 at Target and do a good job of lighting up small spaces.