Tired of pulling my shirts, all wrinkled and creased, out of my over-stuffed closet, I decided to come out of the closet completely and create a hanging clothes bar in the corner of my bedroom. Say goodbye to these colorful (but useless) drawers-turned-shelves and hello to my new rope wrapped hanging clothes bar…
This is actually a project I've had in mind for a couple of months. As I mentioned in my post Making the Most with What We Have, I've been hanging my damp dress shirts from an empty curtain rod in the bedroom window. I iron my shirts straight out of the washing machine so they're all pressed and ready to go. Unfortunately, once I stuffed them into my packed closet they'd get completely wrinkled all over again. I wanted to find a way that I could hang the shirts over the radiator in the corner of the bedroom but I couldn't figure out a way to make it happen. And then, a couple of hours before a party, inspiration struck!
Using an old curtain rod that I cut down to the size needed, I created a rope wrapped hanging clothes bar that is suspended from the ceiling with very well secured hooks. As you can see in the photos, it was an easy project once I got started. I used hot glue to help secure the rope to the curtain rod. Once the rod was completely wrapped in rope, I anchored two hooks into the ceiling at about the same width as the rod. Finally, I used rope to suspend the new clothes bar from the ceiling. I simply cut 2 pieces of rope at the same length, doubled them over, created a knot at the ends, and then slipped the clothes bar into them. It took a little jiggering to get both sides to be even but, still, it was easy enough!
Now I have a place where the shirts can hang to finish drying and then live until I want to wear them. I happen to like the way the shirts look hanging in the corner. This corner was sitting mostly unused anyway so this seems like a fantastic way to make use of the space.
MORE CLOSET POSTS ON APARTMENT THERAPY
• 20 Ways to Organize Your Bedroom Closet
• Fresh Start: Small Closet Updates that Make a Big Difference
• How Cleaning Out Your Closet Will Save You Time & Money
Images: Jason Loper
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Cool! I hadn't thought of using open clothing storage for only one type of clothing. It works VERY well with those shirts. I may do something similar with my daughter's dresses, so I can both display them and store them.
How practical! Love the radiator under the shirts. Think how toasty warm it will be to put one on, plucked fresh from the branches of the warm shirt tree in the winter.
This would look great in a little girl's room to display / hold pretty dresses. Or to display costumes / dress up togs in a playroom.
Cute, but won't storing clothes near a bright window like that will make them fade a lot faster?
What a great idea! A great way to find storage place yet find a way to make it look appealing!
Funny, I remember seeing the post about the drawers turned shelves months ago and wondering how useful those were. (I'm always dreaming of ways to suspend things from the ceiling or attach them to a wall for storage/display, lol). I like what you did here... and think I have a spot in my house where I may do just that!
ok, here's my question... what color paint is that on the wall. i love it!
sort of shabby, raw look. i like it!
Semi-like it but wouldn't want clothes skimming the top of a radiator, looks a bit dangerous. I also think I'd prefer it in another corner of the room, not next to the side of the bed, looks awkward. Could likely work well for a child's room, especially a little girl with frilly dresses to display.
once you are done with the clothes rod, it makes a neat scratching post for cats.
No.
Fire danger?
Sleeping directly next to your clothes is not a good idea. They carry "outside" energy from the day, which does not promote restful sleep. And even if you don't follow feng shui, clothes still carry dirt, sweat, grime, and are reminders of work and un-restful things. The bedroom should be a peaceful sanctuary away from all that..
If these are hot water heaters, there's no way it's a fire danger. I keep my heat at 68 in the winter and the radiators rarely ever get too hot to touch. I warm up my shoes and socks on my radiators in the winter too :D
Is there an equation of how much rope to use for an x-length of rod?
I've never been a fan of open storage. I find it to look like a store and not like a home. However, with the little I see of your bedroom, you've got style so kudos to you for that. To each there own and if you like it, rock on!
I tried this with chains, it works great and was pretty cheap.
Similar to my blanket hanging system.
Nice post. I have some other ideas perking from this!
"Outside" energy? Wouldn't laundering the clothing remove the outside energy (and grime) - if I am to assume said energy actually exists?
Sorry. For a second, I was overcome by science and all that.
My house is "hot water by gravity." Basically, the furnace heats water, and it rises and sinks in the pipes by convection only. There's no pump, and no steam. The radiators are charmingly warm, and never any risk for setting fire to anything. I could put kindling on them. :) I frequently use them to dry jeans in the winter. It's a very green alternative to the dryer.