I can't imagine having this much stuff. And i have a lot of stuff

This is tempting. I have 4 bedrooms besides mine, I have a guest room, and an office, and a sort of second "living room" that never gets used.

I can't imagine having this amount stuff either - but I could quite happily spend all day in one of these rooms!!

I'm petite -- 5' 120 lbs. I use my walk-in closet as a dressing room! It's not huge, aobut the size of a typical apartment lavatory. But it works for me! (I would never waste a whole bedroom for this -- if there was a spare, it would have to be a studio!)

I turned an extra small bedroom into a dressing room as well. I used three large Ikea PAX units to put all of my stuff behind doors (and keep my cats out of my stuff) on one wall, then repurposed an old desk to use for my make-up table. The other two walls contain simple shoe racks and I put a leopard print bench in the center to sit on. One of the PAX has mirrored doors. I still need to hang a fun chandelier!

My MIL just turned the little room next to the master bedroom into a closet like this. I have to say it's pretty awesome. They have a ridiculously huge house though, so losing a bedroom was no great hardship.

It would be nice to have a little room with all your clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, and make up in it instead of spread around like it is for me (in the closet, under the bed, in the bathroom, in a dresser). If you had daughters it could be pretty fun - you could share things with them and also subtly keep track of stuff.

I am drooling over number three, which is only missing a Downton Abbey-style ladies' maid with a delightful Yorkshire accent to help with the dressing. Gorgeous.

Incidentally, what is it about dressing rooms that elicits such negative responses and judgments about how many shoes a person should have and how he or she should use space? Is it indulgent to have a wine cellar or a game room too?

It looks like a lot because it's all condensed into one room. I bet if most of you took a mental tally of all the things you have spread out in your home, you wouldn't have much room to say "I can't imagine having all this stuff."

ras4q: people being envious, combined with a holier than thou, "i can live frugally and so should you" attitude. what else is new?

Personally, I'm obssessed with closets and I love the idea of converting an extra room into something useful - whether a closet, craft room, or media room.

If I had the room I'd set a closet up like the last one. All of these closets are very nice imo.

I don't think some these were particularly well-done, actually. They are cheap store racks and shelves stuck against walls. I would totally devote that much space to a clothes collection, but first I would want clothes that are worth it, and second, if I had clothes that were that awesome, I would put a lot more thought into protecting them from dust, light, moths, etc. And there wasn't a single three-way mirror in the bunch.

Even Carrie Bradshaw's closet was not this big! In my house I have a little alcove room off of my bedroom and it is now my dressing room. Can't live without one now!

Wow, can you spell E-X-C-E-S-S?

I'm not holier than thou. I'm just thinking of what the world could do with all that space, and all the money tied up in all that ... Stuff.

"Obsessed with closets?" Really? Is that your obsession? I wouldn't brag about it.

"Is it indulgent to have a wine cellar or a game room too?" Yes. Just ... yes. In a world where children go to bed hungry, yes.

Do you live in a space larger than 150 square feet? Do you have pets? Do you use a water filtration system or sleep in a nice bed or splurge for a chandelier you liked? Do you have a car and get car washes instead of waiting for it to rain? If you said "yes" to any of these things, you're living excessively in a world in which children go to bed hungry. It's a standard no one can live up to. I do not pretend to try.

Perhaps the people with these closets have lovely and fabulous clothing because they worked hard to find good deals, or have worked hard and feel they should allow themselves a small indulgence. It's not anyone's place to judge. And it's also erroneous to say that the world would do anything with that space - it would do nothing, because that space is not anyone else's but the person who owns it.

Pi, you're right. This was an inappropriate forum for my post and I apologize.

If you love your clothing, it seems fun to be able to incorporate it into a room. Putting together a great outfit can be a creative process for some, so why not have a studio to work in instead of a closed-door space (if you have the room)? Imagine sitting a velvet settee pondering which pieces to put together or admiring your collection.

Oh, Dorothy, if that is how you feel, perhaps AT is not the place for you. Certainly most of the topics are "excessive." Perhaps having a computer with an internet connection is excessive? Oh my!

Gosh, was not expecting that vitriol.

ALL of us are living with excess. I personally do not own cars, I do not take taxis, and I bring my lunch to work. I don't have cable. But I love fashion. But I worked hard to own my apartment and I love my closets and I love interior design. We pick and choose our excesses, no?

Um, this doesn't even look like alot of clothes to me. How would you feel if someone came on here criticizing you for your spartan (and probably dated) wardrobes? People have different values. And when you are a professional living and working in a certain environment, it is almost impossible to truly succeed and present yourself appropriately without an extensive wardrobe. BESIDES which, none of these wardrobes seem excessive. This isn't 1950 where people one one "Sunday" outfit and one play outfit. Nor do you know how much these clothes cost or how frugal these folks are an other parts of their lives. Pi is right. Living in a small New York apartment with no car I could have lots to say about peoples "yards" and their mini van gas guzzlers. But that would be rude. Plus, I just don't care. Its none of my business.

Indeed, we do. And my point was really that no one was devoid of vices. I don't think it's really valid for anyone to judge others for their excesses when they too have vices, just different ones.

Wow. I totally have the space to do this... but for some reason I'm emotionally attached to the idea of our master suite -- including bath, bed, dressers, and walk in closet, though small. Fabulous solution for an older home without a suite. Also a fabulous ideas for improving the look & feel of a walk in.

PS -- I love that this post is about FUNCTION as much as FORM, and targeted to having both on a small budget.

thanks!

Hey, guess what?! I have a closet that has this much stuff - it's a walk in that also houses my washer and dryer in my rental so it's not as beautiful as these. However, I am a life-long thrifter and vintage clothes finder who has built their collection over many, many years. I bet some of these folks did the same. Don't judge. It's your worst trait, Apartment Therapy-iers.

PS - other than the second photo, I wouldn't even say these closets are in excess.

I love this post, I am actually planning to do this to one of our rooms. We live in a medium sized Midwestern house that is about 100 years old and there is literally one normal closet in the house. Well, there are also 2 strange closets tucked under the eves that are too short to be useful. There are 2 strange little rooms that have no heat vents so this will be perfect for one. I think also if you like the style of having uncluttered living space, dedicating a room to a closet for all your things is a great way to do it. I want to have just a bed and furniture in my bedroom, and everything else can go in the closet room.

I'm envious. I wish I had enough clothes to warrant lusting after one of these rooms! I actually have mad closet space in my apartment and when I first moved in, I was giving the tour to a friend who was looking into one of my (four large) closets and she said, "You don't have enough clothes to fill up this awesome closet!"

I know she was trying to compliment me on my nice new place, but instead I felt wardrobe shame.

Well now I know what I want to make my office into!!!! Funny thing, I see that rack of clothing, and saw my coat!!! The pink one from Anthropologie! That is such a cool idea. Make it into a huge walk in closet. Who needs a guest room!?!!

I think it's comical how total strangers love to spout "it must be nice" about everything they don't personally own or aspire to. I have way more clothing, shoes and bags than any of these...and seeing this gives me definite ideas about organizing it better.

I don't see how the "tiny apartment in New York" people have room to judge here. Living in a major city is an expensive luxury, it costs money just the same as having an extra bedroom or buying nice clothes. I'm not over here telling them that in "a world where children are hungry", spending three thousand dollars a month on rent is ridiculous, so I don't think they should tell me it's wrong to have several bedrooms, even if I do want to use one as a closet. We all spend money on things that aren't necessary for life.

Before I rented out my second bedroom, I used it mainly for storage. Not for clothes but for things that were important to me, like my music gear and art supplies. I don't see what the difference is.

I'm actually trying to find a way to do something like this with the 2nd bedroom in my apartment. The trick is the room needs to be both an office and a dressing room. Still trying to figure out how to best utilize the space.

I love the idea of combining closet and office. ah if only I had enough space...

I've actually done this in the past, due to an unfortunate lay-out with cramped space in the bedroom. It was way too much of a hassle though, not to have my clothes nearby when I wanted them (i.e. when getting in and out of bed/shower).

These rooms do look lovely though! I just don't know how other people are not bothered by having to run back and forth all the time.

I'll attest to the displaying clothing/shoes/accessories idea. My walk-in is small and not decorated like the above bloggers', however, it helps a lot for me to decide what to wear and how to coordinate, seeing things out. if items are stored in drawers and boxes, i tend to forget having them.

another benefit is that if i buy something, i can see if i have a similar item or two. i then can decide if i'd keep the new item and purge one old item or return the new purchase if i can't part ways with an existing item.

for now, only things i put in drawers are underwear (one drawer), socks (one drawer), and t-shirts (one drawer). i don't buy them unless I have to therefore they can stay inside small drawers with no danger of spilling out.

Seeing is good to discover the fashionista in you. Seeing is a good bet at keeping clothing/shoes/accessories from growing dangerously. Seeing is the first step in organizing.

If you can and have the space for it, give it a shot and see how it can change your dressing/shopping habit. It sure had changed mine. :-)

I am totally getting ready to do this! perfect timing for more inspiration!

My husband and I were blessed to be able to buy a 3-bed condo last year. We opted to use the huge "master" bed as an office/work/sewing/guest space. Downstairs there are 2 tiny (8'x9') bedrooms. We sleep in one of them (just big enough for a queen bed) and use the other (outfitted with Pax wardrobes) as a walk-in closet/dressing room.

It makes the bedroom much more restful to not have to deal with clothes in the same space. It's also made me much more thoughtful about buying clothing because now, when I consider purchasing something, I ask myself if it's "worthy" of a spot in my wardrobe. We used to have everything in one big closet and 2 dressers, but it's so much easier to see what you wear, what the "gaps" are, and what needs to go when it is displayed out in the open like this.

i have no issue with wanting/coveting all this stuff- it's the need to show that you have all this stuff. That is what I find revolting.

My major worry would be everything getting really dusty