apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the wire systems shown in the picture are the usually the most inexpensive which you can get at any home improvement store- homedepot carries closetmaid wire shelving systems, they can cut the wire shelving for you to fit your dimensions.

i prefer the closetmaid melamine systems though which are a bit pricier.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you're renting- you may want to make this semi-permanent. You don't want to be stuck with weird bits of shelving that you can't use or sell if you move, and you also don't want to punch too many holes in the walls (if you want to get your deposit back).

Why not try free-standing, rolling units for your hanging clothes, and adjustable wire shelving for folded clothing and shoes? Chain stores usually carry plastic and metal shoe racks and shelving fairly inexpensively.

You can get elfa closets systems at The Container Store. They will design it for you for free. You can get the traditional kind that is installed on a track on the wall. Or you can get freestanding if you have windows or brick, or just don't want to drill into the wall. I turned a small spare bedroom into a closet using elfa free standing. I got the walnut version, so it's a little more "furniture-ish". You can do this all via phone, but shipping may be a little pricey.

I havan 8 feet by 8 feet "bedroom" and I did the exact same (or nearly the same thing) thing as the photo above. Used closemaid wire shelving from Lowes. It actually wasn't that much cheaper than Elfa shelving (when its on sale). I used closetmaid because I just wanted to get the project over and done with it and didn't want to wait for next sale.

Probably ran me about $600 for everything. And wire shelving can easily be cut with wire cutters.

First, are you sure you want to share a bedroom??

Second, I agree free-standing garment racks are probably a good choice as they are something you can take with you when you move, or sell easily. If you want to supplement that, perhaps hang a few shelves for things like hats and bags, keeping your wall holes to a minimum.

Alaska?

How many pair of Carhartts do two people need?

aubrey: elfa, closetmaid and all those other systems can be pretty expensive once you start adding it all up. i suggest doing something similar to what i've done here:

http://theorderobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/05/move-making-decisions.html

go to a local hardware store or even a big box store like home depot, lowes, where they should sell 8' long clothing rods (around $25), and 14" x 96" ($18) shelving that can all be cut to size to fit your space if needed. the brackets run about $8 each. once you have these up you can add freestanding bookcases to house all folded pieces, shoes, bags and accessories.

for more inspiration, check this out:
http://m-a-belle.blogspot.com/2009/01/kick-off-your-shoes.html

all those systems can be pretty expensive, i suggest doing something similar to what i've done here:

http://theorderobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/05/move-making-decisions.html

if you have home depot/lowes or something similar, you can get 8' long clothing rods ($25) and 14" x 96" white shelving ($18) that can be cut to size if needed. the brackets run about $8 each. then mix it with freestanding bookcases that can house your folded items, shoes, bags, and accessories.

for a little more inspiration:
http://m-a-belle.blogspot.com/2009/01/kick-off-your-shoes.html

I'm assuming that the room that's about to become a closet already has a closet? If so, I'd use that space as shoe & accessory storage. Everything else I'd put on free-standing racks and maybe buy some shelving and boxes for folded clothing/delicate items. If you can afford it and still have the space, you might want to put some chairs or large ottomans in the room where you can lay things out. Maybe a vanity as well, for things like perfume and jewelry. Make sure you have a full-length mirror in there, and lots of light!

sorry for the double post! i didn't think it worked the first time :(

On the other hand, you could each take a wall of your current rooms and create storage that way. Maybe I'm just more attached to my privacy than most :-)

Not sure about sharing a bedroom with a roommate but it is nice to have a seperate dressing/clothing storage area.

The stuff that's pictured above seems both expensive and hard to undo. Plus I don't like having all my clothes and stuff out in the open, seems like it gets dusty and icky.

When I did this in my house I used two IKEA wardrobes and some antique furniture, as well as an IKEA bookcase that I already had, and some plastic boxes to hold accessories and shoes in the closet that came with the room like someone mentioned above. I think the wardrobes totalled about $600 altogether which isn't exactly cheap. But I think it's less than doing it all custom, plus you can move them and use them in different rooms if you decide to go back to your privacy or reuse them when you move.

Since I run my photography studio out of my house, it's also a great place for clients to get dressed and have their hair and makeup done. That also explains why I made it so girly with the purple paint and frilly curtains, etc.

Anyhow you can see it here:
http://oinkety.com/dressingroom/

yikes.

I say you both buy a dresser and stay in the separate rooms...

Sharing rooms is for dorms and kids. How do you have privacy?!?!

ahhh!

I would keep the separate rooms and get garment racks to serve as closets for hanging clothes, and then some simple shelves for folded clothes and shoes. Found one at Target that can also have a canvas cover:

http://tinyurl.com/lkfq7y

And this link shows a really clever and beautiful way to integrate closets without them looking like closets - and something you could do probably just with pipes, pipe fittings, and the corners of a room.

http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2008/02/over-our-heads/

I guess you guys must be very close, because I'd never share a bedroom even with a good friend. I'm not sure how large the rest of the apartment is, but have you guys considered getting wardrobes and just putting them out in the common areas?

i prefer the Elfa, always more expensive, but my place has plaster walls and with elfa you only put holes in the top track and everything else hangs from that. so only a few holes would have to be patched right up at the top. plus container store has great service, they keep everything on file for you if you want to reconfigure what you have for another rooom later on. i've done three closets in my house and the pantry at my mom's house in the past couple of years (She calls it her best present ever). you can also find it on craigslist from time to time.

Aubrey,
How nice to have a roommate you can be that close to. Wow.

I recommend free-standing garment racks from Container Store. Don't buy anything too cheap--these industrial-strength racks don't bow, bend, are retractable/expandable and last for years. (I speak from personal experience.):
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=174&PRODID=68653

And to make the most of these racks, I suggest using super-slim Huggable Hangers, which I've written about at length here: http://onegrandhome.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/in-praise-of-joy-mangano-huggable-hangers/

If you want wall-mounted shelving, Container Store Elfa really is wonderful or you may want to go with more economical free-standing wire racks from Staples or the like: http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/StaplesCategoryDisplay?jspStoreDir=Staples&catalogId=10051&productId=85800&cmArea=SEARCH&interceptedCatEntryId=85800&keyword=Safco-Industrial-Wire-Shelving-4-Shelves-Black-72-H-x-36-W-x-18-D&identifier=BI36506&langId=-1&storeId=10001&ddkey=StaplesProductDisplay

Happy organizing.

I would rent a POD and put my clothes in it parked in the yard before I would share a room.

"roommate"

The problem with set-ups like this is that they are so individual. I moved into a 2 bedroom (one of the bedrooms is TINY) so the previous tenant turned it into a closet with shelves lineing all the walls. I thought it would be useful but it's quickly grown annoying.
I'd suggest buying a wardrobe and some freestanding shelves if possible. Not sure what the craigslist in Alaska looks like but if you aren't really picky about what they look like you can get a decent armoire for 300$ in my area. That way you can take the closet with you whhen you move, if you find a decent pieces they actually have some type of resale value when you don't need it anymore. Its more modular so you and your roomie can move back into seperate rooms if discover that you don't like sharing a room after all. And you won't be spending 600$ that the next tenant will tear down when they move in a few years from now.

Sounds like it is not going to be good use of space. But if you insist on having a closet in the space, you should make it multi-functional. I would advise that you make it a office-closet. That way you can get some actual use out of the space other than for storage. You could give it a theme, such as a Project Runway room, where you would have a large flat desk, that could double as a folding station, or as a space to do art projects or something like that. Giving up a bedroom in a small house just because you need more closet space is a rather silly idea. But if you must....do it well and make it grand!

I wouldn't do a room entirely in the Closetmaid-type stuff; just looks cheap (and I have some of that in a small closet in the loft--attic--level, but I can close that closet door) and not pretty.

I do like the Elfa stuff tho, and have that in a first-level coat/pantry closet. And the standalone stuff is nice, but as others have said, it can get expensive.

If you haven't been persuaded by previous posters to keep your own bedrooms, I'm with those who recommend bookcases or other pieces of functional furniture that you can take with you when you leave and repurpose. And an inexpensive sofa or chaise for the center of the room where you can lay out outfits or pack or just put hosiery on!

Maybe if you can post some photos of your sep bedrooms, we can offer some storage solutions for them?

I did this in my rancher. I moved all dressers into that room. Took one small wall and threw up some closet brackets and some shelving (doubling up) and put a mirror on the closet door. I also hung a small ironing board on the inside of the closet door. Worked great and cost less than $100 to do the whole thing, including paint.

Use your space in a way that works for you. We essentially took a three bedroom ranch and turned it into a one bedroom. The 2nd bedroom became a closet and the 3rd became the office. We just sold it and all it took to undo was to take down the shelving, patch and paint.

lcatt - I completely agree with your idea. At least the rods and brackets could be easily removed and used in a future apartment/house. I could never give up this much space to be almost "worthless" - but the only other idea I liked on here is the free standing rolling hanging units and then make the closet into the area for shoes, bags, etc.

I do think you two should really really reconsider the whole sharing a room idea before going to this step. Wouldn't it almost be better to just add a wardrobe/armoire to each room and/or putting one in the living space somewhere? Adding a dresser gives you a ton of storage too. I can't think of any of my friends I would want to share a room with (other than the fiance that is).

baryl5555: Toooooootally :-D

i think that everyone values things differently. if these two have extensive wardrobes and want a room dedicated for them exclusively why not? i personally don't have a huge entertainment center in my house with a large tv, video games, etc but many people do. but i do have a nice closet/dressing area because fashion is one of my hobbies.

also, maybe they only use their rooms for sleeping rather than spending most of their time in their individual rooms so sharing isn't a big concern for them.

-"roommate"
posted by baryl5555 on June 22nd 2009 at 9:38pm
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hahahahahahaha!

post some pics yo