Okay, so we're a little obsessed with organizing. And we love closets. So we thought we'd channel our obsession into something helpful: a list of ways to organize your bedroom closet. Pick and choose from the ideas below...
Top: This is our closet/spare room. We don't have any real closets in our apartment, so we turned a 1/2 bedroom into a storage space. If you don't have a closet already, you can install racks and hangers on a wall to make one. We used the ClosetMaid 6'-8' Closet Organizer. It was a pain to install, but it gives us all the storage we need.
Declutter. Use Discardian's Closet Trick to get rid of clothes you don't wear. Image: California Closets.
Store your most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, and least-used items up high. Image: Sunset Magazine.
Combine storage units to fit your different needs: drawers for folded items, hangers for dresses and suits, boxes for odds and ends. Image: Bergen Closet Collection from West Elm.
Use coordinated hangers for a clean look that will care for your clothes and help you stay organized. Image: Bumerang Clothes Hangers, $3.49 for an 8-pack at IKEA.
Use an umbrella stand to hold odd items like a yoga mats. Image: Kartell Umbrella Stand.
Use boxes, cubbies, shelves, or a hanging organizer to sort shoes. Image: 12-Pair Shoe Organizer, $34.99.
Keep folded clothes or accessories neat with shelf dividers. Image: Shelf Dividers from the Container Store, $4.99 - $5.99.
Use vertical space (both above and below the closet rod) to store more. Image: Walnut and Platinum Elfa Closet.
Add lights in your closet between the door and the storage area. Image: Philips SpotOn Light.
If you live in a small space, replace traditional closet doors that swing out with curtains or hanging screens. Image: Woven Wood Panels from the Shade Store.
Use stackable laundry baskets that you can easily carry to the washing machine. Image: Tub Trugs from the AT Store, $14.
Hooks can create extra storage space when you hang them inside the closet. Image: Hanger Holder from Stacks and Stacks, $5.99.
Keep your closet in shape by treating it like a small room. Pay attention to lighting, wall color, and floor coverings. Image: Easy Closets.
Make more room in your closet by storing out-of-season clothes in boxes up high or under the bed. Image: Storage Bed from West Elm.
Color coding your wardrobe can make finding things easier (although it would be tough to pull out anything from these stacks of sweaters). Image: Nan Kemper's Closet.
Invest in your closet by using good-looking storage solutions. Image: Componobili Storage Units from Design Within Reach.
A rolling cart with coordinated boxes can be pulled in or out of the closet and used for clothing or office supply storage. Image: Laura's Pared Down Perfection from AT:NY.
Use suitcases to store out-of-season linens, blankets, or sweaters. Image: Living Etc.
Repurpose standard storage pieces. Solaana used IKEA's Trones Shoe Cabinets to store items along the wall of her bedroom.
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Comments (34)
Thanks for the suggestions. I've found those ikea hangars to horde up too much space though. They are at least twice as space consuming as conventional plastic hangars. Plus, they hurt if they fall and clunk you on the head!
nice closet Sarahc. love the rug too!
I <3 the Michael Graves wooden hangers from Target for non-tshirts. They are thinner (they lie flat, unlike the ikea ones), are well-made, and have a nice rubber piece on the end.
They're a bit pricey at $5 for 3, but I found that the price is managable if I buy 1 or 2 packs at a time.
the top photo – where are those fabric drawer units from? are they closetmaid too?
Thanks, Lourdes. It's FLOR's Thick and Thin in Persimmon/Cherry.
leanne, the fabric drawers are from IKEA's Antonius system. Look for a post tomorrow on how we redid our closet, with all sourcing info.
thank you sarah! i can't believe i've never noticed those at IKEA before. they'd be perfect for my closet.
I love those drawers too. I'm going to have to check them out next time I'm at Ikea. Are they very sturdy?
Sarah, I know you're going to talk about sourcing tomorrow but... did you use Rubbermaid Configurations for your closet?
Lowes also sells hangers that are thinner than Ikea's. I believe they cost $20 for a pack of 20, so they are still quite inexpensive.
Oops, I meant $10 for a pack of 20.
wooden hangers are by far the best investment I've made for my closet... sure they take up a little bit more space, but it's better that way as clothes don't get jammed together and wrinkled or damaged. Plus, they look pretty and it makes me feel just a bit more relaxed every morning when I tackle the task of getting myself dressed for the day....
I like Huggable Hangers and buy them off of Ebay. They are thin, have a velvety surface that the fabric clings to so they don't fall off. Plus, they come in all different colors.
Instead of baskets I use big bags similar to the blue ones from IKEA, but better quality to do my laundry. they are easy to carry and while not in use take up hardly any space in my closet. the dirty clothes go into a NOREBBO that also functions as a place to sit in the bathroom.
wow... I dream of being that organized. I did purchase some collapsable canvas organizers to store sweaters etc.
I find that those hanging storage bags meant for shoes are perfect to corral all of your winter accessories! Just put coordinating hat, gloves and scarf in one compartment and you'll never be hunting for them again!
I also agree wooden hangers are a must, however, I prefer to get cedar wood hangers which naturally repel insects and keep your closet smelling fresh. The wood is also unfinished which means that clothes don't slip off the hangers.
For those concerned with the ikea wood hangers being too thick, I had the problem too, until I found the HOPA hangers. They are even less expensive. Switching to them is the best thing I ever did for my closet.
I am looking for a creative and pretty way to store and organize jewelry for a small space. Any suggestions?
@smilestone: i keep my dangly earrings hanging on the rim of an old, delicate martini glass on my dresser. It was my grandmothers and has little etched flowers on it, so it looks pretty not college-y (that was a Martha idea, of course!) Another idea (actually also from Martha) is to use those cutlery trays they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond and paint them and use them to store jewelry in a drawer. I use those (painted black) to store my necklaces.
These work because i have a dresser with two small drawers, but if you're looking to hang something in your closet I've seen a lot of people take a cork board, cover it in pretty cloth, and stick little hooks in them to hang up their necklaces with. Hope you can use some of those ideas!
@smilestone & lili09: i think the corkboard idea is great! i've seen that elsewhere and i think it's worth trying, especially if you have a lot of long necklaces. i've also seen people use cute knobs in the base of an empty picture frame covered in pretty cloth or, for those not renting, hang them right on the wall. i will have to borrow the martini glass idea for earrings. thanks!
i discovered a great way to store "hookable" items like belts and scarves without using hooks - shower curtain rings! they even fit on the big old wooden closet rods. i have the clear plastic ones that snap shut, but pretty rings would be nice to have someday.
another useful tip i read somewhere: to keep tall boots upright, just roll up a magazine and put it into the boot. i like to throw a used dryer sheet between the pages to freshen them, too. it's amazing how cluttered one pair of floppy boots can make a closet look!
@smilestone: I have a TON of earrings, so I just went to the hardware store and bought an 18x20" sheet metal grate for covering wall heaters, spray painted it black and hung it on the wall. See: http://www.great-wy.com/eng/Images/Products/Expanded-Metal-Mesh2.png
It works well as a decorative element on the wall, and a nice background for your earrings.
- miss corinne
http://www.fthats.wordpress.com
Almost 20 years ago I invested in Elfa wire basket drawers from Container Store. I've used them in different configurations in 6 different houses since then- one of the best investments I ever made!
Anyone have cheap online sources for wood hangers? I really don't want to go to Ikea just for hangers.
Thanks for all the good suggestions so far! I need to implement some sort of organizing idea for my jewelry too - though I have seen a couple compelling episodes of that show where they demonstrate how easy it is for people to break into your home on the discovery channel... what is it called?... anyway, I do kind of think it seems like a bad idea to leave all your valuables out in one conspicuous place.
Sarah, your closet is beautiful! I just gave a bunch of clothes to goodwill and organized my dresser -- perhaps making a nice, closet clean would be a good use of my time this week, as there is a storm that is likely going to keep me inside this week in LA. Somehow, I always think of myself as messy until the closets are in good order - it seems like cheating to just have organized rooms when you just know that there is a ton of stuff bundled up in closets and drawers.
I disagree with the tip to replace a door that swings out with a curtain or sliding panel, esp in a small space.
I've outfitted the inside of my closet door with a 12 hook over-the-door hanger, where I hang clothing that is still clean enough to wear again (but that I'm too lazy to hang on a hanger or that I don't want to forget still needs laundering when laundry day comes) or items that I wear frequently like robe, pj's, fleece jacket, etc. Having these hooks on the closet door has virtually solved my bad habit of throwing clothes on the floor or draping them over a chair. I'm glad to have a real closet door again where I could mount these hooks, as I've always found sliding closet doors just wasted a lot of space that would have been handy for storage.
Hmm...my closet would look like these if I only had a dozen hanging items! :) Seriously, though, having matching anything (boxes, hangers, whatever) helps a lot!
Our previous homeowners tried to make the closets look better by installing ClosetMaid shelving, but it's the worst configurations ever! Not a single place to hang full-length dresses, etc. The shelves are way too far apart...awful. And it's not even the easy-to-change kind...all screwed directly into the wall. Arrgh.
These ideas are great! Thanks so much for posting these. Very inspiring---especially to weed out things I don't need.
@smilestone and anyone else considering hanging their jewelry in open air: DO NOT hang your silver jewelry up on cork boards or open hooks or any sort of open air display. Yes, I know it helps you to remember to wear your jewelry more, but silver tarnishes. To keep silver looking its best when you're not wearing it, you need to keep it in an airtight container of some sort (plastic baggies work just fine), and not touching other pieces of silver jewelry either.
I made that mistake and now have some very difficult-to-polish, tarnished silver necklaces.
I've seen some great modified shadowboxes or picture frames on hinges that still have the glass, and would work quite nicely for keeping most necklaces etc. dust-free but still visible and decoratively on display. (or hidden behind photos like this link: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/jewelry_box_picture_frame)
Am I the only one who feels like they have way more clothes/shoes than those 'model' closets picture?
so far i haven't seen any revolutionary advice on this topic. sure coordinating your organizational tools and getting rid of clothes is a nice idea, but i have 1 small closet and one dresser that i have to share with my husband. i also live in canada where we have a saying that if you don't like the weather, just wait 20 minutes, which basically means that i have to at all times have handy winter-summer combos available. boo.
We are starting a new project to redo our closet and document the steps we are taking. Love to have some other closetphile (is that a word?) join us on our adventure.
Skip hop over and let us know what you think! http://www.ezarchitecture.com/blog/episode-9-of-ezarchitecture-podcast-the-dream-closet-project-1/
@lili09 - I am loving that cork board idea to hang necklaces - I re organized mine this week, but have no spot to hang them, so they are still just in a box and will eventually end up in a mess again.
I also have (aha moment here!!) a bulletinn board I bought at a charity shop in a weak moment cos I loved it.....so this weekend.......well, you can figure the rest - thanks!!
Flocked (velvet) hangers changed my life. They are fairly inexpensive, look great, are non-slip, and take up a lot less room than wooden ones.
most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, least-used items up high works, bulky cedar hangers that stain dressy clothes do not. for silk dress worn to weddings or similar, better to wrap thinner hanger with--acid-free!--tissue at shoulders. matching ones are nice & each in a family can have a designated colour, like toothbrushes.
most-used items in plain sight, less-used items below, least-used items up high works, bulky cedar hangers do not, esp for dressy clothes. for silk dress worn to weddings, or similar, wrap thinner plastic hanger with--acid free!--tissue at shoulders. matching hangers are nice & each in a family can have a designated colour, like toothbrushes.
http://qrky.co/uuhobc
Innovative hangers, could help with organization as they don't take up much space when not used.
3 tops x 3 bottoms = 9 outfits
Omit accessories.
Iron clothes on a towel over a kitchen counter.
Rather than use a hanger, iron an outfit and wear it.
Try one pair of dress shoes, sneakers and boots – or go barefoot.
Rather than a hat or umbrella, try a hooded jacket.
Try coat hooks near an entry door.
Vertical storage creates a cluttered appearance.
Store wardrobe in pull-out baskets under a daybed, sofa bed or chair.
Baskets are easy to transport - to a laundry mat, to a bed or kitchen counter.
Rather than baskets, try cardboard boxes with slotted handles.
Cover an under-bed storage area with a bed-skirt.