This is just a recipe for a mess. What about an armoire instead?

While I have closet space in my new apartment, I love some of the ideas that I'm seeing here. Displaying pretty clothes and accessories out in the open is an awesome idea.

Also, I want all the clothes in that first pic.

Armoire is a great idea! Also, you could make a fabric wall around the area you want to make a closet.

I think the open closets look horrible. Best to get either Ikea Pax wardrobes, or something similar, or an armoire - looks much neater. These also have the advantage of being not deeper than you need for a clothes hanger, so you don't lose stuff in the back of them, either, as there is no "back there" - except on the shelves, which can be very useful space for storage.

I once did 3 20" wide Ikea Pax cabinets side by side - with birch doors over two drawers - with the middle door a mirrored door - to solve my similar storage problem. (Had a rod hanger below a wire shelf in two, and birch shelves all up the other one to provide the missing linen closet in the apartment.)

They were easy to sell on Craigslist when I moved - the buyers came and took them apart to move them! (I didn't get all that much money, but it solved the disposal/moving issue nicely with no effort on my part.)

If you don't want to take up the space required for doors to open, you can leave them doorless - and cover with fabric or a roll-up or tie-up shade that you could close when you wanted to hide stuff (which it doesn't sound like you care about - but I still think boxes with hanging rods and shelves would store your stuff in a much better than something as open as the pictures above.)

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by acoustical issues, but they would likely be solved best with a rug.

I had a large square kitchen with original hardwood floor once, with 3 big windows in the room and every sound - even just voices - just echoed in there. Bought a large cotton rag rug to cover most of the floor (because it can be washed in the triple size washers and dried in commercial dryer as well, and they don't cost that much) and - no more echo! And it was cozy underfoot in the cold winter, too.

Well YEAH, if your clothes are THAT pretty! Mine are not...

Mess. Not for me, ever. I also think it's unlikely for most of us to have clothes that would actually ADD to the ambience of the room. Think about the dust both FROM the clothes (fibers you know) and ON the clothes. And fabric fading, from sunlight, direct or reflected...

By the way, I notice that the clothes in picture 1 are hung with hangers going every which way. If you put all your hangers over the rod in the same direction, you can remove large bunches at once if you need to, things get less tangled, and it looks better.

I had to go through a walk-in-closet full of clothes when my mother died -- it used to be my bedroom as a teen, so it's like an expansion on this thread's theme! It took literally hours because she failed to do that. Plus she had WAAAY too many clothes, none of them nice enough to keep even though we wore the same size.

Moral: have a reasonable number of garments based on what you really wear, then keep them in closets or drawers to protect them and to keep a tidy environment. But your mileage may vary!

I don't understand why AT bloggers are fixated on the "open closet" concept. It looks sloppy and it's not good for your clothes as it subjects them to unnecessary fading and dust - I even had problems with leaving the sliding closet door open and having the left arms of shirts and blazers fade from the sunlight streaming into my bedroom closet.

I now have a similar PAX setup to Textiles: Three 20" x 94" high PAX wardrobes. A total of 12 drawers in the lower sections and 3 doors on the uppers - a solid door with shelves for shoes and sweaters, and a pair of frosted glass doors (still effective against UV damage) which each contain a rod at the top for dress shirts in one and suits/blazers in the other - the lower section of each has a pullout rack for pants. On top of my units I have just enough space below the ceiling to stash luggage.

If I ever move, I'm going to have to create a similar setup in the new place as this wardrobe system has been the best $1000 I've ever spent to organize my clothing and use the limited space most effectively.

I think this is just a rationalization for a low budget alternative to a wardrobe. And let's face it, not everyone has the cash to spend. But that doesn't make crammed garment racks attractive.

Garment racks full of clothes are more or less attractive depending on what's on them, and how they're hung. Matching hangers helps. Color order and garment order helps. As with most things, airiness helps. A higher-end rack helps too.

The question is, does your bedroom-con-dressingroom look like a clothing boutique or the dessing room returns area at Nordstrom Rack? And if it's the latter, do you care? will it drive you insane? If not, make use of your space as best you can and move on to important things. Like the fall fashion edition of Vogue.

paperkite's fabric wall is a great idea. I saw a nicely executed solution in a Victorian home once. The owners placed clothing racks along one of the shorter bedroom walls, then hung simple draperies from the ceiling. Only a couple of feet were lost in the length of the room.

Have you maximized your existing closet space yet? I had my dad raise the existing bar in my bedroom closet and add a second bar below. Tops and blazers go on the top row, pants, skirts and sweaters on the bottom. I have a cloth pocket shoe holder on the door and a couple of pairs of boots on the floor. I pretty much lost all floor and upper shelf storage, but it was worth it for the extra clothes room.

Dresses and shoe boxes go in my (lucky to have it) guest room closet and I make sure to keep things pared down to what I'm actually using. Out-of-season or doesn't-currently-fit stuff goes in two long, low plastic containers under the bed.

If you can maximize your closet space to hold the not as attractive when not being worn clothing, a wall of just dresses and pretty shoes/purses could look great, even like an art installation, although I would worry about sunlight as well.

i was fortunate enough to have one bedroom in my 1880 bungalow that was tiny - 6 feet by 11 feet - and i've turned it into a dressing room.

the small closet in the master bedroom has become the linen closet and the closet in the third bedroom holds out-of-season coats, boots and accessories because i have no front hall closet.

It took me years to cultivate an eclectic and well-edited wardrobe of vintage and designer finds. There's no way I'd expose it to sunlight or extreme variations in temperature and humidity. If you're not quite as picky, I'd say that you need to approach it like an art exhibit. The pieces you do choose to leave out should be very carefully chosen, meticulously organized, and unified by an overall theme or idea.

What do they do about dust in clothing stores? Why couldn't you make this idea work? Just pretend like you're decorating a cute little shop. Who says you're doomed to crammed clothes, and mismatched hangers, and general messiness? Why does it have to be like that??? Just visit a few great looking boutiques, snap some photos, and copy the best looks. I think this could actually be really cool.

Agree with bepsf that I'd do the Ikea Pax again, if needed, in a heartbeat. Mine was well under $1,000 - likely because it was awhile ago that I bought them, and because I got shorter ones, with only two drawers below the doors, because I'm not that tall, and because I thought the taller ones would just visually overwhelm my small room. I also figured I could use the top area for storage at no cost - and like bepsf, I stored my luggage there.

It is important to not have your hanging rods so high that it bothers your arms or shoulders to reach for the clothes hanging on them. (I once had a closet with the rod too too high for comfortable reaching by me - especially for heavy winter coats.) I solved this in the Pax by hanging the rod lower and putting a shelf above the rod, for items used less frequently.

Another cool option (which I have in my current place) where you want something to match wood furniture and look fancier than Pax is to buy an old wood wardrobe. They look huge, but I've discovered that my American-made 1880's walnut wardrobe (and most I see like it, and even some of the European ones) were made to be taken apart into small top and bottom sections, and the main body into just flat panels of wood, for moving. Mine have the most ingenious wood slides to reconnect the pieces. Also has a mirrored door. Looks great in a wall nook that's in the entry hall of my apartment.

The wardrobe was made for a clothes hanging rod, but I measured obsessively and found a freestanding shelving unit that perfectly uses all the space inside (Container Store Skandia line - great product - not sure they carry them anymore, but they can be found used on Craigslist sometimes - or new online under the name Lundia) - I just unscrewed the back of the wardrobe and popped in the shelving unit - so I now have shelves for linens and sweaters.

I was looking for a wardrobe with specific dimensions so it would fit in the wall niche in my apartment. Modern armoires were all too deep. Antique ones are less deep. (Useful to know if you are armoire shopping and don't have lots of space to spare.) Found it online and had it expensively shipped cross country by the antique store, and it still cost less than a new armoire from pottery barn or somewhere like that would, and looks much nicer. And will come apart easily again to move, as it was designed to do so. Will also fit up narrow stairs, etc., unlike modern ones that don't come apart into small pieces. And it also stores my luggage on top.

Bumper sticker I saw on an old car yesterday "Old is the new Green." Works for furniture, too.

And, if you must do an open closet, that Lundia would make a nicer looking one than those pictured above. More expensive than similar Ikea items, most likely, but has a much nicer finish (is smooth, finished wood, not raw wood) and looks a lot better. Precisely engineered, and very sturdy (with the back braces installed.)

Not for me....this looks like a mess and can get just as disorganized as any closet - which ends up looking worse since at least on a closet, you shut the door and you don't have to look at it. Not to mention unless you are wearing all your clothes each week, you are just going to have to rewash anything when you need that particular piece since it's going to be covered in dust.

I could not have an open closet. I'd have to hang fabric or something to hide it.

Do it!! I turned a small bedroom into a dressing room using ikea stolmen series. I was also able to fit a funky vintage dresser and a cute little chair in the room. I used shelves on the wall to display purses and hung jewelry on nails. Looks as good as any boutique. Favorite room in the house.

"What do they do about dust in clothing stores?"

In most stores, customers and staff are constantly shuffling the clothes which dont stay on the racks all that long before someone purchases them...
...but if you've ever been to a used/vintage clothing/merchandise store - you'll often find some of the items on the shelves and racks in the back have gotten dusty from lack of attention.

There's no difference between turning an unused room into a closet and openly storing clothing in a bedroom. Both scenarios have dust potential. It's the same with any open shelving. In fact, there's the exact same dust potential in a walk-in closet. The bottom line is, there's no more dust in a bedroom than anywhere else. It doesn't matter where you put your clothes (unless they're hermetically sealed in plastic), you still have to deal with them. It's never a good idea to leave anything sitting stagnant for long periods of time. Again, calling a room a "closet" doesn't magically eliminate dust. (Actually, I'd be much more concerned about sunlight.)

I had the same lack-of-space issue and decided to turn an old 4x4 Expedit shelf into clothes storage. I put it right outside my closet, in my bedroom. I put wire baskets in the top row of cubbies and filled them with belts, scarves, and clutches. In the other rows, I stacked bags, t-shirts, and jeans. Then I have a couple closed containers for extras that aren't so pretty. I love having some of my clothing and accessories exposed. I feel like I'm shopping every morning when I pull a perfectly folded t-shirt off the stack and dig through bins for the right belt!

I'm ok with this really, I think you would really need to worry about the upkeep just like in a shop, but it's better than stuffing your clothes into a too small closet. I don't have that much dust in my house to worry about that, nor do I have to worry about sunlight. I think if you keep it up it looks great..

Like you, I thought having all of my clothes and shoes, and scarves, and pins, and necklaces, and earrings, and rings out in the open would be a great idea.

After all, everything is together, and being a very visual person it helped me to see what I actually had at a glance and put outfits together and such.

Let's face it, if you're like me, I've spent WAY more on my clothes than my furniture or artwork, so why not show it off?

I had everything organized by color and then lined up by size. Super pretty right?

Well, it was an EPIC fail. After about 3 months, all of my clothes faded out on one side and almost everything was unwearable.

Sigh. there's a reason everyone wants a closet.

So i ended up doing what I guess everyone here did, bought 3 PAX wardrobes. I got the ones with the frosted glass doors but by then I was so paranoid I put up little shirred curtains that matched my comforter and shams.

I put one PAX kinda "kattycorner" and lined up the other 2 side by side, and honestly it looks cuter than everything being in the open was.

Sorry for the long post but I still have PTSS from this (LOL, jk, don't everybody be getting all huffy about REAL PTSS ok?)

So short story long (lol) learn from my mistake and PUT YOUR CLOTHES AWAY!

As long as you are an organized person, I see nothing wrong with open closets. We added curtains to our closets. My husband's curtains are closed most of the time, but I leave mine open. I like the extra color and texture it add to the space. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mviamontes/3526224086/in/set-72157623595026541/

I want cute clothes like those pictured in the first photo. :)

oh come ON... all these party poopers are no fun. I've written in to ask for advice on this matter TWICE now, some of us need/want open storage can we get some USEFUL suggestions?

whatever haters! i think it's an affordable option, and for those of us who LOVE clothes it's excellent! yes, it could be an office, or a nursery but for some fashion is an interest and a hobby and the space is worth it. Any person devoting an entire spare room to a closet is going to take care to store their clothing properly and clean the room to avoid dust.

I think some of the people who want open closets are missing the point about the dust you WILL gather on your clothes, the sunlight that WILL fade your clothes, etc. Open closets should only be in extreme situations where you don't have a closet - and even then, suck it up and buy a cheap armoire.

I'm all for open clothing storage!

For me, it's a matter of ADD and organization challenges. In a closet, clothes get lost or forgotten. I have literally forgotten that I own certain items, only to "rediscover" them when digging deep into my closet or dresser drawers. And when I go shopping, I have a very difficult time remembering what I already own.

The other advantage is that it forces me to tidy often.

So I'd be very happy to have part of my bedroom function as a dressing room, with everything in plain sight. I've even used partial open storage in previous apartments. Right now, I'm back to closet and dressers. It looks neat, but I have to really stay on top of things.

Kind of how I feel about open jewelry storage; sure, it looks pretty when a stylist drapes necklaces fancifully over a table, but guess what...those bits and bobs are now becoming oxidized and damaged every day. Unless you want to display your cheap jewelry (and how many people want to display cheap jewelry?) -- it just doesn't make sense. Jewelry belongs in the original box, or in plastic bags, or in a jewelry armoire--you're doing it no favors by displaying it.

That said, to those that are sad about people offering no suggestions, I did have an open closet one year as a poor student; I bought a chrome shelving closet unit (Metro Shelving, I think?) and tried to keep things organized and pretty. It didn't really work, but the hindsight revealed that matching hangers, having less stuff to begin with, and a plan to neaten it every night are essential to live like you're not in a green room of a theater with costumes tossed everywhere.

When my daughter was in a small, shared, vintage college apartment, we installed an IKEA Stolmen system along one wall (very cool) and hung floor-to-ceiling curtains to protect the clothes. It wasn't especially cheap, but it looked great and eventually made its way into her living room for grad school, and the curtains went to the windows.

She sold everything to the next tenant.

I don't think an armoire would have done the job as well.

this a perfect example of what a den should be used for. if you have the opportunity to stow away your office somewhere else in an apartment as tiny as mine? a den is like THE dream closet. open racks, but tucked away :)

but i would love Ikea wardrobes also. ~envy~

When I was single I hung rods on the wall of my apartment for clothing. Yes my landlord let me- there was no closet.Then hung curtain rods on the ceiling to hang curtains cover the wall rods.It was great. I used lovely long printed sheets with huge flowers as curtains. It wasn't perfect by any means but it wasn't as ugly as open storage.

I used to live in a home with a small walk-through room that attached the bathroom to the bedroom. The bedroom had a tiny closet, so I used the walk-through room as a dressing room. I added a portable hanging rack for extra closet space, had a small desk and make-up mirror, and I hung jewelry on the wall. I enjoyed seeing all my clothes, jewelry, scarves, shoes, and purses in one glance. It made it so much easier to pull together outfits!

My new house doesn't have a set-up like that, so I'm back to a traditional closet and I miss that space!

if an open closet is good enough for jenna lyons (former creative director and now president of J. Crew) and susie bubble, its pretty much good enough for all of us...besides, you can always have drapes to filter out the rays and dust is not a problem if you wear your clothes or just put them on frequently and store your off-season clothes correctly (in garment bags etc)

plus, as someone who has a lot of clothes and tries to mix them up in outfits (not always wearing the same things together), its important to have an open closet to see everything. I have so much stuff, I used to constantly look through a drawer and go "oh yeah...how could I forgot I had this but I love it"

I don't think anyone with a truly large collection of clothes can have a proper closet unless they are nan kempner or celine dion (her closet was on oprah and yes, she keeps everthing behind glass doors to protect from dust)...