I Put a Curtain Rod on My Bedroom Wall, and It Created an Instant Closet

I’ll admit it: I used to rely heavily on my “clothes chair” to store whatever I needed close at hand (worn-but-not-really-dirty clothes, a robe or sweater to throw on in the morning, a go-to tote bag). But after moving to a new house last year, my husband and I relocated that loveseat to a living area instead, which left me with nowhere to toss all those random items that didn’t have a designated home.

We don’t have room for any extra furniture in our bedroom now, so I knew any new storage solutions needed to take advantage of wall space rather than floor space. As I was puzzling out a fix, I came across a pretty brilliant organizing hack on Apartment Therapy that I knew I wanted to copy: using a curtain rod and S-hooks to create hanging wall storage.

In the original Instagram Reel, creator Paige Taylor installs two curtain rods on her wall, one over the other, before filling them with S-hooks to hang her purses. What struck me about this solution was how versatile it was, as it can accommodate virtually anything that hangs, while keeping everything easily accessible. (When I can’t easily see the things I own, I end up not using them as much — even if I love them!) 

I’m always up for DIY projects like this that turn storage into a stylish display, so I knew I had to try it out. The wall that worked best for my storage purposes was pretty small — about 18 inches wide — so a regular curtain rod was out of the running. Instead, I used essentially a mini version: a kitchen rail designed to hang pots, mugs, and utensils. 

The rail comes with eight S-hooks, but I opted to pick up an additional 10-pack of S-hooks with safety buckles that wouldn’t come off with a purse or robe, and they clip onto the railing for added security. Installation took about 15 minutes, and the biggest challenge was ensuring the rod was level. My biggest tip is to screw the rail into a stud if possible; if you can’t, then it’s best to use drywall anchors that can handle the weight of what you’re hanging.

I tried using the hooks in a few different ways. First, I used it to store bags I hadn’t used in a long time and wanted back in rotation. The sliding S-hooks worked well for these, as they fit all of the bag straps in my collection. Next, I used the hooks to hang robes and a fleece that I often wear in the evenings. I still had plenty of hooks left to hang up a pair of jeans I wanted to rewear later, too — in essence, I took my old clothes pile to the wall. It worked perfectly, and I liked that I could slide the hooks farther apart to give the clothing some breathing room, which is something you can’t do with regular old hooks.

Wall-mounted curtain rods are a brilliant way to organize living rooms, small kitchens, and even bedrooms, as they don’t take up any floor space and are super-versatile. You could also use curtain rods to store hats and other oddly shaped accessories; corral purses and bags while keeping them on display; hang pajamas, lounge wear, and robes for easy access; or use it without hooks to store an extra blanket for cool nights.

My verdict: The curtain rod trick works, although I’d recommend finding a larger wall on which to hang your own curtain rod. The greatest benefit to this hack is that it gives you the freedom to slide things around while still packing in a lot of storage, which works better with more space — like 24 inches or more.