Your closet as a room

I really think all new construction should have 2 things.  Amazing laundry facilities, and closets that are an actual room designed for storing our clothing.  All of us could benefit from it, and really, isn't it just a re-distribution of space?   Does it need to be saved for ultra-high end projects, when it is really just a matter of planning?  (Maybe I should take my ideas on the road, I'll let you know what happens!)  Anyhow, I struggled with my laundry facilities and my closet space my whole life, until I moved into this great house (not ultra high) with a closet that is actually a room, and 2 sets of washers and dryers.  I love it here!  Here is a great picture of a closet that is treated like a room with painted walls, an upholstered bench, art on the wall, and an area rug.

It needs more clothes and shoes on the shelves to make it real, but it is great inspiration!

Creating more space in your closet

We can't create more space in our closets.  (Unless we remodel.  I can help you with that, of course, if you want. http://www.roetterconstruction.com/ )  Since we can't create more space in our existing closet, let's think about "maximized space utilization."   I think I will change that to "maximum accessible space utilization."

I recently designed a closet where I left a little room on the shoe shelves for flexible space.  It was designed so the tops of the plastic shoe containers don't hang up on themselves when pulling them in and out, and it left a little flex space for some larger sized shoe boxes. I thought I was making it more accesible for my client.  Even though there was no possible way another pair of shoes could fit across the space, my dear and sweet client was dissapointed because I made the shelf "too small" for another box of shoes to fit across.  She seemed happy with my explanation about the lids, and the flex space for larger boxes, until the conversation ended with her comment that she might be able to stuff a handbag in there and use up that space.  My helpful hint of the day is that when you "stuff things in" you end up with the same situation you started with.  A closet that isn't very functional.  If you have a hard time finding it, or taking it out, you won't want to wear it or use it.
Dividing the larger space of the closet into smaller, more manageable segements that fit the size and shape of your clothing and accessories is the way to get more storage from the same amount of space.  The picture here is a great example.  Each of the different types of garments are grouped together.  In the drawers would be socks, underwear and shorts,(the smaller drawers) sweats, and jeans. (the deeper drawers) There are shelves below and above the slacks, again dividing and organizing the space. The more types of clothing  and accessories you have, the more divided the space should be.  Think about having things accessible now that you have a nicely organized space.  NO STUFFING ALLOWED!

Investing in a wall of storage

A wall of storage goes a long way towards helping keep your house organized and neat.   It is the theory of having "a place for everything."  When planning for a wall of storage, consider the furniture arrangement that gives you the best access to the storage.  Storage is used to it's maximum potential when it is easy to use.  This photo is showing open storage, but could easily have cabinet doors as well.
The storage wall could be custom built by Organized Spaces, it could be melamine to save on costs, or melamine with wood trim to give a more luxury look.  It could be specially designed to contain all of the types of things your particular needs require.
There are other ways to create a wall of storage.  I had a wall of storage in the garage of a house I owned a long time ago.  It was made from kitchen cabinets.  This wall was wonderful and beautiful, and the only thing missing was that it was in the garage instead of the family room.  Another wall of cabinets I saw was oak kitchen cabinets made into a wall of storage.  They were painted black, and it looked really nice. The black just took away the out dated oak look and gave a great use to cabinets that were still in nice condition.  My home office has a wall of bookcases.  There is a window in the wall, so the heights of the bookcases vary.  My shelves are filled with my design books, and baskets to hold my markers, colored pencils, drawing templates, and paint fan decks.  It has been a way to keep all these things at hand in a neat way.  http://www.organizedspaces.com/

The upside down advantage

When organizing or planning your closet, also consider how it feels.  This is especially important if you have a small walk in closet.  Sort first by color, then by type of item.  Use both rows of hanging so the first section is black clothing, for example.  Now, to make the closet feel more open, hang the slacks
(if you fold over the hanger, not by the cuff) on the top rod.  It seem odd to hang bottoms on the top rod, but if you try it, you will see that it makes the closet more open.  The slacks take up less visual space, and also don't shadow what is on the lower rod.  A closet arranged by color (visually uncluttered), and with the slacks on the top, will seem more open, and things will be easier to find.  http://www.organizedspaces.com/

Re-wearables

I was asked a couple times now what to do with re-wearables.  If you have worn it only for a few hours, and want to wear it again, how does it get stored?  It doesn't seem quite right to hang it back with the clean clothes, but if we don't hang it, it won't be wearable, just wrinkled.  I didn't have pictures, so I found a couple websites that have different tools you could use.  The laundry valet is something you could install in your walk in closet.  (The ones that Organized Spaces has are great in the laundry room because you can hang your clothes while they dry, and it folds flat so it isn't in the way when not in use.) http://www.kaboodle.com/  Type laundry valet in the search.  This next link is a full blown commercial with sound.  If you use a gadet like this, you could hang it in the front of your closet, or back of your door, and the clothes will store in minimal space.  It is designed to hold just a few hangers, and would be nice to separate a few things out.  It would also be good for someone with work uniforms, or to hang the drycleaning until it gets dropped off.  http://getthewonderhanger.com/ 

Re-think the coat closet

Sometimes coat closets are just filled with seldom used items, and coats from other seasons.  It seems like a lot of families use the garage to enter the house, or a side door.  To get the make the most of your house, why not think of  a space you would really love to have, and convert your coat closet?  When you have guests, you can put their coats on the bed. A garage system like this one, (ok, this one is ultra-fabulous, just use this as an idea for coat storage in the garage) would be more convenient for those who enter via the garage.  Under the bed is another place you could store out of season coats if you store them carefully.  On to multiple really cool ways to use your coat closet.  Not long ago, I went to a home where the coat closet was just around the corner from the kitchen.  Wow!  she had converted that coat closet into a really nice pantry full of pull out shelves.  It was filled with food on one side, and small appliances like crock pots and blenders on the other side, along with specialty cooking equipment.  It was a great use of space, since her interest is cooking.  A scrap booking center/wrapping center is another great idea.  How many of us wish for something like that, but have no room?   I will have to draw up a sketch and post it for this one.  You could store rolls all across the back wall.  Have a shelf that doubles as a work center, or even deeper desk top.  Slat walls like the ones in this picture, only to hold containers is another option.  Another idea is for the armchair wine collector.  Since the coat closet is at the front door, you could make it a focal point.  Paint the inside a Merlot color, and even install a glass door, so  you can see inside.  Maybe I can draw that one, too.  A home office is another use for a coat closet.  It could have a place to sit, or just serve as a stand up desk with files below.   Why not plan your house just for you and your interests? 

"To organize your closet, is to see what you have"

I know a very organized woman.  She has her home organized with all the things some of us dream of, like a craft and sewing room that is also a laundry room with an easy to access fold down ironing board, and special drawers just for her grand kids,  just to name a few features. I could fill pages with all the great ways she has her home organized.  When I asked her for her for her best tip in organizing her closet, she said clear containers so I can see what I have. That is the key to organizing.  In my previous post 

 I talked about sorting your clothes by color, and by type.  That is one way to be able to see what you have.  Taking out all the clothes that no longer serve you, leaving enough room to see what you have on the hangers is another way to see what you have.  The baskets pictured here are a good way to see what you have.  I think shallower baskets with clothes folded and stored on end left to right would be a good way to store t-shirts and sweats.  You would be able to see what you have through the front, and when you open the basket, you can access it from the top without removing other items to get to them.  Another tip to see what you have is for your shoes.  It seems like you are a shoe person, or you're not.  I'm a shoe person.  My favorite system was when I paid my daughter a little fee, and she took pictures of all my shoes and printed them out in color (on plain paper, color saver mode) and taped them to all my shoe boxes.  I loved that because I could keep them in their boxes, and be able to see the shoes at the same time.  I read another tip that I tried with my boots because I had too many for the shelf.  Take the shoes out of the box, store them on the shelf with one of each pair facing the wall.  You gain room on the shelf, and you can see the front of the shoe and the height of the heel at the same time.  That is a great tip for someone who feels they don't have time to put shoes back in the boxes after each wearing.  It is much faster to put them on the shelf.  I put the lids under the box for my frequently worn shoes so I can easily put them away.  The scarf and belt holder I showed in a previous post is another example of  "see what you have".  We get much more use out of things when we can find them, and remember we have them.