As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, original farmhouse closets are sometimes outrageously small or non-existent! Hopefully, you’ve expanded your closet, added a large armoire to your bedroom, or possibly turned a smaller side room or nook into a space to store your clothing.
I recently overhauled my own closet to clear out a lot of clothes I wasn’t wearing anymore and to create more of a capsule-style wardrobe. It’s still pretty tight in my tiny closet, but I designed it in a way that maximized space (utilizing every last nook and cranny), making it easier and more fun to use.
Here are a few tips on how you can get your closet more organized and fun to use, too (my husband is laughing because he can’t seem to understand how a closet could be “fun!”)
- Designers suggest not thinking of a closet as an afterthought. Your closet is an extension of your home, not a place just to dump stuff. So, take some time visualizing how you want it to look and feel. Do you envision it as a space to really pack in clothing and accessories using every inch of room for storage, or do you want it spacious and spartan?
- First things first (before buying any new storage bins or baskets!), pull everything out of the closet and toss it on your bed! Next, organize all of the items into categories as you weed out what you no longer want. Edit, edit, edit! But don’t go overboard with wasteful purging. Donate, consign, give away. Now, look through the stuff you want to keep and categorize it so you can get an understanding of the types of storage boxes and bins you will really need.
- If you’re the type of family that takes their shoes off when entering the house, maybe you can free up some space in your closet by simply storing all of your shoes in a closet near the entryway of the house. The same goes with coats! This will open up a lot of space for your clothing and other accessories in your bedroom closet.
- My daughter has a very small bedroom that she has attempted to shove everything into even though it doesn’t all fit (a topic for a future post, ehem). Because she likes to have her desk in her bedroom, she doesn’t have room for her dresser, which holds a lot of her clothing. We opted to place the dresser in her closet. She now has dresses, and other “hanging” clothes on one side of the closet, and the doors slide to the other side to reveal her dresser. Two matching bins atop the dresser corrall her bathing suits, winter clothing, and other odds and ends.
- There are also a variety of built-in options out there. We use a wire shelf and drawer system in our closet that takes up the entire closet. But this creative contraption gives us storage space for everything, including drawers for undergarments, socks, and fitness wear, shelf space for folding sweaters and jeans, as well as a couple of rods where we can hang blouses, button-down shirts, dress pants, skirts, and dresses. I also have a graduated shoe shelf on the floor.
- Try to pare down your clothing. Don’t buy so many clothes! Rather than purchasing trendy fast fashion items, invest in quality classic garments that will last a long time. Look into creating a small, beautiful capsule wardrobe of a few timeless pieces that you love.
- Making space for shoes, bags, and scarves is sometimes necessary. But make sure they’re stored neatly. Piling shoes on the closet floor looks messy and isn’t good for the life of your shoes. Shoes should be stored on a shelf neatly. If you’re storing handbags in your closet, use hooks, possibly on the side walls or even on the back of your closet door. Scarves can be folded onto a shelf or scooped around hooks.
- Make room for something decorative. In some closets, this is impossible simply because the design or size won’t allow it. But if you’re fortunate enough to have a large closet that can accommodate a full-length mirror, a chair, or a piece of artwork, go for it! Don’t let your closet become a sad space devoid of aesthetics! Even if your closet is tiny and the thought of “decorating” it is laughable, do something fun like painting the inside of the closet door a playful color or adding a decorative mirror there.
Do you have any great but simple ideas for organizing a closet that I didn’t mention here? Please share them in the comments section below!
