Closets. No one walks in your home and sees them. No one oooh’s and aaaah’s at how nice they look or marvels at how organized they are. But YOU do, or at least I do. So I’m sharing some closet organization ideas to make your own closet special. If nothing else, you can spend a lot of time in there hiding from your children.
When we decided to remodel our master bath it made sense to do our closet too. Did it function? Sure. Was it pretty? Definitely not. I absolutely LOATHE builder basic closet organizers (or lack thereof). In our last house we ripped out every single closet and put in new organizers with hanging and shelving space. Afterwards we lovingly referred to the mound of debris in our basement as the trash pile (don’t worry, we got rid of it eventually). Not only did the closets look nicer, they were more functional and appealed to potential buyers.
Closet System
I legit spent a whole week using the IKEA PAX planner to come up with the perfect closet organization plan like it was my full-time job. It was nearly perfect too. But then I decided to go in a different direction. And then I spent another week planning that one…
I like IKEA’s PAX system. It is super customizable and has so many options, but I went with something else due to height. The units I needed were nearly 8 feet tall and at 5’2″, I was concerned about my ability to utilize the highest hanging bars. In the end, I went with the ClosetMaid Impressions Collection which utilized a combination of boxed storage units and customizable shelves/hanging bars that would run wall-to-wall.
‘Hers’ Side
You might say 4 laundry baskets is a bit much. I would say you’re wrong and shut your filthy mouth. Actually, 4 probably is a lot, but I had the space and it makes my life easier to pre-sort everything.
I like, no love, matching hangers. So I ditched all of the old plastic hangers in favor of wood and velvet. I used wood hangers for my heavier garments (like hoodies, suits, and pants) and went with velvet for everything else. The velvet hangers are AWESOME. There are no more misshapen shoulders which means I can hang more items that were previously folded. I also picked up some vinyl shoulder covers for my suit jackets. Once upon a time I wore a suit to work everyday. True story. While I still have the same job, I now work from home and am lucky to have showered and dressed before noon. To keep from literally dusting off the shoulders on those rare occasions when I have to get fancy, the shoulder protectors do the job for me. That means less dry cleaning. Yay!
Shoe Storage
Can we talk shoe storage for a minute? These dark wood shelves get seriously DUSTY and I am not about to lift every single shoe to dust the whole darn shelf. My solution? These clear shoe bins from The Container Store not only make cleaning the shelves easier, but keep my shoes dust free as well. Also in shoe news is this wonderful basket with 2 wide magazine files for storing sandals. Being able to store them upright makes them easier to see and saves on space.
Accessories
There used to be a door to the closet that was just annoying and needed to go. The door was never closed and took up wall space that could have been used for storage. Now that wasted wall space has a new storage tower that holds all of my accessories – bags, purses, jewelry, belts and scarves.
‘His’ Side
My husband’s side of the closet is just as pretty as mine. He got all wood hangers since I wasn’t worried about any shoulder shaping issues and organized drawers as well. Hangers and drawer organizers are all from IKEA, which means it’s super affordable and gets the job done.
With these closet organization ideas I hope you’re as inspired as I am to make the most of your closets. Happy organizing!
Interested in more closet organization ideas? Check out this guide to decluttering clothes.
