“My closet is just too big for all my stuff!” said no woman ever.
More often we look into our closets and feel like the walls are closing in, right? Which may present the perfect solution for tight space in the closet.
One thing we’ve done to create space in tight quarters is to make use of the walls in the closet. Just inside the door of my closet, on either side actually, we have hooks hanging. My husband uses one hook for jeans he wants to re-wear and his belts. I use one for my pjs (and a sweatshirt during the winter).
In the back of our closet we have a double rod for hanging clothes. I hung a towel rod from Ikea behind the clothes on the top row and added curved hooks to hold all of my necklaces. It’s completely hidden when shirts are hanging, but they can be pushed aside so I can select an accessory for an outfit. Each necklace hangs on its own hook, so nothing gets tangled. The hooks and rod cost a whopping $6 (Bygel Rail $2.99 + Bygel S-Hooks $0.99/10-pack). I bought three packages of the S-hooks and have a few hooks empty for future purchases. 🙂 The nice thing about this rail, in addition to the price, is that it measures 21 ¾ ” long x 1 ¾ ” deep x 2 ” high. Which means it really can fit in the space between the shirt sleeves or pant legs and the wall without interfering with the hanging clothes.
Our boys’ closet is a tricky space. the closet is 5 feet deep, but only 3 feet wide. The long narrow space works well with deep shelves at the back to hold their folding clothes, and a small space in which they can stand to dress. However, after hanging floor to ceiling shelves (so each of the five boys who share this closet could have one shelf, 36″ wide by 20″ deep), there was no space for hanging clothes. Again, I looked to the walls. I hung boards from the hardware store with inexpensive robe hooks at two levels down both sides of the closet. In this way we have 24 hooks that can hold robes and pjs, running clothes, baseball caps, or clothes on hangers. Since our boys don’t wear a lot of dress clothes or clothes that require ironing, most of their clothes can fold on their shelves, rather than hanging, but they do use the hooks for hangers with khaki pants or dress shirts, etc.
Another idea I’ve heard, but not used yet simply because we have enough space without it, is hanging hooks over the door of the closet (inside!) for hats, scarves, and other outerwear that is used infrequently (unless you are tall).
Our closet has a bifold door, but if you have a hinged door, you can consider the door a fourth wall and make use of door space as well. There is the standard array of over-the-door hooks, shoe holders, purse organizers, and jewelry racks, but you could also mount your own hooks for more tailored storage. If we had a hinged door, I’d hang my scarf sorter on it – with a mirror for cycling through the options as I dress (usually to arrive at the same exact combinations I always wear – lol).
So what about you? If you are stretched for storage in the closet, maybe a quick look at the walls would open up some creative options without sacrificing another storage option or eliminating “stuff” (which is another good option, of course, if your closets are bursting at the seams!)