How To Design My Own Closet

The best way to make full use of the living space in your house is to have great closet space designs. Having a convenient place to put everything eliminates the temptation to just put things down and worry about them later, and it makes it easy to find things when you need them. The best closet design isn't something another person sold to you; it is the closet design that works for you.

Start with the door. The amount of space you have in a room and where it lies will help you determine what kind of door to put on your closet. Ordinary doorknob doors will work if your closet is in a corner and the door opens out to be flush against a wall, but you need plenty of space in a room for this to be efficient. This is most often used for a very small closet or for a walk-in closet. If your closet has a wide opening, it may be wiser to use a folding door, sliding door, or bi-fold door. Sliding doors only leave half your closet open at any given time. Folding and bi-fold doors need a little open space in front of the closet, but allow you to open your closet completely for full access.

Next, consider what your needs are. Do you have a lot of clothes that need to be folded and put on shelves? Or tons of shoes that need a home? Clothing that hangs "short", like skirts and blouses, can be hung on racks with only 2.5 to 3 feet of clearance between them, which doubles the effective space in that section of your closet. Suits and dresses need at least 4 feet of space, so must be hung singly. You may also have non-clothing items you want in your closet: games, supplies, costumes, etc. Make sure you plan a space for these things as well.

Sketch out what you think your closet design should look like at the end, and don't forget to use all the space available: the floors, the shelf over the hanger rod, the back and side walls. Look at every opportunity to save space you can. If you have more stuff than you have space, then focus on getting things you use frequently in the most accessible spots. Anything you don't use at least once a month, consider storing somewhere besides your closet, like in your coat closet for things like wedding dresses and suits, or underbed storage boxes for things like seasonal clothing.

If you run short of ideas for how to design your closet, you can find many of the best closet designs in online catalogs. While your closet is individual and unique to you, you can often find ideas you would never have considered by checking online: rods that pull out for deep closets, Lazy Susan designs, or plastic storage containers, for instance.

When you are certain you have a handle on how to design your closet, start by removing everything that you can store elsewhere: in that front closet, underbed storage, or other storage spaces. Throw out as much as you can, too; this is an opportunity to get rid of those clothes you are never going to wear again. Now you have something you can work with!

Pick up the supplies you need to reorganize. You can get do it yourself closet systems that have everything you need at a good price, and add to this system any special organizers you have found that will keep you organized. Do it yourself closet organizers are available in a wide variety of styles and sizes, so choose a core system that works well in your closet but leaves a little extra space for personalization. Install your organizer, and then put your things back neatly. Anything that needs repair, cleaning, or modification should be set aside; don't put these things away until you've addressed their problems.

Once your closet is together, you need to keep it tidy and uncluttered. When you catch yourself tossing things in or not putting things away, stop a moment and ask why. Do you need something else in your system? Go get it. Do you have too much stuff in your closet again? Toss things you don't need anymore or store things that aren't being used. Your organized closet is more than just a point of housekeeping; it will save you time (looking for things), save you money (by keeping you from repurchasing things), and keep you looking stylish. Maintaining the closet organizer is not a difficult task. Take care of it so it can take care of you.

Jenny Watson is the webmaster of ClosetOrganizer101.com. Visit her site to know more about closet organizers and get free advice on home storage and organization.