College Closet Makeover: Creating a Multiuse Custom Closet

Assess Your Student’s Storage Needs

While he or she is moving out, your adult child will be home periodically, particularly during the first year or two of college. It’s wise to consider their storage requirements. While they’ll take a large percentage of their clothes with them to school, there will still be some clothing left behind. Also, when they come home on breaks, their clothes will most likely come with them.

In addition to clothes, your college student may need to store more books and electronics than they’ve had previously. On the other hand, they might be willing to let go of some of their belongings from childhood, so this might create more room in the closet.

Take a good look at what they’ll be storing and whether you have alternate space in the home to accommodate it. If you don’t, ensure you're leaving enough room for them to keep their belongings when they’re home.

Plan a Flexible Layout

Since your child won’t be home most months of the year, it might be helpful to box up some of their items currently in the closet, so you can use it for your own storage. For example, the summer clothes that didn’t make the cut to move into the dorm room with your child can be stored in vacuum-sealed bags and placed on the top shelf of the closet or even in the garage.

Outfitting the custom closet system with adjustable shelves gives you lots of room to store your own craft supplies, out-of-season clothing, extra linens, or whatever else you envision storing in the space. Hanging rods can also often be adjusted, allowing you to put in an extra rod for some of your clothing or remove a rod that once held your child’s clothing.

When they return home in May or June, it will be simple enough to arrange for enough hanging and storage space for their clothes, and you can move your items to the upper shelf or to bins stacked on the floor.

Use Space-Saving Solutions

The more space you can use effectively, the less rearranging you’ll need to do when your son or daughter is home for the holidays and the summer. Consider using slimline hangers, hooks on the closet walls, and perhaps hanging shoe organizers. This allows you to store items without impinging much on the space they’ll need when they come back.

You also might want to consider storage solutions outside of the closet itself. Under-the-bed bins are a great choice for storing sweaters, your child’s extra blankets, and other items that aren’t being used right now. If closet space is really lacking, you might even consider installing a closet armoire.

Invest in Durable Materials

Remember that although your child’s college journey won’t last more than a handful of years, you’ll be using this closet space for as long as you reside in the home. Don’t go to the home improvement store and purchase the cheapest wire closet components you can find. Warped, broken, or crooked closet features won’t be doing anyone any favors.

Instead, consider wood closet system components with high-quality organizers and accessories. You’ll want smooth-rolling drawers and thick, sturdy shelves. Hanging rods should be strong enough to accommodate a full wardrobe, and shoe organizers shouldn’t need constant readjustment.

Maintain Good Organization

Finally, while you probably won't be spending a ton of time in your child’s bedroom, you will want to be sure you’re in there frequently enough to keep everything organized. You wouldn’t want your student to return home for an impromptu weekend only to find his or her closet overflowing with random items you threw in there because you had no other place to put them.

Be intentional about what you’re storing in the closet, and once you have everything situated the way you want it, follow the one-in-one-out rule. As A to Zen Life explains, getting rid of one item every time you bring in a new one will keep clutter from taking over. Even though you have the extra space now, don’t use that as a reason to go on a shopping spree or to start a collection of items that will sit in the closet. Keep it neat and tidy.

Conclusion

Having a child go off to college is a bittersweet part of parenting. You can take advantage of the extra space left behind by making the most of your son or daughter’s custom closet. Follow the tips above to make sure the space is functional for you as well as available for when your child comes home for visits.

Source

• https://atozenlife.com/one-in-one-out-rule/