A Comprehensive Guide for Reorganizing Your Custom Closets

Go For Grouping in Your Custom ClosetS

Closets in general tend to be the worst offenders for the “anything goes” storage mentality.  Take stock of your home’s entire closet inventory and think about how grouping for each of these areas can lessen the burden of organizing in general.

Grouping similar items together, like t-shirts with t-shirts, shorts with shorts, fleeces with fleeces or bath towels with bath towels, sheet sets with sheet sets, and so on can make finding what you want when you want it a far easier task. 

Color coding takes grouping up a notch if you hang or stack items according to the colors of the rainbow. The visual effect can be stunning even if you are simply grouping shoes or handbags. Check out this piece by style expert Bridgette Raes that includes a few ways to go about grouping or classifying things in your closet.

Lighting Does Matter

A majority of closet spaces don’t come illuminated and yet these very places are prime locales for it. There are many motion-activated or quick touch lighting options that can easily be accommodated in any closet configuration, with no electricity necessary, including:

• Puck lights
• Lightbars
• LED strip lights
• Drawer lights

Ambient lighting of any kind can create a sense of warmth and increase the perception of depth in your closet. The obvious upside is seeing everything better than before.  You don’t have to pull out dark-colored clothing to see if it’s blue or black and you can view what is stashed in those deep recesses that every closet has without straining your eyes.

Most lighting products can be positioned with little effort.  Some double-sided tape or velcro works well while other products have mounting hardware that you can put in place with a simple screwdriver.

Zone Defense

Time to tackle, pun intended, your closet chaos with zone defense.  Mapping out specific zones in your closets can help tame the creep of clothing chaos.  Day in and day out, the last thing you want to do is struggle with finding what you need. Most closet spaces have similar areas from which to work so the following zones are recommended: 

• Zone 1 -Shelves-Make the most of shelf space with dividers and racks that can more than triple your square footage.
• Zone 2 -Wall Space-Get creative and find some hanging or mounted wall organizers that fit your walls and add to your storage capacity.
• Zone 3 - Hanging Rods-By extending and using the full height of a closet, you can typically add a second rod and significantly expand your hanging volume.
• Zone 4 - The Floor- Never let this space go to waste! Bins, baskets, a long-low dresser of drawers, racks, so many options for placement on the floors of your closets.
• Zone 5 - Minimal use/off-season items-For items you use infrequently, use clear storage bins (so you can view at a glance what's in them) or vacuum sealed storage bags and find an out of the way place to position them until they're needed.

These zones are merely suggestions to consider and should certainly be altered to fit your home’s needs. Take some time and think about your existing closet’s pain points and define zones that can resolve them.

Up, Down and All-Around

Every closet has oodles of potential no matter its size, depth, configuration, and layout so make use of every available inch. Incorporating an adjustable storage system that spans the full width, depth, and height of a closet area can offer you so much more of a footprint. Be sure to take advantage of all surface areas including the back of doors, side walls, the floors, and all vertical space. 

Utilizing hooks where applicable are great for stashing bathrobes,  jackets, jewelry, and belts.  There are also a plethora of hanging wall organizers and pockets that are terrific for stashing away underwear, socks, handbags, and all of the other personal odds and ends you have on hand that need a dedicated place to live.

On the floor, shoe cubbies or shoe shelves are great storage solutions especially if you have a lot of footwear to wrangle. They can also function in a role other than for shoes.  They work well if you have a lot of clutches or purses or if you are a collector of hats.  Coordinated bins or baskets placed higher-up on shelves can house smaller, off-season pieces. 

Everything In Its Place

A place for everything and everything in its place is a well-known saying inferring that everything should have a “home” and be returned to said home when not in use.  That mantra is vital to every closet space in your home.

Willy-nilly randomness does not have a place in a well-organized closet.  Closets can easily become a magnet for miscellaneous “stuff” so take time to consider what should live in any one particular closet and/or if there is a better place for something to live.

The placement of anything in a closet is unique to whatever particular items and accessories you own.  In short, every closet needs to be organized based on your individual needs. For articles of clothing that need to be hung, it is both visually pleasing and highly functional to purchase coordinated or matching hangers. Space-saving hangers can be used for storing skirts, blouses, suits, dresses, ties, and scarves.

For folded and stacked clothing, use sturdy shelf dividers or a cubby system that ensures your piles don’t topple over or become untidy.  On the floor, shoe racks or tiers, large decorative bins or baskets, or a dedicated mat can keep footwear of all kinds in line and paired up.  No more scurrying around trying to find a missing match. This Homes & Gardens article outline several ideas for keeping unruly shoes organized.

Final Thoughts

Finding and maintaining a system for organizing your custom closets is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Figure out what works for you and enjoy the peace it brings to your home!

Sources

• https://www.bridgetteraes.com/2013/09/11/organize-the-clothing-in-your-closet/
• https://www.homesandgardens.com/interior-design/hallways/organize-shoes