Regardless of how many people live in a home, it seems that you never have enough closets. It’s difficult to keep your home ready for unscheduled visits by the in-laws if you don’t have the storage space to hide stuff and clutter. Fortunately, today’s storage options extend beyond clear plastic totes and wire shelves so that turning under-used space and odd corners into storage is doable as a weekend project.
Getting Your Space to Work for You
The key to keeping your home in a guest-ready state is to have storage or display space for everything. That’s a tall order considering the amount of stuff that people tend to accumulate. To maximize the use of recaptured storage areas, plan to use every inch of vertical space starting from the floor and upward to the ceiling.
Frequently used items, such as your go-to purses and basic work wear, should be assigned to the lower sections. Shoe shelves and pull out wire baskets are useful for these purposes. Dresser drawers for personal items accessed daily need to at or below waist height.
Higher shelves and out-of-the-way nooks become the home of out-of-season and special-use items. If you’re lucky enough to have a home with floor-to-ceiling clearances of nine feet and more, consider adding a third hanging pole to expand off-season storage.
Odd spaces under a staircase can be transformed into useful storage by installing the kind of shelving that complements your home’s interior design. Shelves and racks are customizable to fit any space. Choose a finish that blends into the wall to allow colorful décor items to stand out.
A Balance of Form and Function
Pole and shelf closet designs are so yesterday. Today’s organizers can be customized in whatever configuration will work for your purpose. For clothes closets, hanging rods should account for short, medium and long items. Consider adding a telescoping valet rod at each level to make it easier to match outfits with accessories. Custom closet options are endless.
Use a combination of open shelves, pullout storage, semi-private spaces with doors, hampers or baskets and multipurpose hooks and racks. Plan to use adjustable shelves that you can raise or lower if needed. In cramped rooms, sliding closet doors take up less space and can be added to a newly-built closet or used as a replacement for bi-folds and standard doors. Sliding closet doors can also be installed in spaces without an existing closet—no construction necessary!
Modern closet organizers come in a variety of finishes, materials and styles.
Project Completion in Three Steps
Come up with a plan for creating storage areas out of your home’s available spaces. Consult our closet professionals at More Space Place in Austin, Texas to determine which closet components fit your style and vision. Schedule the consultation, and in no time, you can start using your new (and improved) closet space.
