Maximize Your Closet Space: Big or Small

I want to feel like Carrie when I enter my closet. Don’t you? Hey, we start and end our days in the closet. It’s where we choose what we’ll wear to head out into the world. How do we make it a great space? Simple…

Unless you have a ginormous closet, you want to remove all out-of-season clothing AND clothing that no longer fits. We all have some clothing we hope to get back into one day or know we won’t, but simply don’t want to part with, but unless you have a clear fitness or weight loss goal that you’re working on, remove anything that doesn’t currently fit. Why? When you have a closet full of items that don’t fit, every time you walk into that closet, your subconscious is recognizing those pieces. That little voice is saying, “Oh, you’re never going to fit into those clothes again.” “I remember when those clothes fit.” It’s all negative and puts you in the past versus the present. TAKE THOSE PIECES OUT and fill your closet with items that make you feel good NOW! I promise you that removing those items will change your entire outlook on getting dressed!

Store the out-of-season clothing in labeled containers. If you’re seriously considering getting back into the smaller size, then keep them and put them in a labeled container (stored elsewhere). Maybe keep one pair of your favorite jeans for inspiration hung in a special place and attach your written goal to them. State the goal in the present. For example, “Now that I’ve lost 10 pounds, I’m wearing my jeans and feeling hot and sexy.”

Doing the above will solve or reduce many tight-space issues and the issue of not seeing clearly what you have available to wear NOW. During this process of removal, also take the time to purge clothing pieces that are out-dated, worn out, and items you never wear.

Next, identify the problems and implement the solutions. Here are the most common:

Problem: Underutilized vertical space

Solution: Use labeled containers to store items on upper shelving to maximize vertical space. You may want to consider moving the rod up higher to give you space below to store shoes.

Problem: Uncategorized items. For example, shoes strewn all over the floor (use clear shoe containers or a shoe bag), sweaters and tops tossed on a shelf (use clear sweater boxes), or hanging items shoved anywhere on the rod (sort by categories and color: short-sleeved tops, long-sleeved tops, dresses, pants, skirts, etc.)

Solution: Space plan the closet. Choose where items will live; contain items that sit on shelves to prevent co-mingling.

Problem: Unrelated items in closet

Solution: In addition to out-of-season clothing that doesn’t fit, remove items such as exercise equipment, gift wrap and anything else that accumulated due to not knowing where to put it (next week I’ll post on an organized hall closet, so perhaps you could put these items there).

Here are the main categories of closet items and tips for containing them:

Short hanging–tops, jackets, pants folded over the hanger. Double up your closet space by hanging two rods for short hanging.
Long hanging–dresses, long jackets, etc. Put all long hanging together to maximize vertical and horizontal space.
Shoes, boots & sneakers–remember to “remove” any out-of-season footwear. This will make room what you’re currently wearing. As mentioned, use hanging shoe bags or shoe containers that stack.
Handbags–Perhaps you put the more commonly used bags in an easy-to-reach place and the others in a basket on the top shelf. Another solution is a handbag file that holds up to 8 bags in clear pockets to keep them organized and dust free.
Luggage–if there’s room, store in the closet. Otherwise, store in the attic, basement, under the bed or spare room closet. Nest the bags to save space.
Jewelry–Hanging jewelry bags work well because they take up little space and you can see what you have.
Belts–Roll them up and place them in a basket or use a belt hanger to minimize space.
Scarves–Fold and place in a basket, a clear drawer so you can protect but still see them, or a scarf hanger.

To further maximize space, contain what you can. Mostly this will be accessories, belts, shoes, jewelry and scarves.

To really make the closet your own, add some personal touches such as a interesting light fixture, a shelf for your most-often-worn jewelry and a box that contains special mementos. For a full-blown closet makeover, hire a closet specialist to install shelving, rods and even drawers. Do yourself a favor though, purge and organize what you have first. Hire an organizer, if you want fast results!

To view a gallery of closets where you may find inspiration on taking your closet to the next level, visit my Dream Closet board on Pinterest.