13 Ways to Spiff Up Your Closet — and Your Dressing Routine
Be a wardrobe mistress or master with these decorating, storage and dressing inspiration ideas
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
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Whether you have a walk-in closet and a separate dressing room (lucky you!) or a space that barely fits half your wardrobe, there are plenty of ways to make your closet a space that inspires you — one that makes getting dressed and out the door a breeze. Sure, we store our clothes here, but this space (no matter how big or small) can also influence how we feel about ourselves, so it pays to give this zone a little extra love.
Unless you have an ample walk-in closet, you probably spread out into other areas of your home while you are getting ready. Do you lay out clothes on the bed? Keep jewelry on your dresser? Consider the best ways to organize and style all of these areas: For our purposes, they are all your closet!
Unless you have an ample walk-in closet, you probably spread out into other areas of your home while you are getting ready. Do you lay out clothes on the bed? Keep jewelry on your dresser? Consider the best ways to organize and style all of these areas: For our purposes, they are all your closet!
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1. Raid your kitchen for jewelry storage. Tiny teacups, saucers and bowls make pretty containers for jewelry, either tucked into a drawer or set on top of a dresser. Cake stands and small trays are ideal for corralling beauty products or scents.
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2. Curate and rotate your wardrobe. Scarves knotted on a simple rod is a chic way to store and display your favorites — a small selection of neatly arranged items you love is bound to make getting dressed easier. Consider rotating your wardrobe even if you don't live in a place with distinct seasons. Shake up your wardrobe (and save room) by keeping only a portion of clothes front and center at any given time. The rest can be neatly folded and packed into underbed storage boxes or offloaded to a closet in another room.
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3. Paint your closet a flattering hue. No matter the size of your closet, painting the interior can do wonders. Soft pink is a color that you might shy away from in a larger room, but in a closet it feels just right: warm and flattering.
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4. Set up storage. Most people can use some combination of shelves and hanging rods in the closet, so be sure you make room for both (you can always keep the shelving in your bedroom). Invest in a few sturdy baskets to keep accessories neat on shelves. Have one for each type, like belts, scarves etc. A small square ottoman takes up hardly any room and gives you a place to perch while you try on shoes.
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| 5. Make your closet and dressing area a place you want to be in. Bring in fun fashion and design books, fresh flowers, soft rugs and cushions; upgrade your lighting. Lean a mirror against the wall and write or stencil an inspiring word, quotation or line of poetry on it. |
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6. Find extra room. First, be sure that you have pared down your wardrobe to contain only items that fit, that make you feel good and that you actually wear. If you still need more room, get yourself a wardrobe rack with clean lines and place it right in your bedroom. This is a moment for curating: Choose pieces in similar colors and lengths, and hang them all on nice matching hangers for a uniform look.
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7. Make an entrance. A great trick for small closets is to replace the door with a curtains — it opens up the space and adds a little drama. Instead of using a plain old curtain tieback, go with something a bit more glamorous, like this knob from Urban Outfitters.
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8. Line a tiny closet with wallpaper. Even better than paint in a petite closet is chic wallpaper, like this classic print from Quadrille. Plus, having a beautifully wallpapered closet may even inspire you to keep things neat!
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9. Keep outfit ideas handy. I love the idea of using a bulletin board to keep inspiration and outfit ideas at hand. Tear out inspiring images from magazines, print outfit ideas from your favorite style blogs or (for the truly organized) take photos of your own favorite outfits, so you will never forget a winning combination.
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10. Find creative storage solutions. If you have any large collection, from hats to shoes, it's usually best to find a way to store it so everything is visible. For instance, keep shoes on open shelving or in boxes with photo labels. Keep hats in line by clipping them to a length of cord.
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| 11. Take a cue from your favorite shop. Use boutique-style straight rods to display bags or even clothing. This is a wonderful solution if you like to be able to see everything you have. |
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12. Make your door work for you. Install a decorative hook on the back of your closet door to keep your prettiest robe or an outfit for the next day at the ready.
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13. Go for a touch of glam. Add a tufted ottoman to perch on, a folding screen to make an impromptu dressing room, or a framed illustration or black and white photo of your style icon — anything to bring a bit of glamour into your getting-ready area.
Tell us: What are your closet challenges? Have any favorite creative solutions to share?
More:
How to Style Your Closet (Almost) Like a Celeb
10 Amazing Master Closets
12 Ways to Get More Out of Your Closet This Year
Tell us: What are your closet challenges? Have any favorite creative solutions to share?
More:
How to Style Your Closet (Almost) Like a Celeb
10 Amazing Master Closets
12 Ways to Get More Out of Your Closet This Year
Ideabook updated on Jan. 25, 2013.
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I had many a small, shallow closet when I lived in old homes on the East Coast. I enjoyed painting the insides screamingly bright colors, just for fun. You don't see that much of the paint anyway and it's a cool surprise. I found these types of storage compartments very useful. You can get a ton in them. Piles of sweaters, Ts, or handbags in this:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005136&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=over+the+rod+canvas+shelves
And shoes in this:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005137&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=over+the+rod+canvas+shelves
Even though I have a walk-in now I still use them. I have more than 30 pairs of shoes in 18 inches of rod space, with room on the floor below to stack my boot boxes. I even have them in the closet I use to store linens. I can find things immediately; no rooting through drawers. I use table runners and placemats and I roll them and store them in the compartments. They're never wrinkled and I can always see what I have. I hang my napkins on a hanger with pants clips. You can get 6 to 8 napkins on one hanger and they're never wrinkled either.
You asked for closet issues. Huge walk in but it has a pillar of shelves from the middle. Shelves, for me, are very difficult to utilize for folded shirts (not enough hanging space for them). So instead of paying the $2000 to add that many drawers, I went to Michaels and bought sale bins (gorgeous, papered one - cut the lids off) and used them as drawers. The problem was the bins slid into the shelves and had to be pulled out to use - hard to juggle.
So I built a pullout shelf! So easy with materials from Home Depot.
I love this idea-book. Some great ideas for using those cute cups I bought but now don't have room for. And love the scarf idea.
Unless you run around in a potato sac, with no shoes on your feet, no purse to hold your personal items, no gloves, boots, or scarves to keep yourself warm, then I can surely bet you also have some of these items in your closet. Why is it materialistic to get organization ideas, on how to store these items so that people can make their lives a little less chaotic? Further, if you find closet organization materialistic, why are you registered on a site that claims to have the largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas on the Internet?" If you live in a country that precludes you from spending money on interior design to make your home a more pleasant place to live in, please let the rest of us know so we can all move there in a heartbeat!
Keep my extensive costume jewelry collection in stackable plasic boxes with dividers, like the ones fishermen use, sorted by color and degree of dressiness.
Hang scarves on those multiple pants hangers made of metal. Ties can hang on them, too. Belts can go on a tie rack.
Shoes can go in stackable cubbies, on racks below hanging clothes, or on racks made of wood uprights with dowels fastened to a wall reinforced with plywood.
If the closet is 3' deep or more, try adding a sturdy post at the front of the closet and hang rods the depth of the closet.
For sweaters, buy an armoire or shelving unit and store them folded on the shelves. Underware, socks, etc can go in plastic storage bins on the shelves, too.
If you have a lot of clothes, particularly heavy items, a metal rod is sturdier than wood.
Any short folks (we are now 5'3 & 5'5") have a recommendation for easily & affordably accessing the top 2' or so of a standard closet?