April 17, 2020

Organizing Ideas To Utilize Your Closet Space

With paintbrush in hand I tackled the dark abyss of my daughter’s closet. It was only once I was inside and painted every nook and cranny, could I really appreciate the actual size! Closets are probably one of the most underutilized spaces in every home. We dump piles into the back corners, “to store them” and never end up seeing them again. OK, so maybe that is a slight dramatic…but you totally understand. So how do you fix that? Let’s find out! Here are organizing ideas to utilize your closet space.

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Closet Organizing Ideas

A closet is a very personal space, and should be organized that way. If you are a shoe collector, or if purses are your love…your closet should reflect that. Every person is so different when it comes to their style and so your closet should be the same way! No worries, if your closet says I have no idea what season it is and don’t look too far because I am holding prom shoes (from 20 years ago) in the back corner….we got this!

Let’s simplify the process of closet organizing down into 4 steps to help!

STEP 1: DECLUTTER

The first step to utilizing any space is getting rid of what you don’t need! Once again, it is amazing how many things you will find in the back corner of your closet. Plus I only have a reach in closet, I can only imagine what a walk in closet would collect!

How to declutter? I love the 80/20 storage rule I found at Easy Closets, you only wear 20% of the clothes in your closet at a time. Meaning 80% are seasonal or items you don’t use all the time. This is extremely helpful when planning a functional closet. Figure out what you use all the time and make sure those clothing items are easily accessible. Meanwhile, create storage space for the rest.

Creating storage in your closet is essential to helping it stay organized! Find more closet organizing tips HERE.

STEP 2: CLOSET PROBLEM AREAS

Do you need more shoe storage, do you need drawers or shelves? What do you think would help keep your closet organized? Is it hard to find items in your closet? Are you using the height of your closet, or does it contain a lot of empty space? This is your time to brainstorm!

Observing what is working and what is not working is key to creating an organized and functional closet. Take time on step 2 and it will pay off when you get to step 4!

STEP 3: RESEARCH

Sometimes it is hard to figure out what you need for your closet, especially if you haven’t looked in a while. Closet organizers have come a long way and can be extremely helpful. Begin researching pictures of closets you like, note what features they have that you think would be useful.

Not sure where to start? The Easy Closets gallery has several great closet organizing ideas to help you get inspired!

STEP 4: DESIGN YOUR DREAM CLOSET

Most likely you will find that you have enough space in your current closet, it just needs to be organized. Designing your dream closet can be simplified down into having a closet that works for you. It may be as simple as adding more bins to your existing closet or as big as redesigning your entire space.

If your closet does require an overhaul, designing a great closet can be difficult. The combination of knowing what you want and then putting that into place can be tricky. Thankfully there are amazing tools out there. I recently used the Easy Closets Design Tool to customize a closet design for my master bedroom. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted, and using this design tool showed me how much potential my closet could have! Plus, it was incredibly easy to use.