This is the closet in our master bedroom. The house was built in 1948, a time when wardrobes were much smaller than they are today.
As much as I try to keep my (seemingly all black) clothing wardrobe tightly edited, I still have a 2011 library of clothes and a small closet to fit it in.
How do I do it? Here are a few of my tips–and compromises.
How to fit a big wardrobe into a small closet
- Maximize existing closet space. As you can see, I have a shoe hanger over the door, and a pants hanger rod hanging from the single closet rod to double the hanging space. I have swimsuits and coverups in baskets on the floor, as well as my taller boots. Handbags (in the dust cover bags) are on the shelf above. Finally, I fit the maximum number of shirts on the top hanging rod with Huggable Hangers. Yes, they really do work!
- Use other available space. I have foldable seasonal clothes in storage tubs in the basement, hanging seasonal clothes in the (even smaller) spare room closet, current seasonal folded clothes in my dresser, dresses hanging on a hook on the back of the bedroom door, and a few more things that I should probably get rid of in a storage tub that fits under the bed.
- Add an armoire.
Before there even were closets, people hung their clothes in armoires, and they still do. I have a dual set from IKEA; one side is folded clothing (T-shirts, lightweight sweaters, tank tops and camisoles, exercise clothing) in the baskets with wallets and small leather goods on the top shelf, and the other is shoes + hats. See? You don’t have to be Paris Hilton or Mariah Carey to have a shoe closet! - Kick your husband out. Remember what I said about compromises? I got the entire bedroom closet, such that it is, and my husband took the closet in our downstairs addition. (Lest you feel bad for him, his closet is bigger. Come to think of it, who got the better deal here?
- Keep on editing. Although it apparently sounds like I’m drowning in clothes, I do try to minimize the sprawl! One good rule of thumb is to remove one garment for every new one you add. I won’t pretend I’m always successful at this, but I do try. And every season, when I swap out the seasonal clothes, I re-evaluate these things that have been sitting for 6 months and almost always find something to prune.
Fab mamas
- Do you have a small closet, too, or are you one of those lucky ducks with a great big walk-in?
- If you have a small closet, how do you fit everything in?
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Great post! I had a 1940′s closet (looked a lot like yours!) for almost a decade and made it work. I had the over-the-door contraption for shoes, also a canvas set of shelves that hung from the bar and had drawers (for tee shirts, scarves, bags). I would “monkey hang” hangers to save space, and kept out of season clothing in the attic or under the bed. Less space doesn’t mean less style, it just means a need for more creativity!
Good point about the monkey hanging! (And now I know what to call it
I actually do have some of those skirt hangers that can hook onto one another in descending layers and I totally forgot to mention them, so thanks!
I seriously thought I’d read everything about wardrobe organissation, but this has geniunely helped! Huggable hangers? Who knew! (apparently everyone but me…)
My top tip is to buy a folding board (they sell really cheaply on ebay from Asia). It means you can fold everything really tightly and neatly with no effort, and then you can stack or pack things into boxes so you can see everything at a glance.
I’ll tell you, I thought the Huggable Hangers were a gimmick at first, but once I tried them I was a convert. Now all of my tops and shirts are hung that way. It instantly doubled the space.
The folding board is a good idea, too. I can usually get my knit things folded pretty neatly–but not as tightly as with a board. I’ll have to try it.