How to Design a Closet
August 27, 2024Closets have reputations for being storage catch-alls that never seem to have enough storage space. They tend to collect all the things that don’t have a dedicated place and can easily end up being stuffed and cluttered. When it comes to building a custom home, you have the chance to design each closet to ensure they have plenty of storage space. Here’s how to design a closet:
1. Think About What You Need to Store
For each closet, think about what you’ll need to store in them. A closet in a bedroom will likely be used primarily for storing clothing. Depending on how many clothes you have and what type of closet space you want, walk-in closets are usually a great choice. Efficient clothing storage can usually be achieved in a closet with a mix of hanging racks, shelves, and drawers.
For a hallway closet that might be storing objects, open shelving is usually a good choice. This will also help you start to identify a closet storage layout and the best closet organization tips to use. You’ll be able to identify what items you’ll need to access most often and plan for having those items at a height for easy access, instead of requiring a step stool or crouching down low to reach them.
2. Determine How Much Space You Need
Knowing what you need to store in a closet gives you a good idea of how much space you need. A closet dedicated to toy storage requires different things than a closet dedicated to clothes. Another consideration is whether you need to maintain any space for yourself in the closet.
When you will be organizing or getting something from the closet, will you need to be in it in order to get what you need or will reaching in be sufficient? Will you be using it as a dressing room or including things like seating or even a built-in desk? It may seem like an unimportant question, but thinking about how you would prefer to use the closet day-to-day can seriously reduce frustration and stress later down the line.
Plus, knowing the answer to this question can help you determine whether you need a spacious, boxy walk-in closet or a long, narrow reach-in closet. Depending on the room layouts that are starting to come together, one type of closet may work better in some rooms over another simply based on the shape.
3. Plan Floor to Ceiling
Designing a closet with enough storage space requires planning floor to ceiling. You want to maximize storage space while ensuring you still have room to access what you need. This is pretty easy if all you need is stacks on stacks of open shelves or racks.
It can get a little more complicated when you need to mix hanging rods, shelves, drawers, and a hutch. Still, taking advantage of the entire space of the closet and giving yourself storage options from the floor to the ceiling will ensure you have plenty of storage space to stay organized. Plus, built-in shelving tends to make storage much easier by default. It’s one of the most popular walk-in closet design ideas.
4. Consider the Corners
Planning floor to ceiling also means taking the corners into consideration and making the most of them. This is also one of the tips for creating the ultimate craft room and it can make a big difference in a closet, especially larger closets.
Depending on how much space you need, what you’re planning to store, and how, your shelves and racks may meet in the corners nicely and not waste space. However, you want to make sure you are taking this into consideration so you don’t end up with awkward drawers opening into each other or wasted space.
Corner shelves for storing smaller items are fantastic vertical storage ideas that can help you make the most of the closet corners. A multi-tier lazy susan can be another good option for closet storage in a corner.
5. Go Deep With Drawers
Deep drawers offer a lot of contained storage and can help keep clutter out of other rooms and off the closet floor. When considering bedrooms, including drawers in the closet can reduce the furniture you are required to have in the bedroom.
This creates more open and available space in the bedroom for other things. Or, you can keep the space open for a more relaxing, uncluttered space. In addition, deep drawers can become highly customized mini-storage spaces with the use of dividers and partitions.
6. Make Sure You Have the Right Lighting
Have you ever tried to find something in a closet and it turns out there isn’t enough light or even a light at all? Fumbling around in the dark with only the light of your phone to guide you makes trying to find something beyond frustrating.
When you are designing a closet, make sure you don’t forget about lighting and that you ensure you have the right lighting for your needs. There are a ton of different lighting options available and closet lighting ideas to help you get the light you want where you need it.
If you’re planning for a large walk-in closet that will also serve as a dressing room, a skylight along with overhead lighting and LEDs, recessed lights, or spotlights on specific areas can help ensure you have the right lighting for this room. If the closet will be smaller and meant for reaching in and grabbing something off of a rack, an overhead light and rope lighting can illuminate what you need.
Design and Build Your Dream Home With CHG
Closets are one of the top ways to incorporate more storage into your custom home design and they can make or break your storage space. Designed well, they can help you stay organized and reduce stress. On the other hand, poorly designed closets often end up causing frustration.
Make sure every part of your home works for you by building a custom home. If you’re ready to start the journey towards your dream home, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090 to make it a reality!