How to Design a Closet

August 21, 2018

Closets have a reputation for being a storage catch-all that never seems to have enough storage space. They tend to collect all of 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. 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 ceiling will ensure you have plenty of storage space to stay organized. Plus, built-in shelving tends to make storage much easier by default.

3. 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.

4. Consider 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. 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?

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.

Closets 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!