A Guide to Maximizing Closet Storage With Custom Shelving and Drawers

Consider Your Needs for Closet Storage

Finding the best closet storage solutions begins by considering your needs. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the main challenges of your closet storage? For example, do you have difficulty finding items? Are you unable to see everything to quickly put outfits together? Are your clothes getting wrinkled due to inadequate storage options?
• What items are the most difficult to reach?
• What items do you use frequently? Which ones do you use occasionally?
• Do you need to store your entire all-season wardrobe in this space, or do you have alternate space for out-of-season clothes?
• Do you need to maximize space beyond clothes, such as linen storage or perhaps a laundry hamper?

Master the Art of “Inventorying” for Efficient Closet Storage

Once you get a feel for your needs, you can move on to “inventorying.” Identifying the right type of storage is all about categorization. Inventorying creates an itemized list of everything in your closet, sorting everything into categories such as dresses, suits, tops, sweaters, sweatshirts, pants, skirts, accessories, etc.

Assess the items and consider the following:

• Do you need special shelving for items such as shoes?
• Do you have a wide selection of accessories such as scarves, hats, ties, jewellery, etc., that you’d like to separate and organize?
• Do you have more long items such as dresses, suits, coats, etc., or short items such as shirts, blouses, and skirts? Perhaps you have a good mix of both?
• Do you have a lot of foldable items, such as sweaters, jeans, and sweatshirts? 

Declutter to Maximize Closet Storage

Your inventorying process also allows you to sort out old, unused items you can give away or sell. These are the items that take up space and gather dust. If you haven’t worn something in two years, chances are you won’t be wearing it again.

You might have items only for special occasions, which you can preserve and keep in the most out-of-reach area of your organized closet. Just keep style trends in mind, as something over five years is too young to be vintage, and too old to be in style!

Walk-in vs. Reach-in Closet Storage

Many homeowners mistakenly believe only walk-in closets can be customized with drawers and shelving. However, both walk-in and reach-in closets can be organized with the right storage solutions. Here are examples of closet organization solutions for both:

Walk-in

In their basic form, walk-in closets typically consist of a rod for hanging storage and one or two shelves. This is a huge space-waster. For example, if you have a wide selection of shirts, you can double your storage space by stacking two rods so all the wasted space below the single rod is utilized.

Also, by removing a single rod, you can transform the space to improve functionality using a mix of shelving, hanging, and drawer storage. The right configuration allows you to maximize space customized to suit the clothes and items in your closet.

Reach-in

There are two major challenges for reach-in closets:

1. Clothes and other items get “lost” in the harder-to-reach spots.
2. The space is usually limited.

Professional closet organization eliminates awkward spaces and introduces accessible shelving, hanging space, and drawers. Expert designs keep everything within eyesight, while improving reach with limited effort.

As mentioned above, simple space-saving tips such as using double rods will clear up space for closet shelving and/or drawers to keep everything organized and accessible. You can take advantage of every square inch to both organize and make room for more items.