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This photo provided by Case Design shows a closet designed
by Elena Eskandari, an interior designer specialist at Case Design. As
you plan out a walk-in closet, consider the size of the items you’ll be
hanging. This closet pictured has two levels of hanging space which
offers room for a large collection of shirts and blouses. (Stacy Zarin
Goldberg/Case Design via AP)
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By MELISSA RAYWORTH
Associated Press
Most people don’t start out with a messy closet. Even when a closet
is carefully organized at the beginning, however, it might not take long
for order to turn to chaos.
“It’s common for clients to struggle with keeping the momentum going,” says interior designer Caitlin Murray.
But there are planning and design strategies to help closets stay as organized as they were on day one.
We’ve asked Murray, founder of the Los Angeles-based Black Lacquer
Design, and two other experts — Delaware-based home designer and builder
Marnie Oursler, and Elena Eskandari, an interior design specialist with
Case Design/Remodeling in the Washington, D.C., area — for advice on
planning and living with efficient and attractive closet space.
KNOW YOUR STUFF AND YOURSELF
The same closet design doesn’t work for everyone, so analyze the
types of items you need to store. If you’ll be hanging a lot of clothes,
are they long or short? You may want two levels of hanging space
positioned one above the other to maximize storage, says Oursler. Have a
lot of shoes? Consider a row of built-in shoe cubbies along the floor.
Then choose a system you’ll actually stick with. If you plan to put
everything on hangers but that’s an extra step that you’ll probably
avoid, then you’ll end up with piles of clothes in your bedroom.
While organizing, pare down: Even a well-planned closet may not stay
organized if it’s very full.
What do you really like and really wear? If
you haven’t worn something in a while, Eskandari says, chances are you
don’t need to keep it.
Murray agrees: “You really limit what things you’ll actually utilize
when you’re dealing with a cluttered closet. If you can’t see anything
or find anything, it might as well not even be there.”
SMALL, VISIBLE COMPARTMENTS
“I think the success of any (closet) organization is how you divide stuff and compartmentalize it,” Eskandari says.
She suggests separate spaces for everything, with more shelves fairly
close together rather than a few spaced far apart. “How many sweaters
can you fold without them falling over?” she asks. She’s also a fan of
shelf dividers to keep one type of clothing or pantry item from another.
If you have compartments for everything, she says, “then everything is going to have its home.”
These designers acknowledge that built-in shelving and compartments
can be expensive, but they say it’s often worth the investment for a
really efficient master bedroom closet or kitchen pantry.
Oursler notes that a closet with lots of built-ins may allow you to
eliminate dressers and other storage pieces from your bedroom.
“If we can put that storage in the closet,” she says, the bedroom
will feel larger and more peaceful, and may even have space for a
sitting area.
As you plan these areas, focus on what you use most. “Store the items
you reach for most often in the places where you have the easiest
access, so you’re not constantly pushing everything around to find one
thing,” says Murray.
And use transparent storage (glass-faced cabinets or clear acrylic
drawers are great if you’re doing built-ins, or clear bins on shelves)
to make access even easier.
KEEP IT SIMPLE FOR KIDS
“Kids have what I call a ‘rule of two moves.’ If it takes them more
than that to put something away, it’s not going to go anywhere,” says
Eskandari. “Don’t put as many hangers into childrens’ closets. They just
won’t use them.”
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This photo provided by Case Design shows a closet designed
by Elena Eskandari, an interior designer specialist at Case Design. A
retractable shoe storage area in this closet keeps shoes organized and
easily visible for the homeowner. As you plan out a walk-in closet,
consider the size of the items you’ll be hanging. (Stacy Zarin
Goldberg/Case Design via AP)
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Oursler agrees that kids often do better with bins or baskets on shelves and simple cubbies for shoes.
If you’d rather your kids hang things up, hooks are more likely to
get used than hangers. “Don’t overcomplicate things for kids or
teenagers,” says Eskandari.
GREAT LIGHTING, FUN STYLE
Murray recommends including plenty of light (natural light when
possible) and painting closets “in a clean, bright paint, which not only
makes any space feel a bit bigger but it also makes the closet that
much more functional.”
Eskandari agrees: You can improve your closet’s lighting with minimal
expense, she says. Being able to see what you’ve got will help you use
and enjoy those items more often.
Aim for several different light sources, she says, rather than one
overhead light. And cheer up the space with bold paint colors and wall
coverings.
Your master-bedroom closet is a space you visit at the start and end
of every day. So make it fun. As Murray says, closets will “feel that
much more special and boutique” if you add items like “wallpaper, a
dramatic chandelier and a luxe rug.”
