How To Design a Closet Organizer System in 3 Easy Steps
1. Closet Design Step 1 Evaluate!
Now is the time to look around your closet and determine what you have.
a. Are all your clothes hanging at one height
b. Do you have double hanging space (two rods, one above the other)
c. Do You have unused space above or below your clothes or above your top shelf
d. Do you hang your pants from the cuff or fold them over
e. What is the length of your longest garment from the top of the rod to the bottom of the garment
f. Measure shirts and pants in the same manor
g. What do you need more of
h. What do you have to much of
2. Closet Design Step 2 Needs!
a. Do you want wire shelving or a wood product
b. How much space do you need for long hanging clothing
c. How much space do you need for double hanging (one rod above another)
d. Do you want a shelf unit, drawers, baskets, belt racks, or other accessories
e. Do you want to split the closet into his and hers sides
f. How much shoe storage do you need
g. Are there and access openings in the floor or ceiling that you need to keep clear
h. Are there any special item you want to store in the closet
3. Design!
a. Now that you know what your needs are it’s time to design
b. What style of closet doors do you have
i. Reach in Closet
1. by fold doors will take up about 4” of your door opening
2. Bypass doors only expose ½ of the closet at a time. Note where the opening is, you do not want to
put a shelf unit in a spot you can only reach half of and if there are drawers they will not be able to
open all the way
ii. Walk in Closet
1. Note where the door swings inside the closet. You will need 24” behind the open door to hang clothes
c. Return walls
i. Reach in Closet
1. Return walls on a reach in closet are the walls from the door opening to the end of the closet
2. Access will be limited so do not put clothing back there that you use often
ii. Walk in Closet
1. Make sure you have 24” on either side of the door opening if you plan to hang clothing there.
d. Break down your needs in to “chunks” of space needed for example:
i. I need 18” of long hanging
ii. I need 4’ of double hanging
iii. I need 3 shelves 30” wide for tee shirts and sweaters
iv. I need 3 deep drawers 1 smaller drawer
e. Start placing the “chunks” on the wall
i. Place the “chunks” on the walls in a way both fits and is functional for the way you use the closet ii. If you share the closet with someone decide on a split point for each side. iii. Remember height – there is usually room above and below hanging clothing, incorporate that space into your design
f. Before you start construction, tape the areas out on the floor.
i. Remember clothes on a hanger take up about 24” from the wall.
ii. Note the depth of the shelving you plan to use 1. This will determine how deep your shelving units will be and your drawer units if separate. iii. Free standing shoe racks only need to be 12” deep so they can sometimes tuck behind an open door when clothing will not
iv. Make sure there is room to walk between clothes hanging on opposite walls. You may think a 6” wide walk in closet is big until you hang clothes on both sides and try to walk in between them
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