8 Small Closet Ideas That Instantly Create More Space
No more messy closets.
There’s nothing worse than a messy closet— and I speak from experience. Imagine having your dresses, work clothes and crop tops all over the place, unable to rifle through what you need on a busy morning. Then, you’re stuck looking for that one lone sweater that fits you right, but it’s somehow stuck beneath a heap of clothes you stuffed in your closet at the last minute.
When you should be spending less than two minutes finding your outfit, you’re instead spending upwards of 30 minutes, covered in sweat, just trying to find that one piece of clothing you need. That’s why organizing and making space in your closet is incredibly important. We spoke to organization experts on the best ways to maximize space in a tight closet and how to declutter with ease. No more struggling to fit all your essentials with difficulty into a tiny space; these closet organization tips are not just space-saving, they’re just plain efficient at making your life easier.
Edit your closet and donate what you don’t need
“The number one way to create more space is to go through your closet and edit all of your items, removing anything you no longer need, use, or want, and donating those pieces,” says Wendy Trunz, Partner and Head Organizer at Jane’s Addiction Organization. But how do you decide what’s ready to go? As someone who hoards a ton of outfits, I found the answer from Erika Rachel, founder of Erika Rachel Total Home.
She says, only keep items that flatter your shape, are your current size, don’t have any holes or discoloration, fit your current style aesthetic, and allow you to move comfortably. Everything else can go straight to donation.
Swap out bulky and broken hangers
One of the biggest space stealers in a small closet is those bulky hangers that can barely hold more than one dress. Then there are the older broken hangers that somehow haven’t been cleaned out of your closet yet — I myself cleaned out three after writing this article. Use thinner space-saving hangers and label them if you’re doubling up similar clothing on the same rack. For example, if you’re using one hanger to store two pairs of your favorite work pants, move them to the front of the closet and label them up top so you know what you’re looking for.
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Maximize vertical space
“The best way to use vertical space in a tight closet is by installing double hanging rods, adding vertical systems to the doors, and incorporating shoe systems along the floor,” says Trunz. She also adds that if you do add shoe racks to the bottom of the closet, try adding lucite shoe racks as they look sleeker and give your closet a more elevated look. You can also add storage bins or drawer systems to your closet to maximize space.
Use sleek storage bins
“It’s best for things you use infrequently, like out-of-season garments neatly stored in boxes or bins,” says Rachel. She also adds that you can add bins below hanging items in the closet if you have the space. Otherwise, you can store storage bins under your bed or other parts of your home that don’t get much foot traffic. “You can put bins under the bed, on high shelves, low in other closets, in the attic, or garage — basically anywhere they’ll be safe from dust, bugs, and extreme temperatures,” she adds.
Switching out your wardrobe seasonally is the easiest way to give back space to yourself and make organizing a little easier.
Use a label system
Small closets can be hard to maneuver through; that’s where labels come in to help. “The simplest and most effective system is labeling — clearly defining where everything belongs makes it easy for anyone to find items and just as easy to put them back,” says Trunz. “Using a label maker or creating your own labels ensures everything has a designated home.”
Labeling also helps when it comes to storing off-season items in the aforementioned bins. You want to know what’s inside each box before you go rifling through them.
Follow the 80/20 rule
“There is the common 80/20 rule (in fact there’s even a clothing brand named after this theory) that says you wear twenty percent of your wardrobe eighty percent of the time,” says Rachel. Keep your favorites front and center in your wardrobe, which makes it easier to pick them out. Keep the rest in storage bins or out of sight — if you don’t plan on donating them.
Use drawer systems
“Adding drawer systems underneath hanging clothing can further maximize every inch of available space,” says Trunz. I added a fabric drawer system to my wider closet to store everything from crop tops to delicates. It helps maximize my closet space while seamlessly staying hidden from the naked eye. “Drawer organizers are great too, to wrangle delicates into groups or give yourself a hidden space for jewelry or accessories to live,” adds Rachel.
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Look into an Elfa closet solution
Elfa organizers are The Container Store’s flagship storage solutions, which are easy to install yourself in your closet and are highly customizable. “When I lived in NYC, land of the tiny apartment, my then-husband and I had to find a way to share one modest closet,” says Rachel. “Since he was blessed with height and I got the short gene, we split the closet into a top and bottom zone, with a bar at his height and another at mine.”
Elfa systems can help maximize space in small closets, and if you don’t want to install it yourself, you can have The Container Store install it for you. That said, there are other ways to go custom. “There are plenty of options out there today, some of which will even come to your home, design the solution, and handle the installation,” says Rachel. “Whatever your budget, there’s an option out there for you.”
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