How to Share a Closet and Avoid the Battle for Closet Space

shared closet

When you share a closet, patience, making some compromises, and being selfless towards your partner or spouse are the keys to organizational harmony.

That’s all easier said than done, of course. Even two people who have previously always been able to keep their closets tidy can find sharing a closet very challenging.

The different dynamics of how the storage space is used takes some getting used to. Some people never quite figure out how to successfully share a closet, even after years of being with their significant other.

Here’s how hard it can be to share a closet

How much can someone’s organizational habits (or lack thereof) get under the skin of their partner? Clutter was the cause of 48% of the arguments between couples who lived together, according to a survey by SpareFoot, a self-storage company.

You can guarantee that a healthy percentage of those clutter-related disagreements were sparked by the untidy state of some shared closets.

The stress of managing a single closet space being used by two people is very real. There are plenty of things you can do to end the battle for closet space in your bedroom, however.

Here are some practical solutions to help any couple share a closet peacefully.

woman sorting clothes in reach-in closet

If you share a closet, prioritize storage

When you’re attempting to overhaul a dysfunctional shared closet, space considerations will be your biggest concern before you even begin to figure out how much room each partner will get.

The logical place to start with a closet revamp is to have each person reduce the number of items they want to keep in the closet. Prioritize using your respective storage spaces for important things only, not things that can sometimes go a year or more without being worn.

We’ve previously written about what items shouldn’t be taking up space in your closets. A few of them include:

  • sale items you’ve never worn
  • unfashionable clothing
  • damaged and old clothing
  • clothing that doesn’t fit

Agree on how you’ll share a closet space

Author Heidi Catherine Culbertson wrote, “Your abundance is not measured by what you have, it is created by what you share.”

That’s a selfless, ideal mindset for both parties to have as they hash out a plan for how to improve their shared closet situation.

Once you both have a better idea of what will be going in the closet, come up with an equitable and agreeable split of the closet space, whether it’s 50/50, 60/40, or 75/25, etc. If it’s the latter in your favour, congratulations – your generous partner is a definite keeper!

That whole “compromise” thing factors heavily into this step. Hopefully, the individual with fewer clothes sees the practicality and fairness of making some space concessions to the partner who requires more room for their wardrobe.

man holding shirt in front of closet

Hire a pro to custom-design a shared closet

Two heads are better than one, right? Then why not follow that logic and add another head to the mix when envisioning your shared closet’s design? Not just any head, though. We’re talking about someone with lots of closet design expertise who can help you and your partner create the perfect shared closet space.

A professional closet designer brings more to the table than what you’ll get with DIY closet organizer systems you can buy in stores or online.

Mass-produced, one-size-fits-all closet organizers like these can’t compare to the level of design flexibility offered by a custom closet organizing solution.

Custom closet systems are built just for you

An experienced designer will tailor the closet’s design for each person. Factors like the heights of each person are taken into consideration so the heights of hanging rods, shelving, and other storage areas are more easily accessible.

Your individual functional needs are met with smart design choices like adding a hanging rod below the traditional upper closet rod to double-up on your hanging space.

Remember that hanging rods don’t have to go across the entire width of a closet. We can add shorter rods on one side or both sides of a closet in one of those narrower spaces that might otherwise be underutilized. Those other “dead space” closet areas that can get wasted, such as in corners or up high, can also be put to work for you.

Design for style and function

A pro won’t just help you come up with a smart shared closet layout that satisfies everyone’s functional needs. They know that the closet space you’ll be using every day needs to look appealing, too.

Here are some of the stylish decorative touches that can be included in a reach-in or walk-in closet design:

  • crown moulding
  • cabinetry finishes that complement your bedroom décor
  • under-mount LED lighting
  • elegant decorative hardware

Share zones in your closet

A shared closet should be just that and not necessarily a space where each person’s things are exclusively in separate zones and never the two shall meet.

If your items can co-exist in the same area of the closet (or more accurately, if you and your partner can share the same zone of a closet and maintain the peace), by all means, team up.

Sharing zones in the closet is an effective way to maximize your storage space, especially if the closet is smaller.

Use a pullout pant rack and split the hanging space with each other. The same applies for the upper rod in the closet, which each of you can use for hanging your longer clothing items. A shoe rack and belt rack can also be shared.

shared closet shoe rack

Sharing storage zones with your partner helps maximize your closet storage space.

Add a closet storage tower

For clothing items that are better off being folded instead of hung (like sweaters), having some drawer space and open shelf space in the closet will come in very handy.

Adding a storage tower to the closet with a few drawers on the lower half and open shelving and cubby dividers on the top half keeps all of your wardrobe items in the same area. That allows you to free up space in the bedroom by getting rid of a wardrobe closet or dresser.

Give yourself a drawer or two and your partner gets the rest. Organized Interiors can incorporate drawer dividers or jewellery drawer inserts into the storage tower’s design to keep both of you more organized.

A custom closet storage tower can be designed to be freestanding (sitting on the floor) or wall-mounted, which leaves space underneath the tower.

Make use of helpful closet accessories

We’ve already mentioned a few great closet accessories like pullout belt, tie, and pant racks. They may be small details in a closet’s design, but these convenient helpers have a big impact on the space’s overall functionality.

Here are a few more closet accessories you might want to consider including in your closet’s design:

  • retractable valet rods
  • necklace hooks
  • versatile four-position hangers
  • pullout laundry hampers to keep dirty clothes sorted and tidy

All of our closet accessories are designed to save space, make your daily dressing routine more efficient, and add a sophisticated decorative touch to any closet with their sleek metal finishes.

Venture beyond the closet border

Even with the best closet organization and storage systems in use, it’s just a reality that sometimes you can’t fit 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack (to paraphrase an expression that uses slightly more colourful language).   OKAY TO USE?

Downsizing and decluttering may only get you so far. If the number of clothes you and your partner own simply won’t all fit in one closet, it could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

If your bedroom has some open floor space, setting up a separate wardrobe space for one of you may be the best and easiest solution. This is especially true if one of you is, shall we say, a closet slob.

There are a variety of ways to create more space for storing clothes outside of the closet. Here are some bedroom storage ideas that go beyond the borders of a traditional closet:

Any of these bedroom storage solutions are better than hanging extra clothes on a garment rack in a room corner, which can look unsightly.

White wardrobe with open doors

If you and your partner have too many things to fit into a shared closet space, look for other bedroom storage solutions to help out like a wardrobe closet.

Respect each other’s space

Those three noble virtues we listed in the very first sentence (patience, selflessness, and being willing to compromise) will serve you well as you share a closet with your better half. We’ll add “respect” to that list, too.

Even with a seemingly sound closet-sharing strategy in place, things from one partner’s side may slowly start to encroach into the other person’s territory.

Try to respect each other’s space. After all, both parties agreed to the allotment of closet space each of you would get.

Make an effort to keep your portion of the closet tidy. Even if everything is contained in someone’s designated area of the closet, if it all looks like a disaster zone, it can fester negative feelings and lead to an argument.

And be flexible and willing to make improvements to your shared closet space if things aren’t working as efficiently after some time has passed. There are always ways to tweak and modify a closet’s functionality based on your changing storage needs.

Make it easier to share a closet with your partner

If your efforts to share a closet with your significant other just aren’t working out, Organized Interiors can solve your closet-sharing problems. Read about how we helped a Toronto couple with a custom shared closet design.

We know that having a closet space with a smart design makes maintaining a shared closet significantly easier.

Organized Interiors has been designing shared closets for over 40 years so couples can enjoy their main clothes storage space, not argue over it.

Organized Interiors customer review

A review left on Facebook from a satisfied Organized Interiors client.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to get your shared closet space design plan in motion.

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Is A Cloffice (Closet + Office) Right For You?

White cloffice with desk, chair, wardrobe closet.

When you do a dictionary lookup of ‘cloffice’ on Meriam-Webster, the result is, “The word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary.”

Dictionary editors spend their time reading and looking for changes in language. They look at publications and sites (like this one) and identify vocabulary that has entered mainstream life – terms like bucket list, sexting, and unfriend. A word gets into the dictionary when it becomes commonly used by many people who all agree that it means the same thing.

Is cloffice the right word?

Cloffice? Offclo? Closeoff? Offset? Maybe we just call it what it is – a closet that has been transformed into a home office. Now everyone has to agree on the right term to get it into the dictionary.

A bit of closet history

The closet, itself, has underlying connotations and hasn’t always been viewed in the best possible light. The word has been around since the 17th century, and is derived from the Latin word ‘clausum’, which means ‘closed’. Closets were originally associated with an upper-class status and were often small rooms that were adjacent to the bedroom where people would spend their leisure time.

Back then, closets were seldom a consideration in the construction of homes for the lower class. Wardrobes and bureaus were used to store one’s possessions.

As housing styles changed and storage became a part of the design, closets were added, but only accommodated a limited number of garments. A single shelf that was placed above a rod for hanging might hold a precarious pile of sweaters and boxes that threatened to tip every time the door was opened. The floor was a dark, secret cave of abandoned shoes and misplaced items that had nowhere else to go.

So, maybe it’s time that the closet has regained a prominent position in the house – one that can also house a leisure-like getaway or a workspace.

Working from home out of necessity

Being aware of trends and demographics is imperative for designer Jane Lockhart. As she points out, condo dwellers were already moving to the suburbs in order to get more space, boomers were already moving out of the city or procuring a second residence, and 2.1 million Canadians were already working from home. “The pandemic was like throwing gas on a fire,” says Lockhart. “It accelerated these trends that were already underway.”

As of June 2020, Statistics Canada reported that 40 per cent of Canada’s workers are working from home. In 2018 it was less than 10 per cent. Everyone in the family were trying to eke out their space for office work and homework. Zoom calls were now a thing, and private areas were difficult to find.

While the general public is now used to seeing a presenter’s dog or toddler enter the screen while watching the news, there are times when you need to focus and get away from the surrounding chaos of the home environment.

White cloffice with desk, chair, wardrobe closet.

10 great reasons for having a cloffice

  1. Closets have doors, which can be closed – whether it’s bifold doors on a small closet or a more-substantial door on a large, walk-in closet.
  2. Shutting the doors serves two purposes. It provides privacy and it also hides work that is in progress, so that you don’t have to tidy up every time that dinner is served or a visitor arrives.
  3. While there are pantries, broom closets, and front hall closets, bedroom closets provide an extra layer of privacy.
  4. Guest rooms were the first area to be repurposed as home office space. Without overnight visitors, it made sense to take over a room that could have more than one function.
  5. The closet in the spare room is a natural alternative to work space, as it’s more likely to be unused.
  6. At the end of a workday, you can literally turn it off. This is very important on a psychological level in order to define when you are working – and when you are not.
  7. If working in the kitchen, noise is echoed off of tiled floors and walls. Carpets, drapery, and furniture help to deaden sound. If your office is in a closet, you have an increased sound barrier.
  8. Closets make excellent Zoom rooms for those all-important meetings.
  9. Consider hanging fabric, or rearranging props for a suitable, studio-like backdrop during Zoom calls.
  10. You’re less likely to be disturbed if you’re not visible to the rest of the family.

Short term or long term cloffice?

Even if students are scheduled to go back to school, they are going to continue to excel if they have a dedicated study/work area at home.

Many people will not be returning to an office environment. Working from home is going to become the norm for a high percentage of the population. So, again, you’re going to want a space that is devoted to your particular requirements, with a suitable surface, drawers, shelves, and storage.

cloffice desk chair dark wood

Each work/office space should be individually designed to suit personal needs and wants. No one works or learns the same. Some kids are visual learners, while others or auditory. Some of us are messy and need extra room, and some of us are uber-organized. The designers at Organized Interiors take all of these requests and desires into consideration when re-purposing a space.

Put your closet to work with a cloffice

Organized Interiors can transform any living space to adapt to your specific requirements. If you are considering a cloffice, contact us to schedule a free design consultation today.

From concept to completion, we can reconfigure your space for maximum efficiency.

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Men’s Closet Design: How to Create the Ultimate Closet for Him

Now more than ever, we look towards the home for stability and refuge and home improvement moves to the top of the to-do list.

Maybe dad or the man in your life is at home right now like so many others and doing his part to flatten the curve. Perhaps he’s on the front lines as an essential worker and helping to keep things operating.

With so many changes to our day-to-day lives, keeping a man’s closet effectively and stylishly organized is key to keeping his space – and him – calm and collected.

Every man needs a closet room design that is structured and organized to maximize order and efficiency. With the help of your Organized Interiors design consultant, you can take his closet to the ultimate level.

One of our design professionals provides ten men’s closet design tips to help you create the ultimate closet for him.

Declutter to make space for your men’s closet design

Improving his closet starts with decluttering so his new closet organizer and storage systems can provide maximum functionality.

Declutter his closet space and set aside old clothes, which will free up space for organizing what you really need. After all, there’s no point in creating organization systems for things that he never wears or uses.

Many businesses and services that ordinarily accept donations of old clothes aren’t currently available, but they will certainly need them eventually. Until you’re able to drop off your unwanted clothes for donation, set them aside for now.

Repurpose some of his other unwanted clothes for some practical uses. Unneeded sport socks and t-shirts make excellent rags and old t-shirts and dress shirts (specifically cotton and linen) are excellent sources of fabric for making your own face masks.

Below is an example of how decluttering and the perfect men’s closet design can combine to make his custom closet space super-organized and stylish.

men’s closet design

Work with a pro for your men’s closet design

Connect with an Organized Interiors design consultant to discuss his closet needs and your designer will develop a custom solution that speaks to his requirements, his style, and his space.

Every custom Organized Interiors closet solution is as unique as every client and is tailored to make your life easier and better, whether you have a walk-in closet or reach-in closet.

The ultimate closet for him solves his organizational needs, is personalized for his lifestyle, and turns this challenging space into his own personal statement.

We provide an installation guarantee that ensures every project we work on is installed and completed with the highest standards and to our clients’ full satisfaction.

closet design consultation

Get creative with the closet’s hanging space

The biggest piece of real estate in any custom closet is how much space you devote to hanging your clothes.

Double hanging his short clothes (such as shirts, jackets, and folded pants) leaves room for hanging more items, plus it reserves space for additional shelves and drawers.

Get creative with how things are divided: separate work attire from casual clothes, formal wear from holiday wear, etc. Does he hang his pants straight by the cuff? Specify an area for hanging items with a medium and long length.

Pro tip: folded pants require less vertical space than shirts and devoting an entire closet rod for folded pants allows you to position it so that additional space may be used for other purposes.

adjoining closets with doors open

A tie and belt rack are must-haves

Whether his office has moved to casual dress or work-from-home, he still owns neckties as distinctive as he is.

Organized Interiors’ high-quality pullout tie rack tucks neatly alongside clothes hanging areas, features a whisper-quiet action, and holds up to 18 ties.

Hanging his belts helps to minimize the curve that can develop from keeping them looped in your pants. Our premium belt rack features enough insert hooks for formal and casual belts.

Customize your closet with decorative hardware and men’s closet accessories

An awesome men’s closet design isn’t complete without those all-important final touches and Organized Interiors offers the widest selection of men’s closet accessories and decorative hardware around.

A retractable valet rod is a perfect addition that allows for temporary clothes hanging. Use it for organizing your next day’s power suit, your weekend wear before your early drive to cottage country, or your gym bag for your pre-work fitness routine. When not in use, it tucks neatly away for safety.

Here are a few more men’s closet accessories you can add to tailor the storage space to his needs:

  • pullout laundry hampers
  • watch winders
  • a pullout pant rack
  • four position hangers
  • a drawer safe

Upgrade his clothes hangers

Consider upgrading the clothes hangers within his ultimate closet. A consistent model of hanger in a closet not only adds visual appeal, it also helps maintain order.

Consider our beautiful soft-touch hangers, which feature a slip and crease-resistant bar for hanging folded pants and smooth shoulders for hanging shirts and jackets alike. 

Keep his shoes organized

Whether he has four pairs of shoes or 24 pairs, Organized Interiors will ensure he has them organized and at-the-ready for work, play, and travel.

Larger shoe collections can benefit from a tower of pullout shelves adorned with shoe fences to keep things tidy and to lend that elegant touch.

Smaller collections can take advantage of space below clothes hanging areas, either at the floor level or by adding a shelf or two. Even if he keeps his everyday shoes in the front closet or mudroom, designate a place in his closet for special occasion and vacation footwear.

Add drawers for more storage flexibility

Drawer space in any closet is essential for organizing socks, boxers, folded shirts, and pants, but it can be so much more.

Add a convenient tilt-out laundry hamper to a drawer tower, so as he goes from work mode to workout mode that transition happens in a flash.

Velvet-lined dividers help his cufflinks and tie clasps stay organized. If he wears bracelets or chains, a jewellery divider is perfect for those, too. Consider larger acrylic drawer dividers for his watches and fitness trackers so he always knows what time it is, where he’s been, and where he’s going.

The supreme watch accessory for his ultimate closet is the Orbita watch winder, which can be fitted to a custom drawer or even as a standalone countertop feature.

watches in open drawer

Create a comfortable dressing space

The ultimate closet for him can include a dressing area. Take advantage of the wall space on the side walls, behind doors, and above the lower storage for custom mirror boards. 

Need a space for grab-and-go things like his favourite hoodie, his sport jacket, or his camera bag? Add a custom hook board.

Need both? Consider a custom mirror-and-hook board, with beautiful melamine finishes to match and hardware finishes to complement his closet space.

bench in walk-in men’s closet

Add custom cabinetry to your men’s closet

Not every closet (particularly a reach-in closet) has space for enclosed cabinetry, but consider adding cabinet storage in his closet if possible. Keeping things behind doors and out of sight not only reduces visual clutter, but provides him peace of mind.

Interior shelves can be a supplementary dressing station for him or where he plans his “go bag” for last-minute trips to the cottage.

Add a safe to a custom cabinet either behind the doors or within a drawer to protect valuables, papers, travel documents, and more. He doesn’t have to be a secret agent to appreciate hidden storage and added security, but you can make him feel like one!

men's closet

Upgrade your men’s closet space 

Our designers can work wonders with your men’s closet space or configure a shared closet space so you and your significant other can manage your wardrobes more efficiently.

Request your free design consultation today!

Once your Organized Interiors design consultant has prepared your design layout, we can produce and install his ultimate closet in as little as a few weeks. Give the man in your life the space and the storage he deserves in his closet.

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Junk Closet Organization Tips to Reclaim Your Closet Space

Cleaning up that junk drawer in an entryway, home office, or kitchen is one of those unpleasant home organization tasks we usually put off for as long as possible.

Year after year of tossing all sorts of odds and ends into that drawer will eventually result in an overstuffed storage space that will need a good cleaning out.

As easy as it is to procrastinate on tidying up a cluttered drawer, the prospect of decluttering a larger space like a closet or a whole room can feel even more daunting.

A junk closet organization project isn’t nearly as formidable a cleanup task as you might think, however.

Use these tips to turn that messy closet into a tidy storage space that serves your home’s storage needs more effectively.

junk closet organization

5 reasons to start that junk closet organization project

As with most decluttering projects, one of the hardest parts of the job is simply getting it started.

Don’t focus on how tedious the job might be or how you’d rather be doing something else that is…well, a lot less “decluttery”.

Instead, visualize the positive outcomes that lay ahead once this junk closet organization project is completed:

  1. You’ll save time by having an organized closet. Think of how much time you’ve wasted looking for a specific item in that junk closet over the years. In some cases you might find it, but there have surely been many times where that needed item is nowhere to be found. An organized closet where everything has a home and is visible eliminates this problem.
  2. Any space that is cluttered causes stress. Merely opening the door to a junk closet and laying eyes on the calamity inside is enough to cause you some degree of stress. Who wants to keep experiencing that? An organized closet is a stress-free zone in your home.
  3. A catch-all closet wastes space in your home by lacking functionality. Although we’re calling it a junk closet, there are undoubtedly plenty of useful things hiding in there that could be useful to you. But if they’re too hard to find or access, they won’t get used and that closet’s lack of functionality isn’t serving your needs.
  4. You won’t waste money on duplicate purchases. Whether it’s clothing, tools, or anything else that’s easy to misplace, an untidy storage area inevitably leads to a few unnecessary purchases of items you already own. We’ve all experienced that deflating moment when you eventually find an item that “fell through the cracks” ages ago that you bought again.
  5. You can stop being embarrassed by your “shame closet”. A closet’s messy contents may have a door that can keep everything hidden, but you’re probably not proud that such a messy space exists in your home. Tidying it up can liberate you from the feelings of embarrassment you might feel if a visitor happened to peek inside the space, too.

Tips for clearing out a junk closet

Depending on the size of the closet and how full it is, a junk closet organization task shouldn’t take more than a few hours to sort out.

You could spend an hour or two on a few days throughout the week to work on the task or get it over with quickly by devoting a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to overhaul the closet space.

We would recommend the latter approach, as it would allow you to completely empty the closet all at once. This ensures nothing gets missed in the decluttering process.

It also means you can give the closet something most closets rarely get – a good cleaning. Get the vacuum in there to clean up that dusty floor and give every surface (including the ceiling, walls, hanging rod, and any closet organization systems) a good wipe down with a damp cloth.

Another good reason for emptying out the closet is you don’t want to just move around all of that stuff inside the area and reorganize it. To get the best results, some heavy-duty editing of the closet’s contents are in order.

When it comes to deciding what stays and what goes, a number of items will be no-brainers. That big box filled with old cables, wires, ancient computer peripherals, and chargers for devices you replaced years ago is a good example. Non-essential papers and documents can be recycled. Get rid of any boxes or bags with damaged things you meant to fix, but never did. And donate any clothes that no longer fit.

The number one enemy of decluttering is sentimentality. Check your sentimental feelings at the (closet) door and be practical about what you keep.

6 ideas for a decluttered closet space

Once you’ve gotten rid of enough of the clutter that clogged the closet, how do you envision using that storage space?

Here are six ideas for how to use a rehabilitated junk closet:

  1. Linen closet: a dedicated storage space for all of your home’s many types of linens is a great way to use a spare closet. Storing all of your bath towels, face cloths, bedding essentials, and other linens in one area makes them easy to find and keep organized. You’ll also free up space in dressers, bedroom closets, or wherever else your linens were being stored.
  2. A mini mudroom: if that closet is in a hallway near an entrance, convert it into a mini mudroom. Remove the doors, add a bench with hidden storage, and incorporate some dividers on the upper shelf to keep things organized. Add decorative hooks for coats, hats, purses, and backpacks.
  3. Utility/cleaning closet: like your linens, cleaning supplies and tools tend to get scattered around the home. Store them all in one closet that’s outfitted with enough hooks for all of your brooms, dust pans, mops, and dusters. Add a few extra shelves to the lone top shelf in the closet for your cleaning product containers, cleaning cloths and rags, scrubbing brushes, and spray bottles. If space allows, stash your vacuum in there.
  4. A storage space for guest linens and seasonal clothing: your guest linens and off-season clothing might not fill a whole closet space on their own. You could use a repurposed closet to store both things.
  5. Reach-in wine closet: just about any spare closet (even a very small one) can be used for wine storage. The only factor that would make a closet a bad choice as a wine storage area would be if the space was too warm, as the idea temperature range for storing wine is 10-18°C (50-65°F).
  6. A home office or reading nook: like the wine closet, another unconventional way to use a closet is as a home office. Considering its tiny size, calling it a “home workspace” might be a little more accurate, but plenty of homes have made this idea work. A closet could even be converted into a cozy reading nook.

Important design considerations for your new closet

However you plan to use your closet, there are a few important considerations to make involving its layout and design.

Think about repainting the closet with a lighter shade and adding overhead lighting to brighten up the space. Incorporating lighting in storage areas that get the most use will also help you get more enjoyment out of the closet.

To maximize the closet’s vertical storage space, add an extra shelf above the standard single shelf in the closet. Extra hanging rods, hooks, hangers, pullout racks, and baskets or bins to store small items can be used as well.

Organized Interiors can design a shelf tower with drawers that fits perfectly within your closet and matches the surrounding décor. A custom storage solution like this will look much nicer than using cheap plastic storage containers with drawers or build-it-yourself cube storage units.

Although you want to optimize your closet’s available storage space, don’t overload it with storage systems that make your closet feel overstuffed again.

linen closet

This linen closet keeps all of a home’s linens in one centralized area, which makes them easy to find and keep organized.

How to avoid future junk closet organization projects

The goal is to create a tidy, manageable storage space so you won’t need to undertake future junk closet organization projects.

To ensure success for that goal, a big key is to make sure everything in the closet is given a proper home. That way you’ll always know where to find things and where they should be returned to.

Make your closet as easy to use as possible. Group like items together and prioritize how your things are stored. That means keeping the most frequently used items in the closet easily accessible and stored from waist level to eye level. Items that are infrequently used should be stored up high or on the floor.

Conquer the “I might need it someday” mindset to keep your closet stocked only with things that serve a purpose to you right now. They don’t necessarily have to “spark joy” for you (can a broom really do that?), but they should be useful to you in some way if they’re staying in the closet.

Finally, make an effort to keep as much of your closet’s contents as visible as you can. Even items stored in drawers should be easy to locate when the drawer is opened. It’s a simple philosophy, but it’s true: if you can see something, you’re far more likely to actually use it.

Replace that junk closet with a more useful closet space

If you have a junk closet organization project in the works, give it an upgrade before restocking it.

Organized Interiors can help you create a closet space with a modern look and a high level of functionality that is easier to keep meticulously organized.

Schedule a free in-home design consultation with us to plan your closet makeover.

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Linen Closet Ideas and Tips to Improve an Overlooked Storage Space

Where is the messiest closet in your home? Chances are, it’s located in one of your bedrooms.

But linen closets are another of your home’s closet spaces that never seem to stay organized for very long. It’s no wonder, considering they’re used on such a regular basis.

Get organized with these linen closet ideas

Most family members prioritize the quick acquisition of whatever item they need from the linen closet over concerning themselves with how tidy they’re leaving things before closing the door.

Linen closets are also an organizational challenge because their contents are rarely curated, causing them to become overstuffed.

If any of this sounds all too relatable to the messy linen closet situation in your own home, we’ve got some useful linen closet ideas and tips to help you get things more organized.

Why every home needs a linen closet

If your home doesn’t have a linen closet, you might be wondering if it’s something that you really need.

You might be surprised to learn that according to the 2018 Canadian Home Builders’ Association Homebuyer Preference Study, linen closets were a must-have feature for 89% of surveyed buyers.

Most of today’s homebuyers and anyone with a linen closet knows the benefits of having a dedicated closet space to store all of their towels, sheets, and other linens.

Think about how many types of linens and related items are used in the average home. In addition to the linens that were previously mentioned (and consider that they each come in a wide variety of types and sizes), the following things require storage space, too:

  • duvet covers and inserts, comforters, and blankets
  • pillows, pillowcases, and mattress covers
  • sheets, pillows, and towels for guests
  • regular and holiday-themed tablecloths, placemats, and cloth napkins
  • toiletries and other bathroom supplies

For those without a linen closet, having to share some of these things with your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and front entryway closet spaces causes a couple of issues.

First, it scatters your stored linens around the home, which makes things harder to find. Second, your closet spaces, dresser drawers, or wherever else linens are being stored become even more overburdened and difficult to manage.

Having a single closet storage space with dedicated homes for all of your linens will save you from wasting time looking for things.

And a makeover to this closet space creates a tidy and uniform look to your linen closet’s storage that’s as clean as your fresh linens.

Storing linens in the bathroom? Here’s why you shouldn’t.

Many homeowners keep their spare bathroom linens stored in their bathrooms, whether it’s on open shelves, in drawers, or tucked away behind cabinetry doors.

While it might seem practical and convenient having these items right where they’ll be needed, there are several reasons to avoid doing this.

The biggest problem is the damp, humid environment. Even with good room ventilation and regular bathroom cleaning, storing fabrics on a long-term basis in the bathroom makes them susceptible to mould and mildew issues.

Adding shelving to your bathroom walls, over the door, or buying a freestanding bathroom organizer to store linens has drawbacks as well. All those extra storage systems, in addition to the visual clutter all of those stacked linens, add to the room, can make a bathroom look messy and overcrowded.

If you’re not regularly rotating the towels and cloths stored on open shelves in the bathroom, the very thing you’re using to dry off after getting clean could be covered in months of dust.

And here’s one rather unpleasant fact that’s sure to make you hasten your effort to eliminate the storage of linens in your bathroom – the toilet plume.

Several studies have found that when some toilets are flushed, the force causes a spray that contains microscopic particles of bacteria from the bowl to get released into the air. That spray (or plume) comes down on anything within approximately six feet of the toilet. Yuck.

Just a little food for thought if your spare towels (or, even worse, your toothbrushes) are stored anywhere close to your toilet bowl.

Step 1: talk to a closet design professional

Whether you’re adding a closet space or redoing an existing linen closet, the simplest way to ensure success with the project is to entrust it to a professional.

Organized Interiors are experts in designing closets for any room in your home. From your initial free in-home consultation with one of our design consultants right through to the closet’s installation by our professional installers, we’ll ensure every aspect of the project meets your expectations.

Compared to a large walk-in closet makeover which is obviously much bigger in scope, a linen closet remodel represents the type of simpler closet design we also specialize in.

This type of closet remodel can fit most budgets and typically involves less turnaround time for your order. That means you can get your linen closet storage needs addressed that much faster.

“Edit” your linen closet’s contents

Before your reconfigured closet is designed and installed, a thorough “editing” of your closet’s contents will make life significantly easier when it comes to keeping your closet tidy in the future. Like most linen closets, it’s probably overdue for a good purging.

As with any thorough curating of your closet’s clothing, the best method is to completely empty the closet entirely so nothing gets missed. Closets with deep shelves that can hide things at the back of the closet will especially benefit from this process.

Take stock of what’s in there and determine when it was last used. Check each linen to see what’s worn, faded, damaged, or just outlived its usefulness.

If they’re being used and washed regularly, bath towels generally have a lifespan of a couple of years. When they start getting stiff and rough, they’ll become less absorbent and should be replaced.

Pillows should also be replaced after about a year or two of regular use. Consult this link to find out the lifespans of various pillow types.

Remove linen sets with missing or mismatched items, or old sheets for a bed size you no longer own. Now is also a good opportunity to get rid of linens that no longer align with your current design tastes.

Lots of linen closets have a bulky complete bedding set that was bought on sale years ago and has never been opened. Decide if you’ll realistically get any use out of it and if not, add it to your “donate” pile.

Here’s one more reason to create as much space in your linen closet as you can – in a larger family, the space needed for storing bath towels alone can take up a fair bit of space.

Experts recommend washing your bath towels a minimum of once a week and ideally every three or four days. That adds up to a whole lot of towels entering and exiting your closet every week!

Create closet storage zones

When discussing your linen closet’s design, your design consultant will want to know how you’d like it to be set up.

You’ll want to establish storage zones within the closet that make it easier to distinguish different linens and keep them organized.

Try to create zones that are categorically organized, with extra toiletries and all linens for bedrooms, the dining room, kitchen, and so on being kept together. If your closet space allows for it, separate the linens for each bedroom in their own zone.

Keep your most often-used linens such as bath towels and washcloths at a comfortable, easy to access height. Less frequently needed items like pillows and linens used during holidays and special occasions can be stored on the top shelves. Off-season clothing, which is ideal for linen closet storage, could also be stashed in the closet’s upper or lower areas.

Labelling each zone is a smart way to help ensure your closet’s zones stay more organized.

Hallway linen closet.

Use an organization system that works for you

Once you have an idea of what zones will comprise your closet space, establish an organization system that will make your linen closet as convenient and easy to use as possible.

To evenly distribute the usage of your linens and to keep then fresh, regularly rotating them is essential. Some people like to put their folded linens on top of the pile and pull from the bottom, while others prefer the opposite method.

Maybe you prefer to keep your bath towels rolled up. If so, shelf dividers can help to keep them tidy and organized. Whatever works for you.

Depending on how much closet space is at your disposal, give your linens as much space to breathe as you can.

Another tip that makes linen storage simpler is to fold your bedsheets into their matching pillowcase, which saves time searching for linen sets that match.

Maximize your linen closet’s storage space

No list of linen closet ideas would be complete without a few tips on how to maximize your storage space.

The beauty of a custom closet design is that your closet space can be precisely configured to provide you with the optimal amount of storage space the closet allows for.

The linen closet is typically a narrow vertical space that’s the smallest closet in the home, which makes getting the most out of it so important. You also want to maximize the storage space without the closet’s contents feeling overstuffed.

Adjustable shelves are important to not just aid you in making sure space isn’t wasted, they’re also valuable when your storage needs change and you need to reconfigure how your closet is set up.

Using more shelves is better than having things spaced out too much with linen stacks that are too high. Higher stacks of linens creates two issues that contributes to a messy closet space:

  • the linens will start leaning and be more likely to topple over
  • when someone wants an item from the bottom of a stack, there’s more linens to contend with

You may wish to have some pullout shelves added your linen closet, which lets you take advantage of a deep closet space by making items at the back of shelves easier to access. Drawers are another option that provides additional storage versatility if your closet is big enough.

Don’t forget the small extras

To conclude our list of linen closet ideas, don’t forget about those small extras that will make your closet space more functional.

Some new closet lighting and a fresh coat of lighter coloured paint to reflect the light better will make things easier to find and update the closet’s décor.

Using shelf risers, small bins, and baskets will help your small linens, toiletries, and miscellaneous items in the linen closet stay tidy.

We’re the leader in smart linen closet ideas and solutions

For anyone who can’t seem to keep their linen closets effectively maintained and tidy, we have creative linen closet ideas and solutions to keep your home organized.

To create the ideal linen closet space in your home, book a free in-home design consultation with Organized Interiors today.

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