Designer's Touch: 10 Amazing Master Closets

newmouse Number 6 is a beautiful room, but I really don't understand having closets in the closet. I need to see my stuff when I'm deciding what to wear or pack for a trip.

storklady We are currently trying to design a DIY closet makeover. sadly, it's not a walk-in..but just a regular closet that is wide but not deep. I'm interested in shelves like the ones in photo 3. I'm speaking of the shelves that show in the far corner of that closet...they are more narrowly spaced than the shelves in the foreground. Can anyone guesstimate how far apart the shelves are? And, do you believe there is enough space between the shelves for shoes? I realize boots wouldn't work...but regular shoes. Thanks.

Closet Experts Storklady, slanted shoe shelves with a front retainer lip should be spaced 7-8 inches apart, resulting in less capacity and flexibility than flat shoe shelves. As shown, the shelf spacing is tight to see the shoes and to lift them over the lip for removal. Shoes on upper and lower shelves are more difficult to see when stored this way. Note the lower shelves are spaced further apart. The sigh I heard from you would lead me to encourage you to use flat, adjustable shelves that can accommodate changing needs in the future as well as maximize capacity. Good luck with your closet makeover!

pattimay Storklady - We have a walk-in closet, not huge like some of these, but I'm an organized freak and wanted spaces for our shoes.

We didn't want to disturb our existing space because it works so well for our clothes but we did use the upper shelf and made narrow shelves for our shoes. We measured the highest high heal shoe and made the shelves that wide. Now all shoes and high heels fit and look neat and tidy. The opposite side we did the same thing for my bags. My boots line up on the floor.

That's the best suggestion I can give. Measure your highest items the way you want the space to work and put your shelves up to you liking.
Good luck. You're going to love it!

Debra Sommerville Storklady: check out easyclosets.com. DIY closet paradise!

Debie Wilson www.Bredacomponents.com sells DIY closets too. Flat shelving worked better for shoes in my closet, as well. Some shelves can be spaced wider than others, depending on the heel height.

Amazing Spaces Great article, good flow and something for everybody, super pictures.

Danenberg Design Here is one more good lookin' master closet. One of our most fun projects!

lfdecofashion I get such a buzz from being organized! It has occurred to me that I am a total 'geek' when it comes to closet organization:) I find it totally liberating to have everything in it's place .... it is very ZEN!

deedeejohn Great ideas!!! We had the most odd shaped walkin closet and after much research, went with the Elfa Closets from the CONTAINER STORE. So versatile and easy to change around and instore designers were excellent. (I have already moved drawers around and will order some more.) I even have 2 jewelry drawers. Big sale in Dec/Jan timeframe. Hubby actually uses the space to dress in the morning. We now can see what we have and in the process of purging. Not done yet so not perfect but have attached pictures of 2 sides. Also have shoe racks. Numerous options. This one has the dark shelf and drawer trim or you can go plain.

mrsben Very impressive and some excellent ideas .... but if my Great Grandmother was still alive, she would be saying "Why so many da*n shoes? You only have two feet." SMILES!

patscats2 My favorite is the one that features the closed doors and spotlights the rug and chair.

jeffmkeller Is the chair in #6 for the husband while waiting for the wife to pick out an outfit because she has to open all of the doors?

lindaeb Too ostentatious. How can any one person (or two) own all that sh*t?

mmsalg Oh Houzz, you touched on the secret fantasy of so many with this drool worthy ideabook. There is not a custom space here that I don't love.

Now here's a few more ideas and some very talented craftspeople who would love to help you build your perfect closet space http://custm.co/hz/68

suzannewheat Why do people have so many shoes, so much stuff?

thegreenbee As someone trying to reorganize a closet for two that just barely qualifies as walk in, these pictures only made me sigh wistfully. Someday...

spacesprit If space allows, I like to incorporate an island into the closet. This one includes a beautiful storage space on the top of the cabinetry that gives the client a visual display of treasures. I also provided a space on each end of the island (one for curio display and the other for a charging station). The charging station, not pictured, includes a shelf for a phone and a pocket for chargers, etc..

spacesprit Storklady: When you incorporate shelving into any space, make it adjustable. This gives you the flexibility to adjust shelves as needed. You can create a template (for drilling holes into side cabinetry) on balsa wood with equal spacing 1/2-1" apart. Start from the lowest surface, working your way up, marking your holes for drilling. There are numerous types of shelf pegs on the market and you will need to select these to determine your hole diameter before drilling. Then, organize your shoes by heel height and then by color. This will give you two categories of shoe heights so that you can place your low heeled shoes on the same spaced shelves. If you have a lot of shoes, you can create more categories (open toed, slides, wedges, etc.) but keep your heights together to maximize your storage space. Also, you may want to think about slanted shelves before going in that direction. As a space-planner, I've learned that they limit you on storage. If you don't incorporate a lip on the front of the shelf (which can damage shoes) certain types of shoes will not stay on the shelf (think of ballet flats, flat wedged heels, etc.). I always specify flat shelves (glass is best as it's easy to clean and does not inhibit overhead lighting from reaching lower shelves). Hope this information helps.

Jane Orr At my previous house I went to great expense to have beautiful shelving for all my shoes. Yeah sure it looks nice, but I am now renovating my next house and instead have opted for deep shoe drawers (at least 30 cm deep) all around the base of the closet. I can kick my shoes off at the end of the day, and don't have to worry about how they look. An added bonus Is that I now have more space to play with when design my hanging space and drawers.

mcd53 I agree Lindaed, why does someone even want that much stuff.

Michelle Mateik We are about to move into our new home and the two his and hers closets are the same shape as #2. I would love to remodel to achieve the same look except in white like #3. I love the floor length mirror. I think it will really open up the space. An organized closet can really make a difference.

becknzoe My opinion on shoe storage is - go for a combination of shelves...we started our closet with the pull out shoe racks (like from ikea), but found it was too much work to place each shoe on its own stand. Plus longer-heeled shoes knocked others over, etc., etc....so we moved to the slanted shelves for my shoes (heels, etc.) and flat shelves for my husbands shoes, my flats and my flip flop collection (we are floridians). I absolutely adore my shoe shelves b/c they allow me to see all of my shoe options at once, plus it allows us to easily put shoes away, without them looking messy. We built our closet via some Home Options kits offered at Lowe's. We have a small walk-in closet, but made the space work well with some careful planning and for under $1200.

Studio Santalla, Inc In this open plan apartment, these custom closets hide the clutter, while employing off-the-shelf interior components. Because the homeowners travel constantly, the closet also provides a place for to fold and pack suitcases. See more of this project here:

babergee1 i like no 7 like the seating and storage together.