13 Ways to Spiff Up Your Closet — and Your Dressing Routine

nanaanne Just thinking the word "closet" makes me shudder. My first step is going to be cleaning mine.

Rough Linen I don't have many clothes but regularly forget things like scarves. Maybe if they were more on view I would dress better!

Joan Bartos Don't be so materialistic. Who needs all that crap,anyway?

Casart Coverings Another jewelry storage suggestion from a kitchen find-use egg cartons with lids removed to store separate pairs of earrings. We also wholeheartedly agree that wallpapering a closet lends oomph to the space.

Engineer Your Space I'm a huge fan of taking off sliding doors and replacing them with curtains - makes it so much easier to get to everything! Another option to customize your closet is to remove the shelf above the closet rod and to move up the rob - this gives you more space to add a double hanging rod, hanging shelves and makes room for putting dressers inside the closet. Here's a video showing the process: http://www.engineeryourspace.com/episodes/how-to-organize-your-bedroom-closet/

Luciana When planning my closet space, I was lucky to meet a very open-minded designer; together we managed to come up with a great plan to accommodate everything I wanted in a rather narrow, awkward space. I have pull down wardrobe rails (great in high ceiling rooms and for less used clothes), a big shelf above the door (ideal for suitcases) and narrow low shelves for bags and shoes. I use trousers' hanger for winter scarves and door hooks for some bags. The only thing missing - which I think it's a must in a closet - is a big mirror; I still can't decide if I should go with a huge frameless one or a big framed one!

Mary Newrones I love the look of all the hangers being the same... would love to do that in my walk in... it is sort of small.. I also like to colorize ....

jteriod I would like to see the measurements for the illustrated closets! Thanks!

malongi I put a tension rod across my closet to hang scarves as you have here - holds a lot!

haldenlith While I love reading these, I find a sore lack of ideabooks for people with normal closets of the non-walk in variety. Well, normal around where I live. I just don't see how these would be all that helpful in 4 ft wide by 3 ft deep closets, as nice as they are. Oh well, back to day-dreaming about walk-ins.

jukesgrrl @haldenlith
I had many a small, shallow closet when I lived in old homes on the East Coast. I enjoyed painting the insides screamingly bright colors, just for fun. You don't see that much of the paint anyway and it's a cool surprise. I found these types of storage compartments very useful. You can get a ton in them. Piles of sweaters, Ts, or handbags in this:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005136&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=over+the+rod+canvas+shelves
And shoes in this:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10005137&N=&Ns=p_sort_default|0&Ntt=over+the+rod+canvas+shelves
Even though I have a walk-in now I still use them. I have more than 30 pairs of shoes in 18 inches of rod space, with room on the floor below to stack my boot boxes. I even have them in the closet I use to store linens. I can find things immediately; no rooting through drawers. I use table runners and placemats and I roll them and store them in the compartments. They're never wrinkled and I can always see what I have. I hang my napkins on a hanger with pants clips. You can get 6 to 8 napkins on one hanger and they're never wrinkled either.

calkelley found the greatest way to clean a closet - move! It is a nice way to be able to start from the beginning.
You asked for closet issues. Huge walk in but it has a pillar of shelves from the middle. Shelves, for me, are very difficult to utilize for folded shirts (not enough hanging space for them). So instead of paying the $2000 to add that many drawers, I went to Michaels and bought sale bins (gorgeous, papered one - cut the lids off) and used them as drawers. The problem was the bins slid into the shelves and had to be pulled out to use - hard to juggle.
So I built a pullout shelf! So easy with materials from Home Depot.
I love this idea-book. Some great ideas for using those cute cups I bought but now don't have room for. And love the scarf idea.

kellyg_25 @JOAN BARTOS:
Unless you run around in a potato sac, with no shoes on your feet, no purse to hold your personal items, no gloves, boots, or scarves to keep yourself warm, then I can surely bet you also have some of these items in your closet. Why is it materialistic to get organization ideas, on how to store these items so that people can make their lives a little less chaotic? Further, if you find closet organization materialistic, why are you registered on a site that claims to have the largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas on the Internet?" If you live in a country that precludes you from spending money on interior design to make your home a more pleasant place to live in, please let the rest of us know so we can all move there in a heartbeat!

frenchdecor I solved my problem removing built in closet and replaced with PAX (system) wardrobe from IKEA. There different door styles, finishes, and inserts. I like pants rack (it is pull out) for 2 pairs on one rod, I keep there some skirts and scarf too. For my jewelries a hanging pocket organizer (double sided) and belt rack also double sided. On the right side (0.5m wide) is rod for long coats and couple of drawers (lingerie...small staff) and couple of shelves.

jerryalan Maybe sometime Houzz will tell those of us with tiny closets how to organize them.

Sue We've lived in a dozen homes in the Midwest, and I've learned:

Keep my extensive costume jewelry collection in stackable plasic boxes with dividers, like the ones fishermen use, sorted by color and degree of dressiness.

Hang scarves on those multiple pants hangers made of metal. Ties can hang on them, too. Belts can go on a tie rack.

Shoes can go in stackable cubbies, on racks below hanging clothes, or on racks made of wood uprights with dowels fastened to a wall reinforced with plywood.

If the closet is 3' deep or more, try adding a sturdy post at the front of the closet and hang rods the depth of the closet.

For sweaters, buy an armoire or shelving unit and store them folded on the shelves. Underware, socks, etc can go in plastic storage bins on the shelves, too.

If you have a lot of clothes, particularly heavy items, a metal rod is sturdier than wood.

Any short folks (we are now 5'3 & 5'5") have a recommendation for easily & affordably accessing the top 2' or so of a standard closet?

Laurie Brown This is how I used an unused wall in my closet.

Sharon Large Love this idea for jewelry storage because you can see and find exactly what you want without your necklaces getting tangled in knots! Fabulous idea!

Darlene Johnson What type of wall board do you use to stick pins in?