My favorite way to upgrade an older home with side by side reach in closets is to use a series of tall cabinets. Some with three drawers in the bottom and butt doors at the top (to hang half-length items like shirts and pants), others without drawers to hang full length items. This provides better access than reach in closets, eliminates wasted space between closets and can save floor space in some cases if you no longer need a dresser or chest of drawers.

I like to maximize space by building cabinets up to the ceiling. Build it extra deep to allow for drawers and pullouts to store shoes one in front of the other, instead of the traditional side by side. by doing this you get to store twice the amount of shoes and my clients never loose sight of their items.

We use hanger shelves.

We use these mini cubbies from Target to store shoes. I love them! I think they were designed for desktop paper storage and we found them in the office furniture section, but each little cubby hole is perfect for a pair of women's shoes (or multiple pairs, if they're ballet flats or flip flops). Super cost effective and useful. I have them laid horizontally on the floor under our hanging clothes. My daughter stacks them vertically against her bedroom wall. Either way works great.

Oops, sorry, forgot to add the pic of the shoe cubbies from Target

We live in a 1930 home with small bedroom closets. My husband uses the bedroom closet & I use the hall linen closet. It has one hanging bar & a shelf above & one shelf below. I installed hooks on the inside door to hold bags & on the lower part & sweatshirts/ gardening clothes on the upper. Shoes are mostly in their boxes stacked on the upper shelf. Boots are on the lower shelf & floor along with travel toiletry kits & surplus bathroom supplies.

I have overflow storage in the attic for real off season items like bathing suits & shorts & sundresses (only worn 3 months out of the year) & my formal wear. My closet contains all my wardrobe except for things in my dresser (sweaters, knits, workout wear, intimate apparel). So my little closet that's 3 feet wide & 2 feed deep holds all my pants, woven shirts, dresses, skirts & blazers. I have 4 dress pants, 5 pairs jeans, 2 linen pants, 7 woven shirts, 2 blazers, 7 dresses, 7 skirts & 20 pairs of shoes. Sneakers & snow boots are kept at the front porch entrance. My dresser is large, thankfully & holds my 20 sweaters & mix of 20 s/s & l/s shirts.

Long explanation to say that I've done massive clothing purging over the last few years. I worked in the fashion industry for a while, so I have a lot of clothing still. And I love them all. Clearing out unworn items makes a big difference & I only have kept items that I really love. I am mostly at home with my kids, but have started working again one day/ week where I like to look professional. If I go back to work, I will increase my work wardrobe by a couple more pairs of pants & some blazers, but that's about it.

our 5 bedroom victorian house has victorian closets...tucked into the space next to the chimneys and barely a hanger deep, as hangers hadnt been invented when the house was built (and victorians had very few garments), the closets would just have had 3 or 4 hooks along the back.

our strategy... there are only 2 of us for the 5 bedrooms, so we almost have enough space. as things go to charity they don't get replaced, it turns out *most* people just keep buying stuff regardless of need, as long as they have a space to put it when they get home.

With a small closet you need to rotate clothes often, per season. I have hung some things, in display fashion on vintage hangers so that they show against the wall. I also buy at resale shops, so no one thing has become precious and I spent too much to let it go. I often pass things along to friends. If I needed more space I would have armoires, lots of design appeal.

I am a teacher so I need to dress up everyday. I wear green on Monday, black or gray on Tuesday, brown or khaki on Wednesday, blue or purple on Thursday, school colors and jeans on Friday. My small closet has three tops and a dress for each color. When I buy a new top or dress, one leaves. I do rotate for seasons. Makes getting ready in the morning do much easier!

The key is to stay organized, pare down when you no longer wear something and to shop for specific key wardrobe components (rather than just buying stuff to pass time etc.) I shop in my local secondhand consignment store and have donated my professional wardrobe to assorted charities.

Regarding the physical space, get it professionally designed and installed if you can, or DIY if you can do that. The single rod and shelf closet wastes too much space. Style your closets based on what is going in them. We have a back coat closet just for jackets and not long coats. It functions well to hold a lot, with many shelves and double hung rods. Much better than they way it came originally.

Also, if you have an extra bedroom, you can turn the whole room into a fabulous closet. Then everything is in one place and easy to get to!

I organize items by category and color (black pants together and red tops together). When I see that I have too many in one color category, I get rid of some. I store out of season clothing in clear boxes on top shelves.

i have closets that are reach-in by choice. every time we got a walk-in closet they were a mess so i chose reach-in. i use elfa organizers because they are very customizable and last a long time. i have had a drawer system for 20 years which is used in a pantry cabinet. can't say enough good things about this brand. find it at containerstore.com

I highly recommend taking a look at easyclosets.com. We were able to design and install a truly efficient system for a small 6 foot reach in closet for a fraction of the cost of a professional system. The second photo shows how the designer was able to find space for long hanging clothes to the right of the garments in the top picture. We also used easyclosets.com for a multi-purpose closet in our family room.

I make the most of my closets by keeping them uncluttered and organized. That wasn't always the case but right before we started our remodel over the last two years I called junk king and had them haul away everything that we had packed away for years. It felt so good to get rid of all that stuff and just store what we really use. I've been pretty good about keeping it up but I must admit a couple of closets need to be organized again. Nothing like it was before though!

I agree with 4megarama. Elfa storage systems are terrific! And the Container Store has gonga sales twice a year on Elfa--30% off. I believe it is still going on now for a couple more weeks. They have consultants who will help you design it for free. They are a great store. We finally have one in Sacramento! They are also online but I don't know about the consultant part online--I've always gone in.i

Another vote for Elfa from the Container Store. We have three Elfa closets which were designed by personable staff with great ideas. We had no trouble with installing the shelving ourselves, but the store will provide installation for a fee. I also recommend incorporating the units on wheels. I sound like a spokesman for Elfa, but the systems have made a big difference in our small closets.

Put tiny things in it! Just kidding. It depends on its shape and if it has shelves or not. If it's a broom-type closet, then it put broom-type objects it in. If it's a clothes closet, off-season items are probably stored in it. Or, stack Christmas decorations in it. The ideas are endless!

I pared down. I mercilessly took out everything that I no longer liked. I put in the closet only what I actually wear this season, not even close that I might want to wear. A 2 -level bookshelf with a tri-level corner hold books on the floor. Above these, on the back wall, are stacked kit-boxes with handles of memorabilia. Coats, business clothes, dresses, shirts, sweaters are hanging up. I hang my scarfs and wraps on a hangar by side nails. Top shelf has more books, plus a box of pocketbooks and 2 overnight bags/gym totes. The pocketbooks are tucked inside of each other. Four totes are hung from hooks 2 inches from the ceiling on either corner. The totes hold my hobbies: gardening and knitting.

First thing we do is remove the door. Spackle and sand and paint the casing where the hinges were. This gains a whole wall where the door previously opened in to. We hang a hook system on that wall with a bench underneath. Works every time!

Pictures PLEASE !!

When I shop for new tops if I buy 2 then 3 go to poor. Same with shoes, purses etc. we can't find the things we love to wear if we don't get rid of the things we don't wear. I also had an old home without closet space & i purchased a tall Cedar robe cabinet that had drawers below.

Tabs from drink cans slide nicely onto the hook part of hangers. Slide one on, hook another hanger into it! Allows 2-3 hangers to be hung on each other while only taking up the space of 1 hanger on the rod. Great for small spaces.

I cut these shelves from two 4x8 sheets of plywood.

I had California Closets design this small area over the washer and dryer in the laundry room. I use the cabinets for storage and laundry essentials. There is a upper rod for hanging garments fresh out of the washing machine to dry, and also a really cool pullout garment valet rod used for hanging shorter items to dry, such as shorts. It retracts back in when not in use. I love this space!!

Beautiful! Just a note that easyclosets.com uses the same materials, actively helps with designs and is about half the cost (if you are able to install yourself). And no I don't work for them - just have two beautiful closets that we had them design and purchased from them

Thanks for the tip about easyclosets.com

next to a custom closet IKEA has one of the most justified wardrobe systems that you can create a semi custom look with called PAX and moderately easy to install. in my own walk in closet I was able to create a his and hers wardrobe. my husband thought it would never work but has found that he has extra space. we store jackets in the coat closet downstairs, winter clothes when not needed in vacuumed packed containers and specialty season shoes in the garage.
to further my organization I have a his and hers side dedicated and we share a long hang being that the closet is small. we each have double hang space, drawers, pull out accessory trays, a dirty clothes basket and shoe shelves. to make getting dressed easier I color code my clothes and separate my tops from my bottoms. my shoes are in covered containers to keep them from getting dusty and the ones I wear most are shelved. I do have a few hooks for miscellaneous items like robes. But each of us have a telescoping belt rack.

We've had two clients recently tell us we were similar in price or less than the Elfa system including installation. For a single simple closet it may be a good solution, but if the space is at all challenging or if there are more than one closet it might not hurt to send some photos and dimensions to a professional and see if they can give you a better design for the same or similar cost, and no hassle. We can often make better use of the space, plus we do all the work and stand behind the finished installation.

Love all the options to organize a reach in closet. I am going from walk in closets to a mobile with 2 little reach in closets. You have helped with my start to changing them to nice built in's. My 1st plan is to remove the doors and set a couple inexpensive shelving units in there for folded clothes and leave enough space to hang some longer items. The smaller bedroom will be used for a sewing/craft room so part of that closet will be for brooms/vacuum/ironing board, etc. I want to corral all those utility items in the same place. The other bedroom will be my sleeping room and I plan to keep it simple. I remembered, the other day, that I've kept some old "under the water bed" drawers for a long time. I suddenly could see them painted (or not) and the bedding all tucked in and some type of hanging/curtain on the closet. Extra shelves in the closet, extra drawers under the bed....it all helps. Not all of us are ready or able to spend for new installations yet, but might have something that will be useful. I look forward to the built ins eventually but for now I'll use what I've got and you all helped.

This article is about making the most of a tiny closet. I grew up in a 1950 bungalow with three tiny closets about 36 inches wide. There was one in each bedroom and one in the bath that held towels and bed linens. Those in the bedroom had a single rod at about 5 ft high with a shelf above it. My parents shared their closet, and I shared mine with my sister. Only clothes that needed hanging went in the closet—suits, dresses and coats for the most part. Shoes were stored on racks in the bottom, and the shelf held seldom used or seasonal items. Everything else was stored in dressers and/or chest of drawers. People simply did not buy more clothing than they needed. If you have a truly tiny closet, you need to pare down what you keep there. Utilize taller chests, such as THIS one, to free up floor space.

Elfa closet system helped me make my 3x3 foot utility closet more useable. It was impossible to see what was at the back of the shelves, or to reach things on the higher shelves. With some new Elfa shelves I'm now able to see and reach everything. The Container store currently has a 30% of sale on Elfa happening until the end of February.

I Elfa'd my bedroom closet too. It's much easier to see my whole wardrobe now, and I can fit about 30% more stuff in without it feeling overcrowded. I love Elfa! The garage is next..

Quickest fix is often to raise the existing single hanging rod and add a second one below it.

I made a lot more room in my closet but getting rid of all the clothing I didn't like.

If closet is small, only put items that absolutely need to be in hangers. All the rest can be rolled on Mari Kondo way and is much easier to store in a dresser. Takes way less space and its easy to see what you wear and what you never seem to touch. Declutter as needed...

I live in an apartment so I can't change the bones of the clothet but there's lots of other options. I use hanging shoe racks, baskets and bins, and stackables. The best way to utilize space is to declutter all the unused and unloved things to make room for the good stuff.

Very timely article as I am in the middle of reading Marie Kondo's the life-changing magic of tidying up. The first thing to do is start by discarding what you don't find joy in. So many of us have way too much stuff, especially clothing. I think we tend to buy or install organizing systems to store our belongings rather than evaluate what we really need and use and then determine how to store them. I am fortunate to have a huge walk in dressing area which allows way too much stuff! I will be moving this summer and know I won't have this luxury so am planning for that now.

nancy5940....Marie Kondo's book is awesome. I have used it as a blue print to "tidy" up my life.. It is working well and you are absolutely right, we do have way too much stuff.

These ideas worked great for me. I have flip flops, and purses in the top containers. On the other side I have double bars for pants on bottom and shirts on top. More storage on top with gray (Lowes) storage containers. My longer items are on the side with my shoes.

We install a lot of high end master suite closets as well as small reach in closets. If you are handy and own some power tools installing a closet system bought at a home center is the most affordable solution and can be done in a day.

If that is not an option, have a professional closet company come out and give you a quote and design. Most closet companies offer free design consultation.

Double hanging and a smaller long hanging section with shelving in the
middle seems to be the most used design for smaller closets. Whatever
size your closet is, having it well organized is the key to
functionality and efficiency.

We just published an article about the design of small, reach in closets:

http://www.closetadviser.com/small-reach-in-closets/

Recently I had a problem with my front entrance way. As a piano teacher, I constantly have students and their parents coming in as others are going out. The problem- the front door would open every half hour into someone who was gathering their things and putting their shoes back on. Very unpleasant. Suddenly..

I realized that the closet on the same wall was not in the path of the swinging door.

I took the door of that closet off, took the top shelf out, removed the rod, I now had a tiny little "cubby-type" room. Painted the inside a bright aqua (a color that is in my pillows in the piano room). I put coat hooks up both at adult height and kid height, put a bright aqua rug down on the floor and set a small ottoman in the new "changing room". Everyone is happy! The bright color is enlivening, no one bumps into anyone and all coats and shoes are out of the way of the incoming students!

We are in the midst of having our master closet "outfitted". I find that hanging shoe bags are the most space-efficient way to store shoes. We will have a 12 inch wide space (between shelves/drawers) that will have two rods, one in front of the other, each of which will hold two shoe bags with 10 pockets each. Current season shoes go in the front two bags, off-season in the rear bags. Forty pairs of shoes in 12 inches of space - not bad! Sorry it's not done so I can't post a photo.

Elfa closets are great. Our closets are not huge so I had them redesigned with Elfa from Container Store and now have lots of storage. Take advantage during their sale and you save lots.

Another vote for Elfa. My husband was horrified at the cost initially, but now agrees that we are so much happier in our house since we installed them. And Container Store will exchange pieces if you need to switch a shoe rack for a drawer, for example, even a year after purchase. We have Elfa drawers in our office and three Elfa closets. I've never had closets stay consistently neat for years before, but these have really worked for us. And installation is super easy. PAX at Ikea looks awesome, and if I couldn't do Elfa, that's the first place I'd look.

I live in a 160 year old house. No walk in closets here. I have found that built in shelving units give me less usable space than MacGyver-ing my own ad-hock combo of boxes, drawer, and shelving units from Target and the container store. I have a *ton* of stuff, neatly organized and easily accessible in my bedroom closet using these items, which cost under $150 total.

ON THE FLOOR

1. Four of these drawers, 2 on top of 2, in white. The are placed on the floor under the shorter hanging items like shirts and short skirts. Use: Purses, tights, exercise clothes, special shoes in drawers; sitting on top of drawers are shoes I wear most often
http://www.containerstore.com/s/storage/storage-drawers/like-it-smoke-modular-drawers/12d?productId=10034766

2. Big, flexible plastic tote bag on the floor next to drawers. Use:
Boots, hold tote backs. Got it at container store but cannot find
online.

ON THE SHELF ABOVE THE HANGING ROD

3. Cheap, great made in USA plastic shoe boxes with lids from Target. 18 of them stacked in three rows. (Note, I am tall, which helps.) Use: Shoes and belts. I labeled all of the boxes with hand drawn pictures of my shoes so I know what is in them. And, labels like - 'funky belts' or 'more normal belts'.

4. Two of these shelves, placed on the shelf next to my grid of clear shoe boxes. Use: Stack bulky sweaters and sweatshirts.

http://www.containerstore.com/s/shelving/shop-by-area-of-the-home/kitchen-pantry/white-large-grid-stacking-shelf/123d?productId=11002123