Have you thought about removing the framing? I did that to a secondary bedroom and tripled the storage by using Pax, Besta and Sektion that I bought on clearance.

A third of the extra storage came from the upper section that is blocked by framing.

often there is room up there. I have 2 walk in closets and had a shelf put in each waaaay up there. I can't reach it but store things up there I don't normally need. I also had a shelf put up high in 2 bedroom closet that are probably much like yours. I've heard of people even cutting out the drywall above, framing it in and putting small doors above the sliding doors for added storage.

I totally agree with beachem. I have a situation similar to yours--two BR townhouse, no attic, no basement, no garage. Each bedroom has one one wall that is totally a reach-in closet. The one in the MBR seems twice as large as the one in the small BR because it has floor to ceiling doors all the way across, while the other closet is framed in. Can't wait to get rid of that.

love beachems work in progress - please come back and share when you are finished! I especially love the Billy show pullout. Was thinking along those lines for my space.

tmnca - have you looked at the IKEA algot line? I did and was not impressed. PAX is more expensive but seems to have so many more options. For the laundry space, if you go with stacked, remember you need access to the water shutoff. I am planning a similar setup and and thinking of going with a freestanding unit IKEA sells with wheels. It could easily be moved out of the way to get access to the back wall.

you need access to the water shutoff. I am planning a similar setup and and thinking of going with a freestanding unit IKEA sells with wheels. It could easily be moved out of the way to get access to the back wall.

Hmm, yes but in my sad experience when you need access to that valve you need it RIGHT NOW.

I know that removing the framing would give us more space and make everything more accessible but it will be another HUGE mess, and we just renovated kitchen and bathrooms, moved back in and I am pregnant - I don't want to deal with the disruption and mess of more renos - drywall is the worst. We also don't want to spend more money (the cost of the organization system will be covered by our rebate/gift card for the kitchen sale) with a baby and unpaid leave from work in my near future.

So, I guess Im hoping to just better arrange the storage space we have, and have some built in drawers or shelves which will work better than the old dressers shoved in the closets. For example, for those of you without a garage or shed how do you store your tools and similar items?

I do like Pax a lot better than Algot and I considered doing something like putting pax units in the center of some closets and using the side spaces for tall stuff, or open shelves.

For the laundry closet I was thinking of putting one tall narrow Sketion cabinet right next to the stacked washer/dryer, then leaving the spaces to the right and left open/tall for things like the ladder, vacuum cleaner, etc

What is your budget? The pax system will exceed $1k. Pax would be my suggestion too. I have had pax for years and love it. I also have another system from ikea that is a pole based one and I don't like it as much as I like pax. I will try to explain what I think you can do. What is the height of the closets? Pax allows you to get rid of dressers since you can use drawers and pull outs.

For the nursery closet, I would use three 29" pax units across the back. What will you store in this closet? Pick and choose as many fittings based on what you would store in it. I would add a mirror on the side walls and hooks on the other side wall for hanging items. The pax units that I am referring to are 24" deep.

For the master bedroom, I would use two 39" wide pax units that are 24" deep on the 80" wall. This will give you space to walk into the closet and pull out items in drawers or pull outs. I would repeat this in both closets so each person has their own setup. You can always add accessories as you go along.

For the laundry closet, I would deviate from Pax. I would keep your washer and dryer unstacked. I would place the washer and dryer pair on the wall that is 80" deep. Most front loaders are smaller than 30" wide, so I would purchase a 18" wide base cabinet from sekton to store all my laundry products and other supplies. It could also house tools. I would find a countertop to go on top of the washer and cabinet. The wood counter from ikea for an island should be deep enough or you could use the laminates depending on your style. I would use two 39", 15" high sekton wall cabinets on top of the washer dryer and base cabinet. Check with the plumber to see if you can place the water outlet and shutoff valves on the side of the wall.

For the other wall in the closet, I would look at Elfa for their 12" deep wall units. This could hold the vacuum cleaner, cleaning items like brooms, etc.. You could also put some drying hooks on the back all in the laundry closet. I will try and post a picture later. Laundry hampers and baskets can also live on this wall.

Good luck!

Some other thoughts, I don't think you need doors for any of the closets since your closets already have doors. If you do need a door, you should get a door that matches your interior doors.

If you are vertically challenged, the hafele pull down hanging system is compatible with pax and will make items hung high accessible.

I have valet rods from rev a shelf that work very well with pax.

The system has tons of customizations.

Good luck!

Thanks, homepro01. I have considered Pax but it will waste the space at the tops of the closets (a little over a foot) and yes I already have sliding bypass doors. I also can't put Pax in the right hand part of the MB closet because it would block access to the attic trap door. As much as I like the pax system, it just doesn't seem like it would be the most efficient for our closets.

As for budget, well, I am hoping to not spend much more than the gift card will be which should be about $1000 depending on what they include. We have already put more money into this home than is advisable from an investment perspective - we have made improvements as much for our own enjoyment as for future resale. Closet renovations won't increase the value of our home, so this is just for us, to help organize things better while we live here.

So really I am just looking to buy some shelving and figure out the optimal way to organize the types of items to make use of the different closets.