Our closets encompass our daily routines. We may not give them much credit, but they truly are an important functional space of our home. As a wardrobe stylist and closet specialist, I am very passionate about not only the beauty of the closet, but also the functionality of them. We tend to invest a lot of money when we have custom closets put into our homes so it’s essential that they are beneficial for the wardrobe we actually have. Below I have included my top five tips to implement in your new custom closet design.
Hanging Rod Heights
This is one of my most important tips when it comes to a woman’s closet specifically. The double hang sections of our closets are standard measurements based off a men’s shirt however, as women we don’t require that much space to hang our tops. Between 35-38 inches gives enough allowance for our tops and helps make the hanging rods much lower. This way our clothes aren’t hung so high that we need a step stool or feel like we are getting an arm workout every time we need to hang something back up. Often this also allows for an additional shelf to be installed above the hanging, offering us more storage up high for things we may not use as much.
Valet Rods
Valet rods are a great functional asset to the closet. However, the placement of them is extremely important. Don’t place your valet rods in front of your hanging clothes. When you hang clothes on them it will block the view of your other hanging items and make your closet feel chaotic. Instead, place valet rods where you have less hanging clothing, for example, the end of the Closet System or a shoe wall.
Shoe Shelving
When adding shoe shelving into the closet; avoid the slanted shoe shelves with the bars across, instead opt for straight across shelving. This not only saves you money, but also allows you to fit in more shelves and store more shoes. Additionally, this is a great place to make sure you have holes along the side for adjustability throughout the shelves. This way you have complete customizability when adding in your shoes. You can adjust to make smaller spaces for lower shoes like sneakers or sandals and larger spaces for higher heels. Also, be sure to count your shoes so you know the amount you need to fit into your design.
Drawers
When adding in drawers don’t just think about the clothing you put in them, but also think about accessories that could be best placed in a drawer. Custom organization inserts can be produced for items such as jewelry (you can make this a locked drawer), sunglasses, belts and for men, ties. It’s always best to count these items to ensure that your accessory drawers will hold your full collection.
Adjustability
Our closet systems are something we attain for a long period of time; and they can be an investment, so we want them to grow with us, not against us. Over the years we tend to change in many ways whether it be sizes, trends, or even shoe heights so I always urge my clients to allow for as much adjustability in their closet design as possible. We might be into sets today and need more double hanging, and then in a few years you may find us on a maxi kick, or big totes might be our go to bag style, then suddenly you find yourself reaching only for small cross body bags. By allowing our closets to have holes for adjustability we can accommodate the spacing between shelving and move around our hanging rods, making our closets function for years to come.