The first step in a closet reorganization is to empty out your over-stuffed, over-worked, outdated closet and figure out what kind of space you have to work with.
Take everything – and yes we mean everything, including the dust bunnies and clothes hangers – out of your closet. This is a great opportunity to go through your closet and discard any clothing, shoes, supplies or other items that you no longer want or need. Donate unwanted items to charity for an added project benefit.
Before you can start picking out your new closet system, you will need to determine how much space you have to work with and layout some ideas for what you want your closet to look like. Get out your tape measure and measure all dimensions of the closet (length, width, height, opening, etc.). Be sure to measure the depth of the closet on both ends to ensure that any shelving you choose will fit all the way across.
When measuring your closet, SCHULTE (our storage solutions vendor) recommends rounding to the nearest inch and then during design subtracting one inch to ensure that all product will fit.
Our Closet Project (Before)
Now determine what type of space it is you have to work it. Do you have a reach-in or a walk-in? Where is the door located and how does that affect your how you might be able to lay your closet out? You may want to play around with a few different layout ideas – SCHULTE has a great feature on their freedomRail website for designing your own closet.
As you start to layout your new closet system, keep the following aspects of your closet in mind:
- What you will be using the space for – pantry, office, bedroom, laundry, garage – knowing what you are going to store in your closet will help to keep spaces distinct and avoid clutter
- Hanging Space – how much long hanging space (for pants, dresses, etc.) and short hanging space (for shirt, skits, etc.) do you need?
- What types of non-hanging items – folded clothing, boxes, shoes, accessories, linens, luggage, food, etc. – will you be storing and what type of shelving would you like for each of these items?