Monday, June 11, 2012

Simple Changes to Make a Closet More Functional

Cats in a closet

Topsy and Turvy have been kind enough to pose for some photos, as I show you what jewelry designer Stephanie Hamilton has done with her sons' bedroom closet. I've shown you this closet before, but some recent improvements — courtesy of a good handyman — have made the closet even better.


curtain serving as closet door

Instead of a closet door, Stephanie has used a curtain — which is much easier to shove aside than the old closet doors were. The curtain adds a lovely splash of color, too. That ladder goes up to what was once a storage area, but now serves as a reading nook.


closet with shelves - and a cat

closet with shelves added

And to make the most of the space, Stephanie has had shelves installed, leaving just one small area with a functional clothes rod. Most of the boys' clothing simply doesn't need to be hung up, and hanging clothes is more complicated than tossing them in a drawer or a basket. And the shelves can hold all sorts of other things, not just clothes.

I've done something similar with my guest bedroom closet — kept the clothes rod so I can offer a normal-looking closet to my infrequent house guests, but had shelves installed for storage that better suits my needs when guests aren't around. The shelves are adjustable, and it's easy to remove them (and the items stored on them) when I do have house guests.

Thanks to Stephanie for allowing me to take these photos and share them with you!

2 comments:

JustGail said...

One of the best moves I made before moving into our current house was buying the adjustable wire shelving for all the closets. The hanging space is dwarfed by the shelf space, and in my DS's closet, being able to raise the hanger rod as he grew has been wonderful.

I realize not everyone can do all the closets at once. Unless you are moving and all the closets are empty already, I'd recommend doing 1 at a time, so you can see if there are any changes you'd like to make for the next closet. Or do the basic hanger and shelf, then consider what other bits you'd like. In the brand I used, the support structure and the shelves weren't the biggest cost, it was the brackets that hold the shelves.

Claire Josefine said...

Three cheers for replacing closet doors with curtains! I did it with my closet over a decade ago, with no regrets and many moments of satisfaction over the decision. I recommend it often to clients.

One thought, looking at los gatos and that guitar... If there is room, they might want to put up one of those wall clips to hold the guitar on the lower wall of the closet. It looks from the picture as tho' there's enough vertical room, and it would both give more shelf space and keep the cats from walking on the guitar.