Walk-in dreams; 50 tips to your perfect closet, part 2.

What’s the most important feature of your dream house? For a lot of women – and well-dressed men – it very well could be the closet! But unless you have money in your bank and space in your home to build a legendary closet like Mariah Carey, the Kardashians, or former Filipino presidential wife Imelda Marcos who had more than 3,000 pairs of shoes, you may have to get a little creative. But don’t despair because with some planning and design fore sight, you can turn any changing area – big or small – into your dream closet.

Here are 50 tips to do create your dream closet right at home:

1. For the things you don’t regularly wear like formal attire, seasonal gear, rarely worn shoes, and other items, wrap them in plastic and store them in bins or boxes so they don’t take up valuable space.

2. Organize your clothing by type, so shirts go together, pants go together, etc. You can even put all the jeans together, dress shirts together, and the like. This will help you catalog everything you own.

3. For those organized personality types who want to take it a step further, line everything up by color, including shirts, t-shirts, pants, etc.

4. When hanging things in your closet, start with the shortest items and then gradually go longer. This allows you to see everything at once.

5. Tiered hangers are a great space saver for cramped closets. You should be able to maximize vertical space and hang multiple shirts or pants on the same hanger. Waterfall valets and extending valet rods also double your hanging space.

6. Screwing in some hooks to every available wall or the back of your closet door is a fantastic way to find a home for more clothing, hats, or even purses. Just make sure to put your clothes on their on a hanger so the hook doesn’t wear them out.

7. Try to set up your closet with a door that pulls out so you’ll have even more space to walk in and you capture more natural light. A folding door is another option if it doesn’t set up well to have a door open out.

8. When you’re designing your closet and mapping out where shelves will go, keep in mind that a folded stack of clothing usually is about 12” wide. So a shelf that is at least 36” wide can hold three stacks of clothes.

9. And when you’re designing space for your hanging bars, you probably don’t want to go longer than 3.5’ to 4’ each because they weight will start sagging the rod in the middle. They do have re-enforcements if you need to go longer.

10. To keep vertically stacked clothing segregated and from falling into the next stack, insert plastic or wood dividers in between.

11. Nice baskets are a great way to hold items like belts, scarves, and ties that can be rolled up. Decorative baskets look great and can hold a whole lot of accessories.

12. Add reflective surfaces to the backs and undersides of shelves to echo more natural light. You can even install stick-on LED lights that are battery operated and turn on with one easy push.

13. Just be careful with regular light bulbs because they get too hot for a small space like a closet and could become a fire hazard.

14. You can also add mirrors as decoration and to catch more light. Hang small mirrors under your shelves or as the top surface of a chest of drawers or island. You can even hang a mirror on the ceiling to show all of your nice clothing.

15. Speaking of mirrors, every closet needs a full-length mirror for you to see how good you’re looking, so hang one on the wall. But if you are short on space, you can hang a mirror on the back or even front of the closet door or on the wall right outside your closet, where natural light is more flattering (and accurate).

16. You’ll want to highlight your favorite purses and shoes, so buy a nice rack for them or even pull out drawers.

17. If you don’t have room for that, plastic shoe organizers that hang on the back of the door or on the wall work great. Either way, avoid keeping shoes cluttered on the floor of your closet.

18. By the way, those hanging plastic shoe organizers work great to fill with accessories and even jewelry because everything will be visible and easily accessible.

19. Line up purses upright so they don’t lose form. You can store the ones you’re not using or that are out of season wrapped in plastic in those storage boxes.

20. If your closet is big enough, a fold out ironing board is a nice touch. They had these in the kitchen of a lot of older homes from the 1960’s and earlier.

21. A nice basket that tucks away into a cabinet or shelf space is a nice way to hide your laundry and save space. You can pick up great decorative baskets at any place like World Market, Pier 1 Imports, or even Ikea.

22. Utilize plenty of deep drawer space by folding your shirts and sweaters and lining them up vertically, instead of stacked on top of each other. Keep them neat with dividers and that way, you’ll be able to still see everything and store much more.

23. Most people stop the shelves as high as they can reach, but maximize space by going higher, all the way to about 12” from the ceiling. You can keep lesser-used items up there and have a fold out stepping stool for you to easily access them.

24. Install a few nice shelves right outside your closet door to display your nicest hats, baskets, purses, and quality items. If the door is open and the mirror is there anyway, it won’t look out of place. You can mix in a few pictures in frames, wine bottles, flower vases, etc. to ease the transition.

25. We’ve heard of people who turn their unused attic space into an open, airy closet! It might be easier and less expensive than you think. Any inconvenience of climbing the attic stairs will easily be outweighed by the feeling of having your own personal closet haven with plenty of space.

Walk-in dreams. 50 Tips to create your perfect closet. (Part 1)

What’s the most important room in your dream house? For a lot of women – and well-dressed men – it very well could be the giant walk-in closet! But unless you have money in your bank and space in your home to build a legendary closet like Mariah Carey, anyone with the last name "Kardashian," or former Filipino presidential wife Imelda Marcos (who had more than 3,000 pairs of shoes,) you may have to get a little creative. But don’t despair, because with some planning and design foresight, you can turn any changing area – big or small – into your dream closet.

Here are 50 tips to do create your dream closet right at home:

1.  Don’t try to organize or remodel piecemeal inside the closet – take everything out and go through it all when you have plenty of time to dedicate to finishing the task.

2.  If you haven’t used something in a year, it’s outdated, or ill fitting, consider donating it to someone who will get use and enjoyment out of it.

3.  We all have that pair of jeans that’s too long or a shirt that would be our favorite if only it was a little smaller. If you’re not wearing things because of size but you truly like them, take them in to get tailored – or give them away.

4.  There are plenty of closet systems to help you get organized and maximize space. They start from inexpensive do-it-yourself options (Ikea) to mid range (Home Depot and Lowe’s best wooden products) to gorgeous custom professional designs that will make your closet your favorite room in the house.

5.  Most closets come with standard carpet on the floor. But consider installing nice hardwood floor for a classy look, and laying down a designer area rug for warmth in the winter. Hardwood is also a lot easier to clean and will make the area look bigger.

6.  Paint the walls of the closet a bright or light color to open up the space and make it look bigger. Or, you can add a touch of personality with designer print wallpaper.

7.  There’s no better way to transport your pragmatic closet to an elegant experience than by hanging a chandelier where your tired light fixture used to be. You can get one at the local thrift store, a home design store, or look for something fun and funky online.

8.  Cedar wood closet backings, drawers, and cedar floors are great and keep the moths away, but the smell can be strong and make everything in that part of the house. So consider cedar hangars or wood rods instead of the full effect.

9.  Natural light is fantastic in a closet, but often unobtainable unless you install a window. But adding a tubular skylight is a great way to brighten up the room from above. Just make sure the light is filtered so it’s not too hot or fades your clothes over time.

10.  Just like any room, closets need airflow to keep from becoming prone to mold, mildew, insects, or just plain stagnant air. Plug in a small dehumidifier with fan and put it on a timer, so it turns on automatically a couple times a day to keep the air fresh and dry.

11.  More than just one overhead fixture, install enhanced lighting. Mini directional lights, under closet LED’s, and even automatic fluorescent lights in dark drawers and shelves will illuminate everything and make your closet look twice as big.

12.  Add a fun or glamorous doorknob, and try to match it to the knobs on drawers.

13.  If you have enough space, break up the shelf spaces with framed photos, antiques, books, personal effects, and maybe even a vase with flowers.

14.  If it’s big enough, a center island is a wonderful touch in a closet.

15.  And a plush bench in the middle allows you to sit down and try on shoes. If your closet isn’t big enough, a circular padded footstool will serve the same purpose.

16.  Of course you need a great mirror in your closet. Make sure you put it in a place where the lighting is sufficient (and flattering.) To save space, many closet systems now have retractable mirrors.

17.  Why not listen to your favorite music while getting dressed in the morning? So mount a little iPod dock or music player - there’s nothing that will put you in a better mood than dancing and singing while you get ready!

18.  If you don’t have the budget for a brand new closet system, consider putting an antique china cabinet into your existing closet. You can pick one up for cheap at the local consignment store and it has plenty of shelving on display behind glass, spacious drawers, and even space beneath for boxes or baskets.

19.  Go higher with shelves. There’s no reason to stop with shelving at arm’s reach. Go all the way to the ceiling (with space for things on that top shelf of course) and keep a portable bookcase ladder in the closet.

20.  Prioritize the space vertically by placing most-used clothing at eye level, and then other things or out-of-season clothes all the way on top shelves.

21.  Drawers are great for storing sweaters, t-shirts, ties, etc., but the problem is that once they’re put away and closed, the contents are easy to forget. So install drawers with glass fronts so you can still see all of your clothes.

22.  The best way to make sure your closet isn’t overcrowded is to clean it out twice a year, putting away seasonal clothes. You can keep them in sealing plastic bins and store them in the basement, attic, or under the bed. Likewise, don’t keep your boots and winter shoes cluttering up your closet in the summer. Go through them and store in plastic bins or nice baskets.

23.  Make sure to utilize the space on the back of the closet door. Install shelving or plenty of hooks or caddies and hang items like purses, belts, ties, etc. there.

24.  Most women dream of a closet so big that each pair of their designer shoes can be displayed on their own shelf, but for now you may have to settle for other storage options. Hanging caddies with see-through plastic compartments are a great way to store shoes anywhere but keep them visible. You can also fill those compartments with ties, belts, jewelry, etc.

25.  And ladies – remember that the most efficient way to make your portion of the closet bigger is to give your husband or boyfriend less space, so kick him out into the closet in the hall or the spare bedroom. OR you can make sure his portion of the closet is well organized, too!

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