I need help with closet space. I just bought my first house and it only has one closet which I'm going to use for my daughter. So where am I supposed to put all of my wife's and my clothes? I looked at wardrobe thingies but there are too small and too expensive. if anybody has any ideas it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Blaine
In the days before houses were built with closets, people used hooks and armoires (04/19/2005)
By Linda L.
My husband and I have the same delimna. I went down to Wal-Mart and bought several of their free standing garment racks. They are in the laundry department. They are made out of light weight metal tubing and come unassembled. They cost me $5.00 each and took two minutes to put together, but they work great. (04/19/2005)
By Lara Warwick
Stores like Target, Kohl's and Wal-Mart also have those "cube" systems made of pine and laminate which you can put together into different configurations. Those are great! Some of them are great for folded sweaters and T-shirts, and you can put garment rods between them to hang pants, etc., too! (04/19/2005)
By Ela
On a home improvement show last week, they hung metal closet rods at the end of a room and then hid the rods behind curtains. Looked very nice and gave them lots of storage. (04/19/2005)
By Ruth
I'll tell you what a friend did. She had a bedroom that they used for an office/guestroom, but didn't realize that it really didn't have closets until parents came for an extended stay. Then reality set in.
She and her DH hired a carpenter to build a wall to wall closet on one end of the room. This gave them nice storage and a custom designed closet where none existed before and did not take much space away from the room.
My next suggestion to you is to do what a SIL did, and that was to make a small spare bedroom into her closet by hanging standing racks covered with plastic around the room. The plastic is suspended from a shelf above the rod, so it doesn't interfere with the curved ends of the hangers.
The most practical solution is to see if your closet can be placed in another room, thus keeping your bedroom for the bed and dresser only.
I have seen self standing closets, so you might want to consider installing a few of these in the bedroom.
Don't hang clothing on hooks, this will pull the garments out of shape and weaken the fabric. (04/19/2005)
By Holly
Go to a military surplus store and if they have a wall locker like the military uses they are half way decent in size. That is what we are using. (05/16/2005)
By Angel1031indigus
Free-standing garment racks are flimsy and cannot bear weight for a long time. The joints are usually plastic and will tilt over time.
The best bet is to start building a closet, step by step. First, the 2x4 frame, studs, and the wood dowel hanging rod with silicone on it. Next time your budget allows, add a curtain, real wood or dry wall. Each step, add a new part.
Do it yourself. Check out DIYnet.net or hire a carpenter for each step. You won't miss the space you took from the room, and you soon will have a huge room-wide closet. Mirrors, anyone? That's next time.
This will really increase the value of your home. Losing a "whole" bedroom won't.
For shoe cubes, drawers, check out eBay or Craig's List or other low-cost sources and sales. Be flexible. Closets don't grow in gardens. They were built by humans; that's you and me. (08/13/2005)
By Carrie
Lowe's sells closet organizers, I think starting at around $24 and up. They are great. You can use it, even if you do not have an extra closet, just need an empty wall. (08/13/2005)
By Jenny
My little sister has a big white closet. It was mine until she was born. It has two drawers at the bottom. At the top, it has double doors and inside, a pole for clothes hangers. You can also fold clothes under the pole. Then put books or collector's items on the top. You can get one of these in Lowe's or a furniture store. It's Nifty Thrify!
By Aileen
If you're trying to be decorative and have a spare room (and you can live with crazy ideas ideas on your walls), get a bunch of old leather high-heeled shoes(3 inches or higher) and nail them into the wall through the ball of the shoe. (You should also glue the heels to the wall, too) The toes of the shoes should face the floor for the best hanging. You can also get leather paints to change the colours of your shoes, too.
I don't know if this helps you any, but hey, it's a new idea. (05/19/2006)
I have a 1 bedroom house and also had a storage problem. I bought a galvanized metal trash can, plumbing insulation, and I had those "wobbly" 3 legged decorator tables with a glass top. The trash can was the same height as the decorator table, so the table cloth fit to the correct height also. I fit the pluming insulation over the lip of the trash can to create a cushion and prevent the top from sliding off. I used the top of that 3 legged table and the glass to create a top.
By Cindy
Online stores like containerstore.com and ikea.com have great clothing organization solutions. Ikea even has modular wardrobe units that can be customized. Depending on where you live both of these online sites also have stores, usually in larger cities, where they will sit with you and help you plan your space for free. Ikea has a planner online, but it can be a little bit of a pain in the butt to use.
The Container Store has an 800 number that you can call and they will consult with you over the phone if they don't have a store location in your area. Ikea probably offers a similar service, but I can't be 100% sure of that. Either way both sites are worth looking at because their storage systems are easy to install, relatively affordable and they can be customized to be visually appealing so they don't need to be behind closed doors. Hope this helps! (02/12/2009)
By neatfreak85
A person can also get one of those ready to assemble armoires, or "pantry units" only instead of putting the shelves in it get a set of those closet rod holders and put one on each end and then find a good heavy rod to hang clothes on. For the rod a person could even use an old broom stick cut to the right length. Also make sure the the "pantry unit" is the right depth for hangers. (07/19/2009)
By Joan
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