DIY Closet Renovation by Paisley Hansen

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

If you have found yourself with some excess time and energy and need a DIY project, consider a complete closet renovation. Not only will you be able to access your clothes more easily, but chances are you will also be able to create more useful space – an important consideration if you share a closet or own a lot of clothes

Determine What You Need

Take accurate measurements of your closet space so you know exactly what you can fit in it. Think about how you would like to use the space and what features you could add to make it more useful to you. Do you need a mirror or a tray for jewelry? Do you need space for longer clothes or do shorter double or even triple racks make sense with your wardrobe? How many shoes do you own? This is your time to dream. Editing ideas comes later. Once you have a basic understanding of what you need, it’s time to work in what will fit.

Create More Space

Modern man is all about maximizing resources. You buy cars for their gas mileage. You install a solar panel system to save money on electricity. You create storage where there seemingly is none. For a closet, it’s important to look up and look down to find more room. Often closets waste space at the top because a regular-sized person can only reach so high. Consider installing an extra row of shelves above the ones just above your head. This is a perfect place to store out-of-season shoes, sweaters, jeans or shorts. An inexpensive folding step stool kept nearby makes this space accessible the few times a year you need to switch out your wardrobe. Keep everything neat in labeled fabric boxes with handles. At the bottom of your closet, install a tilted shoe rack all the way around. This keeps shoes in view but out of the way.

Another idea to create space is to install a fold-down clothes rack that is mounted high in your closet. These clothes bars fold out on hinges to eye level but otherwise stay up and out of the way. This is a great solution to party clothes that you only wear a couple of times a year.

Add Useful Accessories

There are plenty of great closet accessories to help you keep your things organized. Small fabric lined trays can be installed under shelves to hold your wallet, cuff link, watches or other jewelry all in one place. Racks attached flush against the wall or behind the door can help organize ties and belts. Another tie rack works like a trombone with an arm that slides into the closet with the hangars and out when you need to access it. Don’t forget about proper lighting. It’s nearly impossible to tell what’s blue or black in a dim closet, but it will be very obvious at work if your shoes don’t match.

Getting Started

Decluttering the closet is likely to be the most painful part of the closet renovation process, but it must be done. You will create chaos before you install order. To get started, take each garment out of your closet piece-by-piece and shoe-by-shoe. Create three piles: items you actively wear at least every two weeks, items you wear at least 2-3 times a year, items you haven’t worn in a year or more. Take everything in the last category and put it in a box in another room, out of sight. If after two months, you miss anything in that box, you can open it up again and reevaluate. If, however, you can’t even remember what’s in there, donate it without looking at it again. Now look at the second category. Do you have duplicates? Do you need three pairs of old tennis shoes, or will one pair do? Do you have four suits from a previous job when you only ever wear one to the occasional wedding? Try to pare down this group by a third.

Closet renovation is not for the faint-of-heart, but it is a doable DIY project. When you’re finished, you’ll likely be very happy with the additional, useful space you’ve created.