There are few places in your home where maximizing space is more important than your closets. A well-organized closet saves you the time and frustration off digging through a jumbled mess to locate an item of clothing, only to realize it’s too wrinkled to wear out. Closets are not limited to storing and showcasing your wardrobe. There are numerous types of closets that are utilized in a variety of ways. Some closets store your coats and long-draping dresses while others store jars of food and electric crock pots.
Below is a list of different types of closets, with some tips on how to get the most out of each of them.
When it comes to housing your clothes, a walk-in closet is the Cadillac of closets. Or the Rolls Royce, if that’s more your speed. No matter what your dream car might be, a walk-in closet offers the most storage capacity of any closet and allows one to move around freely while figuring out what to wear. With the right size and design, walk-in closets not only store your clothes, they showcase them.
A walk-in closet is typically defined as any closet space in which a person can comfortably step inside. Walk-ins vary in size, ranging anywhere from a 3×5 to areas large enough to be considered master bedrooms.
With so much room available, the options for designing a walk-in closet are infinite. There’s plenty of wall space to hang clothes as well as to build shelving units to fold and stack items. Larger walk-in closets can feature an island unit that doubles as a space to fold clothes and as a dresser to store clothes. Some master walk-ins will utilize a wall or shelving unit to divide the space in two, to accommodate two people. Most walk-in closets will either feature window or a HVAC vent, or both, so that the temperature of the closet is comfortable.
When it comes to making the most of your walk-in, the key is to tailor it to your needs. Want a wall dedicated to shelving your shoes? Go for it. Want to use the walk-in as your personal runway? Find some wall space to throw up some mirrors.
Though they’re considerably smaller than their walk-in counterpart, reach-in closets also come in many different stylings. Primarily, the different flavors of reach-in closets depend on how the vertical space is utilized, as they typically only have an arm’s-length amount of depth. The most traditional reach-in closet features one long bar for hanging items. Often times, reach-in closets will have a shelf above the hanging pole for additional storage. Most home will either have a walk-in closet or a reach-in, the value of a home that offer neither suffers.
These narrow closets typically have hinged doors or pull-aside curtains or partitions. Reach-in closets with a bit more depth will often possess sliding or bi-fold doors. Reach-in closets that are located found near the front entrance of a home are typically referred to as hall or entry closets, but work in the same fashion as reach-in closets except they are used to primarily store coats and boots.
Some effective tips for maximizing the storage space of a reach-in closet is to utilize both the space above the bar and below. Above the bar try storing items that are out of season. Sweaters in the summer and shorts in the winter. Depending on the height of the closet, sometimes smaller dressers can be fashioned below where your hanging clothes will drape. These dressers are a great place to stash your socks, underwear and t-shirts.
A wardrobe closet is a standing closet that is not tethered to, or built into, the home. Wardrobe closets can range greatly in size and style. Wardrobes are typically made of wood, oak specifically, and have been around for centuries.
Wardrobe closets are far-less popular today than they were in the past. Today, most wardrobes are used to serve more of a decorative purpose than a storage one, but can really bring a regal look and tone to a room. The compartments of a wardrobe vary, some possessing a long bar so to hold heavy, draping items like coats and others have intricate shelving inside to store a collection of items.
A linen closet is essentially a diminutive reach-in closet that is used to store spare sheets, towels, bedding, bathroom supplies, extra blankets and pillows for guests. Linen closets tend to be narrow and usually found in hallways as a buffer between bathrooms and bedrooms. In modern homes and apartments, linen closets can be utilized as a space to house a washer and dryer. Linen closets can have hinged doors, bifold doors, or be doorless to allow for easier access. Shelving efficiency is the key for maximizing a linen closet.
Pantries are closets that store perishable foods and culinary equipment. Typically, pantries are found near the kitchen and can be both reach-in size or walk-in size. Larger pantries are typically present in modern homes, whereas in an older home pantries are commonly reach-in size.
When pantries are larger, it’s typical to find them doorless or partitioned in a way that allows for someone to easily exit the pantry with their hands full. Wired or wooden shelving is common in pantries to increase the storage capacity.
A utility closet is a reach-in that isn’t use to store clothes, food or linens. Great for housing your less visually-pleasing objects like paint cans, boxes, chemicals and suitcases, a utility closet are excellent to efficiency store items you need to keep in the house, but rarely actually use. Utility closets can be found anywhere except bedrooms. More times than not you’ll find them in mudrooms, basements, hallways or near the garage entrance. With the right deployment of shelving and hooks, utility closets can also be a great place to store a vacuum, mop and broom, cleaning supplies, screwdrivers, hammers, craft supplies and seasonal boxes of decorations.
Are you growing tired of your messy, overflowing closet? Let us help you out. Take a peek at the variety of closet solutions we provide and contact us today if you’re interested in learning how we can transform your cluttered closet into a well-organized, multi-faceted one.
