Sunday Spotlight: The Alternative Closet Organization Guide

This Sunday, we’re getting organized. See how we’re decorating alternative closet spaces!

So I recently moved into a new house, and I’m in love with the space. It boasts the best of loft-style living, i.e. high ceilings and tons of natural light, but via a Philly row-home. It had everything I was looking for in a new living space, except for one thing…

No closets.

This worried me a bit. I have a lot of clothes. Before I moved, I tried to get rid of anything I didn’t feel was absolutely necessary. Even after the purge, I still had things that needed to be stored in an easily accessible and visible manner. And I had no desire to throw everything into the basement (thank goodness there’s a basement). So I had to get creative — how does one make clutter look beautiful? How was I going to store all my clothes in a way that looked presentable, organized, and clean? Here’s how I did it:

(First, allow me to add that I did submit a special request to my landlord to add some kind of closet-esque fixture to the small space I have upstairs. It’s too small to be a bedroom, so I deemed this area my alternative closet. The result is what you see in the photo above: 2 PVC pipes, 2 hooks, 2 ropes. Works like a charm.)

Color Coordinate 

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Color coordinating your clothes is an easy way to make them look more organized. I typically go from light to dark, starting with black then fading to white. I draped pants on the lower rack, then shirts and tanks on the upper rack of the fixture my landlord installed. I find that I spend less time looking for specific pieces, and it’s way more visually pleasing.

Use Crates

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I used to stuff everything into the top drawer of my dresser. Socks, underwear, bras, bodysuits, sports bras, tights, you name it. It was out of control, to the point where the drawer wouldn’t even close. To free up space, I took my socks and intimates and designated specific crates for each. My top drawer is now 10x more tolerable, and the crates make it easier to see what I have rather than digging for pieces that just get shoved to the back of my dresser.

Purchase Rolling Racks

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Rolling racks saved my life. I have one upstairs, and one in my basement. The pipes weren’t enough to hold everything, so I set up a rolling rack to hang all of my coats, longer dresses and bulky sweaters. Bed Bath & Beyond sells collapsable/adjustable racks that can hold up to 120 lbs. Make sure you purchase one that’s sturdy enough or else it won’t do you any good.

Incorporate Pieces Into Your Decor

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I love to incorporate pretty intimates into my decor. Rather than losing them to a dresser drawer, show them off by hanging them on a pretty hanger.

Be Selective

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As I said earlier, I utilize two rolling racks: one upstairs, and one in the basement. The one upstairs holds all of the things I wear most often. I also consider the season. I switched out most of my warmer weather clothes for coats and seasonal piecesr. All of the pieces I’m not currently wearing get stored out of the way until it comes time to wear them again.

Utilize Space Under The Bed

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If you have space underneath your bed, use it. I like to purchase long and skinny plastic bins that are just thin enough to slide below my bed frame. They’re great for storing bathing suits, sandals and extra linens.

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+Do you have an alternative closet? How do you like to organize it? 

See more from the Sunday Spotlight series. 

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Sabs
8 years ago

Thanks Jana. I’m planning on moving as well and these tips to store my FP goodies will come in handy

Maren
8 years ago

I live in Germany and over here NOBODY has closets. They’re just not a thing. We just use furniture. The colour coordination is a good idea! I think it also makes finding things so much easier – I have all my books sorted by colour. :)

8 years ago

Loving the tips. My closet is just a big mess. Seriously need to take a whole day to finally organise it. :)

8 years ago

I’ve always been using the space under my bed (I need it really), but I like the thought of organizing my wardrobe by colour. This is a really great tip!
https://www.makeandmess.com/

8 years ago

Greate guide! Especially loved the last one “Utilize Space Under The Bed”

Margarita Stepanyan
8 years ago

I really love this! Especially the quality of your photos, they’re beautiful! And the tips were really helpful too. It never occurred to me that I can use the space underneath my bed to organize things like bathing suits, because I’ve never really known where to store them until now!

Kaelyn
8 years ago

I love these tips, especially the one about the crates! I have a problem with stuffing my drawers too full and then everything sits in a pile on the floor in front of my dresser! I think even adding one crate that sits on top of the dresser or in the closet would give just a little bit of extra room! Thanks for the tip!

Kate
8 years ago

I too have many clothes and no closet! I went for 2 dressers, a rolling rack, and then large clear totes to store the other things. Out of season things go under the stairs or in the downstairs bench seat, and 2 others sit on the bottom rungs of the rack. It’s difficult not having the storage space but it does force you to pare down a little, and the rack is a great way to showcase beautiful pieces:)