Get to Know Your Closet: Features You May Not Be Using Properly (but Should!)
According to a New York Times article from 2019, Americans are among the most stressed people in the world. For example, 55% of adults in the U.S. say they experience stress throughout the majority of the day – compare this to the global average of 35% and it’s clear we’re #1 (in a bad way). Consider a Huffington Post article as well that found 84% of stressed-out Americans believe their home isn’t clean or organized enough. Within that 84%, 55% claim cleanliness and organization to be a major contributor to their stress. Yet, we as a society have developed thousands of tools and features over the years to make our lives easier. Where is the disconnect? It’s all in the know-how…
So, in order to help increase the quality of your life and lower your stress levels, we at The Closet Works, Inc. have put together a list of tools and features that reside in your closet that you may not be using properly, explaining what they are and how to make them work for you.
The Island
Often in a customized walk-in closet, an island at the center inspires grandiosity and garners attention as it draws your eye when you walk into the room. It’s flat top with an abundant amount of space can be used for an array of time-saving activities. If you keep the top of your island tidy and uncluttered, it can be a fantastic space to fold and organize your laundry once it’s fresh out of the dryer. It’s also good to utilize the space when you’re packing your suitcase. Instead of putting your suitcase on your bed or another piece of furniture not within the closet, using an island can result in a lot less back-and-forth while packing. Additionally, it can serve as a staging area for your next day’s set of clothes. Setting out your clothes the night before, with all the bits and pieces laid in an organized manner, can help reduce the stress of the next morning’s scramble to find something – anything – to wear.
Endless Options
Everyone loves to have options – hot or iced? Small or large? Storage methods are no different. For example, in your walk-in closet, you may have the option to put your sweaters in drawers or the option to stack them on shelves. In life, we must choose the option that works best for who we are as individuals – different approaches work for different people. Your walk-in closet is no different. You can choose the drawer for your sweaters, stack them all on shelves or do a little bit of both. For some, combining both options may be out of the question while for others it’s perfection.
This may seem like common-sense – to do what’s best for you, your closet layout and your organizational tolerance but it’s important. It’s all about customization. This goes for all of the contents of your closet: dresses, belts, suits, shoes – what choice will you make? Jeans hung up or flat on a shelf? Ties on a rack or rolled in divided drawers? Shoes on high slanted shelves so they can be seen easily, simply on a lower shelf, or even in cubbies. The options are numerous but the power is yours.
Multiplying Usable Space
Reach-in closets are as common, or possibly more common, than walk-in closets. Our design ideas for reach-ins guarantee you have plenty of space to properly and efficiently store all of your clothes and more. These ideas include different length hanging sections, which can be used to store clothing items that vary in size, such as long gowns, dresses or floor length coats. We might also recommend a mid-length section for slacks that are hung from the cuff or hem. However, for skirts, shorts, dress shirts and pants hung halved over a hanger, a double-hang section is the most effective use of space. To take that a step further, another option is to put in a triple-hang section. This section could also be for shorter items such as blouses, shorts or shorter skirts but utilizes additional vertical space as well. When considering differing lengths for hanging closet items, efficiency is the word that comes to mind. Multiplying your usable space quickly, easily and inexpensively can help with achieving peace of mind when it comes to closet organization.
Speaking of multiplying usable space, another option you have is a free-standing wardrobe. Wardrobes are the answer when you need storage in rooms without closets or limited closet space. These closet organizers can be built to any size or specification in a style that fits you perfectly. If you have used all of the available space in your current reach-in and find you require or desire more room, a free-standing wardrobe is a great compliment to the reach-in. For example, the reach-in can hold all of your hanging pieces while your wardrobe adds drawers, shelves, even some extra hanging space, or a little bit of everything. You can truly have the best of both worlds when you consider the tools that are available.
TIP: This may be surprising to learn but we do not recommend installing pie-shaped corner shelves in your closet. Don’t get us wrong – these shelves are a great way to extend storage in one’s kitchen pantry for items that are not used frequently such as a mixer or a crock pot. The math, however, with regards to a clothes closet does not produce the same efficiencies as the kitchen pantry. Most pie-shaped corner shelves take up 4 ft of space – 2ft from one wall and 2 ft from the adjacent wall. When it comes to the space it provides, however, you are only getting about 17 inches of front access to your storage space, so we recommend staying away from this type of shelving for your clothing.
Closet Tools and Features
At The Closet Works, we’ve learned that over the course of history, humans have developed tools to make our lives easier. The initial approach to storing belongings developed by our forebearers wasn’t as sophisticated as those that we have today. Now we have walk-in closets, reach-ins & wardrobes, just to name a few, that make organization in one’s home truly exceptional. As time continues to progress, we will continue to develop more tools to make our lives easier, more efficient & more enjoyable.
Everyone wants to avoid the stress and unfortunately, that will most likely not be completely cured from the proper utilization of your closet’s capabilities. However, getting organized and capitalizing on the tools & features available to you can move you closer, even if it’s just a bit, to achieving a more peaceful feeling.
Interested in learning more about getting organized or The Closet Works’ custom closet installations? Contact us today for a free design consultation with one of our professional Designers.
