High End Weekly™

Whether you’ve made your home in an Upper East Side brownstone, a charming California cottage, or a renovated Southern plantation house, your closet space is sacred ground. Even if your digs were built before the mid-20th-century, when closets became a fixture in the American home, or after the walk-in wave hit the construction industry, your wardrobe space should be as polished and put together as you are.

Right: Jessica Alba’s Shoe Closet
Photo via P. Series Stylist

While every woman (and many a man) wishes to dress inside a sumptuous and well-appointed walk-in, that luxury may be out of arm’s reach. But with a bit of creativity and consideration to the user’s needs, any ample-sized closet can feel like a deluxe dressing room. Here are a handful of elements to elevate your closet beyond the simple rod and racks.

Opt for Organizational Options:
No matter the size of your style space, by outfitting it with a variety of drawers, doors, shelves, baskets, and cubbies, you can organize by style, season, and sort. Divide your walls into purposed sections: double hanging rods for shorter items like shirts and skirts and a more open hanging space for dresses; hooks for hats, belts, and ties; pull-out baskets for large accessories; shoe cubbies; shallow drawers for intimates and under things (take it one step further by inserting dividers into those drawers); and open shelving for folded knits and tees.

Step Up Your Shoe Display: Discard the pedestrian plastic shoe pockets in favor of a more advanced system of displaying your footwear. Many custom closet companies offer angled or roll-out shelving as well as rotating racks that allow you to easily see every pair. Looking for a DIY approach? Line an empty wall with lengths of crown molding, over which you can easily hook high heels, then arrange small modular cubbies below for containing flats and flops.

Take Wire Hangers to the Cleaners:
In fashion, a well-built garment is preferred to inferior imitations; the same can be said of hangers. While flimsy wire hangers and unsightly plastic perches will surely hold your clothing, opting for sturdy wooden hangers will give your space a decided pick-me-up. Choose a variety of types (think basic, coat, clipped, padded, trouser, and skirt) in one style for a uniform look.

 Even if your digs were built before the mid-20th-century, when closets became a fixture in the American home, or after the walk-in wave hit the construction industry, your wardrobe space should be as polished and put together as you are.

Step Back and Reflect: Mirrors do double-duty in a closet, reflecting light to brighten a space and providing the dresser with a reflection of his or her style. So take advantage of this hard-working asset and hang more than one. I recommend at least a full-length mirror for considering how you look head-to-toe and an eye-level magnifying mirror for admiring accessories up close.

Get High-Wattage Shine:
No one wants to get dressed in the dark, so include a variety of light sources for brilliant style. You’ll want a bright focal point with soft overhead lighting around the edges of the space to end dark corners, concentrated task lighting on specific areas (shoes and accessories), and a table lamp if your closet includes an island or vanity area. Want to really take your lighting over the top? Have a skylight installed for natural illumination.

Photo via California Closet

Include Padded Sitting for a Perfect Setting: Whether it’s a small cushioned stool, a plush upholstered armchair, or a pillow-topped built-in bench, every closet should give a soft place for the user to perch when slipping on pants or shoes. To keep your sartorial sanctuary special, be mindful not to turn your seating into a catchall for unhung clothing or discarded accessories.

Additional Perks for Your Press Include two adjacent valet rods or wardrobe hooks for side-by-side outfit comparisons. Hang a petite built-in ironing board for seamless quick-presses.
Install a charging station and speaker hook-up for your smart phone, media player, or other digital device so that you can enjoy music and entertainment while dressing. Line a shallow drawer with a velvet jewelry tray for simple arranging of watches, rings, and cufflinks in his closet or necklaces, bracelets, and other wearable gems in hers.

Article by Tim Eyre. Tim works in the storage units industry, regularly traveling to see various storage locations. Tim is part of Extra Space Storage which has locations across the United States, which are listed at Extra Space.