SIMPLIFY.ORGANIZE.ENJOY.
WALK-IN CLOSETS TIPSFORAMOREORGANIZEDCLOSET
When b uild ing a hom e or d esig ning a c ustom c loset, it c a n often b e d iffic ult to a ntic ip a te how m uc h stora g e you a re rea lly g oing to need . If you a re luc ky enoug h to ha ve a wa lk-in c loset, there a re severa l key a rea s of d esig n, org a niza tion, a nd func tiona lity tha t you w ill wa nt to keep in m ind . We ha ve c om p iled som e of our b est tip s on w ha t to c onsid er for stora g e op tions, la yout, a nd c onstruc tion in this Custom Wa lk-In Closet Construc tion Guid e. In the follow ing p a g es, we w ill d isc uss every a sp ec t of g ood wa lk-in c loset d esig n inc lud ing lig hting , outlet p la c em ent, ha m p ers, c ustom va nities, a nd m ore. Ha ving a g ood id ea of w ha t you wa nt your wa lk-in c loset to look like w ill help your d esig ner to p la n, c onstruc t, a nd exec ute the sp a c e you ha ve visua lized .
FIRST... There a re 5 key p oints to c onsid er w hen d esig ning a c ustom wa lk-in c loset. Ha bits Do you tend to ha ng your shorts/ p a nts or fold them in d ra wers? Do you wea r b usiness c lothes w hic h typ ic a lly req uire m ore ha ng ing sp a c e tha n c a sua l c lothing ? Do you ha ve a set of g o-to a c c essories, or d o you wea r your entire c ollec tion evenly? Ask yourself som e c ritic a l q uestions a b out your d a ily outfits. The a nswers to these q uestions w ill help your d esig ner p la n a c loset tha t is not only visua lly a ttra c tive, b ut effic ient a s well. Pla nning Housing c a b le b oxes, routers, a la rm system s, other elec tric a l eq uip m ent a nd p lum b ing in the c loset is a c om m on p ra c tic e. It is im p orta nt to ha ve a p la n for your stora g e b efore a llow ing an elec tric ia n or p lum b er to work in your c loset. Ma ke sure tha t they a re m ind ful of your vision. Va lue When b uild ing a c ustom wa lk-in c loset, c onsid er how the fea tures in the c loset w ill im p rove or d etra c t from your hom e?s resa le va lue. Typ ic a lly, a c ustom c loset w ill help sell your hom e. However, the d esig n should not b e so uniq ue tha t a future resid ent would not b e a b le to use it.
Contra ctor Before c ontem p la ting the d esig n of your d rea m c loset, m a ke sure tha t you c ontra c t a rep uta b le, lic ensed , a nd insured c loset c om p a ny. Req uest referenc es if you need further va lid a tion a b out the q ua lity of servic es they p rovid e. Efficiency Whether you enjoy sp end ing tim e in your c loset p utting tog ether the p erfec t outfit or you p refer to ta ke a s little tim e a s p ossib le to g et d ressed , your c loset need s to b e func tiona l so you c a n see w ha t is in your wa rd rob e a nd ea sily a c c ess item s you use reg ula rly.
8TIPSFORCLOSET CONSTRUCTION More tha n likely, you w ill b e enlisting the help of a p rofessiona l c ontra c tor to turn your b a re-b ones, w a lk-in c loset into som ething fit to your sp ec ific a tions. While your c ontra c tor m a y not involve you in the m ore tec hnic a l d eta ils of the d esig n, it is im p era tive you m a ke sure tha t severa l key a rea s a re d isc ussed . The top ic s listed on the next p a g e m a y seem trivia l, b ut they c a n m ea n the d ifferenc e b etw een c om p lete sa tisfa c tion a nd b uyer's rem orse. Here is our list of the m ost c ritic a l p oints to d isc uss b efore you sta rt c loset c onstruc tion.
1. Entra nce Doors Do you wa nt your c loset d oor to sw ing op en to revea l your c lothing p a ra d ise? Do you p refer a slid ing m irror d oor a s the g a tewa y to your g a rm ent hea ven? The entra nc e d oors you c hoose for your wa lk-in c loset a re just a s im p orta nt a s the shelving , la yout, a nd stora g e w ithin, a nd w ill d ep end on how m uc h sp a c e you ha ve. 2. Closet Sha pe The typ es of shelving tha t you selec t w ill d ep end on the sha p e of your c loset. Most c loset la youts a re p retty stra ig ht forwa rd , b ut there a re uniq uely sha p ed c losets tha t c a n p resent c ha lleng es. Closet c orners c a n a lso b e tric ky. Your wa rd rob e w ill ultim a tely d ic ta te w hether a tra d itiona l ?sq ua re ha ng ing ? or striking ?c urved ha ng ing ? w ill serve a s a m ore func tiona l m ea ns of org a niza tion. 3. Custom Va nity If sp a c e p erm its, a c ustom -m a d e va nity is a c la ssy, eleg a nt, a nd func tiona l a d d ition to a ny wa lk-in c loset. One exc iting fea ture of c ustom -m a d e va nities is a hot ha ir a p p lia nc e d ra wer. Your ha ir d ryer, c urling iron, a nd b low d ryer sta y p lug g ed in w ith their ow n p ower strip . They c a n even b e returned to the d ra wer w hile hot, a s these d ra wers a re lined w ith the sa m e m eta l m a teria l found in sa lon d ra wers. Pla n for extra stora g e overhea d for m a keup , ha ir a c c essories, a nd other b ea uty item s. 4. Isla nds By p rovid ing a n op en c ounter surfa c e a nd m ultip le d ra wers, isla nd s a re a p ra c tic a l use of sp a c e for la rg e c losets. Isla nd s a re a lso visua lly a p p ea ling w ith va rious op tions for top s, suc h a s m a rb le, q ua rtz or wood , a nd d ec ora tive d ra wer p ulls.
5. Windows a nd Skylights A w ind ow or skylig ht c a n b e a truly b rea thta king fa c tor of your wa lk-in c loset d esig n. The na tura l lig ht tha t these fea tures p rovid e c a n tra nsform the a m b ia nc e of the sp a c e a nd sa ve energ y d uring d a ylig ht hours. You w ill wa nt to p la c e these w ind ow s hig h so a s not to c om p rom ise va lua b le wa ll sp a c e. You w ill a lso wa nt to insta ll a d eq ua te lig hting op tions for the evening a nd oc c a siona l overc a st d a y. 6. Ha nging Sections Most c losets should inc orp ora te a t lea st one sm a ll sec tion for long -ha ng ing item s. Doub le-ha ng ing sec tions a re m ore effic ient for p a nts a nd shirts. In the c a se of w ind ow s or a ng led c eiling s, a sing le-ha ng ing sec tion insta lled b elow m a kes g ood use of od d sp a c es 7. Flooring Only a few p eop le w ill see the floor of your c loset, b ut it is nonetheless a n im p orta nt elem ent of your wa lk-in c loset d esig n. Bec a use you w ill usua lly b e b a refoot w hen sta nd ing in your c loset, c a rp et m ig ht b e a g ood op tion. Insta ll flooring b efore c onstruc ting your c loset so the flooring m a teria l d oes not ha ve to b e c ut a round the p a nels. 8. Outlets The m ost overlooked a sp ec t of c loset d esig n c a n tra nsform your wa lk-in c loset into a hea d a c he or hea ven. Outlets a re ha nd y in a c loset (e.g . for ironing , c ha rg ing elec tronic d evic es, etc .). Consid er a d d ing , m oving , or d esig ning a round existing outlets.
ACCESSORIES
The p erfec t w a lk-in c loset is func tiona l, org a nized a nd a c c essorized . From m irrors to ironing b oa rd s to b oot ha ng ers, ta lk w ith your c ontra c tor a b out the follow ing op tions for turning your w a lk-in c loset into som ething truly sp ec ta c ula r.
Pa nts Ra ck A p a nts ra c k is p erfec t for working p rofessiona ls w ho ha ve a la rg e num b er of sla c ks tha t need to b e hung . Pa nts ra c ks slid e out for ea sy a c c ess a nd p revent p a nts from b ec om ing jum b led . The rod s a re non-slip to keep p a nts in p la c e a nd w rinkle-free. Mirrors No g rea t c loset is c om p lete w ithout a m irror. Mirrors c a n b e m ounted on the c loset d oor, on the wa ll, or even insid e a wa rd rob e d oor. There a re a lso slid e-out m irrors tha t sw ivel for a b etter a ng le, freesta nd ing m irrors, a nd m irror c a b inets tha t op en to revea l hid d en jewelry stora g e. If you ha ve the sp a c e, c onsid er a three-wa y m irror in the c orner. Ironing Boa rd Instea d of d oing your ironing in the la und ry room , w hy not c onsid er ironing your c lothes in the room w here they w ill b e hung ? If sp a c e a llow s, a sw ivel or fold -d ow n ironing b oa rd c a n b e a g rea t a d d ition to a c ustom -m a d e c loset. Ma ke sure there is a n outlet nea rb y w here you w ill b e storing your ironing b oa rd a s well a s enoug h sp a c e for the b oa rd to b e a t a n eleva ted heig ht. Ha mpers One a lterna tive to keep ing your d irty la und ry in p la in view is a c onc ea led ha m p er. Ad d ing a rem ova b le b a sket to your c onc ea led d oor ha m p er p rovid es you w ith a wa y to tra nsp ort your c lothes to a nd from the la und ry room w ith ea se. Shoes If you ha ve a va st c ollec tion of footwea r, d eterm ining how m uc h sp a c e you w ill need to a c c om m od a te your shoes is a n im p orta nt step of the c loset d esig ning p roc ess. Custom -sized c ub b ies, sla nted shelves, fla t shelves, a nd a d justa b le shelves a re just a few of the op tions for shoe org a niza tion a nd stora g e. Boots c a n even b e stored on sp ec ia lized b oot ha ng ers.
CLOSET ORGANIZING TIPS Decluttering Your Life Moving into a new house or up g ra d ing your c urrent c loset sp a c e is a n op p ortunity to a ssess w ha t to keep , w ha t to throw out, w ha t to d ona te a nd w ha t to sell. To sta rt, ta ke everything out of your c loset a nd sort your ob jec ts into three or four p iles: 1. Keep It When g oing throug h your entire c loset, you m a y b e p lea sa ntly surp rised to find item s you thoug ht were lost a m ong other trea sures. 2. Toss It We often keep worn-out c lothing just b y ha b it. A c loset overha ul w ill revea l w hic h c lothes a re too d a m a g ed to b e d ona ted or sold . There a re, however, op tions for c lothes tha t c a nnot b e rep a ired , inc lud ing T-Shirt q uilts or other up c yc ling p rojec ts. Ta ke a look throug h c ra fting web sites for som e id ea s on rep urp osing old c lothes tha t would otherw ise b e throw n out. 3. Consign It Consig nm ent stores a re the p erfec t op tion for c lothes tha t no long er fit, b ut a re in g ood c ond ition. Rec over som e of the c ost of the c lothes you b oug ht yea rs a g o, b ut no long er fit, or tha t you no long er wea r. 4. Dona te It You should c onsid er d ona ting your c lothing to those in need . There a re p lenty of c ha rities, hom eless shelters a nd other non-p rofits tha t a re a lwa ys in need of g a rm ents.
If you a re not sure a b out w hic h of these c a teg ories a p a rtic ula r p iec e of c lothing fits into, try this help ful tric k: Turn a ll of your c lothing ha ng ers in one d irec tion. Every tim e you use a g a rm ent, turn the c lothing ha ng er the other w a y. After 30 d a ys, you w ill ha ve a g ood id ea of w ha t you use a nd w ha t you d o not use on a reg ula r b a sis.
STAYING ORGANIZED AFTER YOUR CLOSET MAKEOVER The item s tha t you use the m ost often should a lw a ys b e ea sily a c c essib le a t the front of your c loset. Try m a king a list of w ha t you use every d a y, then use this list a s a m a p for your c loset. Sentim enta l c lothing item s or item s tha t a re not w orn very often, suc h a s w ed d ing d resses, tuxed oes, b rid esm a id ?s d resses, etc ., should b e kep t in a g uest c loset or other stora g e a rea . Everyd a y c lothing , g ym outfits, a nd other freq uently used g a rm ents should b e the ea siest to rea c h.
Sea sona lity Sw itc h out your w a rd rob e a s the sea sons c ha ng e. Snow ja c kets, p ea t c oa ts, sw ea ters, a nd other w inter c lothing item s ob viously req uire m ore sp a c e tha n shorts a nd ta nk top s. This typ e of sorting a lso im p roves the overa ll org a niza tion of your c loset; you w ill not ha ve to sift throug h w inter c lothes d uring the m id d le of the sum m er. Sma ll Item Orga niza tion Sm a ll item s, suc h a s jew elry, sc a rves, ha ir a c c essories, a nd others, c a n b e stored in severa l w a ys. See-throug h w ire b a skets, seg m ented jew elry d ra w ers, hooks, sta nd s a nd m ore w ill keep your fa vorite a c c ent p iec es c a ta log ued a nd unta ng led .
Sma rt Stora ge Instea d of keep ing your fa shiona b le suitc a ses in the g a ra g e, w hy not rep urp ose them to hold b la nkets, sheets, a nd other b ulky item s? Utilizing sm a rt stora g e p ra c tic es, suc h a s overhea d shelving a nd b elow -b ed stora g e, w ill free up sp a c e in your c loset. Color Coding Color c od ing is a g rea t stra teg y for find ing the c lothes you need in a hurry. In keep ing w ith sea sona lity, c olor c od e your fa ll/ w inter w a rd rob e a nd sp ring / sum m er w a rd rob e. Color c od ing a c c essories a nd shoes w ill help you to p ull tog ether tha t p erfec t outfit in no tim e.
Arizona Ga ra g e & Closet Desig n p rovid es hig h q ua lity c ustom c a b inetry, g a ra g e flooring a nd org a niza tion system s for the hom e. Whether it is a g a ra g e, c loset, p a ntry, hom e offic e, la und ry room or other stora g e a rea , our exp ert d esig n c onsulta nts w ill c rea te a sp a c e tha t fits your uniq ue style a nd b ud g et.
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