Back when we shared how we organized much of our house, many readers asked to see how we keep our clothing under control. So we’re opening up our closets to show the full setup. Previously I only revealed how I keep my jewelry organized in a ceramic egg crate, but there’s a lot more to the wardrobe than just jewelry.
On my side of the bed, the Ikea wardrobe is arranged with two top shelves, a hanging bar, a shelf beneath the hanging bar holding fabric bins (for socks, underwear, swimsuits, and other small items), and four lower shelves—one for jeans, one for pajamas, and two dedicated to shoes.
One small trick I use is alternating the direction of each pair of shoes on a shelf. Because the front of most shoes is wider than the back, turning them in opposite directions creates a little extra room and often fits an extra pair on each shelf.
The fabric bins under the hanging bar keep socks, bras, and underwear neatly contained and easy to access. Since most of my wardrobe is black, everything looks tidy and coordinated.
I use the two top shelves differently: one holds folded fabric items and the other stores purses I’m not using. To help purses keep their shape I stuff them with balled-up paper bags, and I roll scarves to save space. Matching hangers are a simple, inexpensive upgrade—especially when bought in bulk at Ikea. They make the closet look cohesive and help prevent clothes from stretching like thin plastic or wire hangers tend to do.
John’s side has a similar setup with a hanging bar and two shelves above it, but instead of five lower shelves he has one shelf, three pull-out drawers, and a bottom shelf for shoes. His hanging bar holds colorful collared work shirts, while a drawer is devoted to t-shirts and weekend wear.
John uses the shelf beneath his hanging bar to store jeans, and a pull-out drawer houses his socks, undershirts, and boxers. One of the best parts of bringing in the Ikea wardrobes was the ability to customize each unit for our needs—John’s hanging bar is about a foot taller than mine to accommodate his height. He also has more jeans; I tend to keep fewer, versatile pieces to simplify dressing.
Here you can see John’s pull-out drawers. My wardrobe is a few inches narrower—our back window is off-center, so we used wardrobes and curtains to create visual symmetry. Those standard sizing differences mean his unit could accommodate drawers while mine was limited to shelves.
Though John has more jeans, I win in the shoe department. Since I keep my clothing palette simple—mostly black with occasional pops of color—I use shoes and statement earrings to add personality. We also still have the original built-in closet, which stores overflow shoes, John’s suits, my dresses, and out-of-season sweaters.
We kept a few small nails in the side of that built-in closet to hang necklaces that don’t fit in the egg crate. They’re practical, though swapping them for decorative hooks or knobs would instantly dress the space up.
The built-in closet also includes stacked wire shoe racks that maximize vertical space and triple the shoe capacity. I didn’t need to use the alternating-shoe-direction trick here because there’s plenty of room—proof that a little extra closet space can curb excess.
We couldn’t forget the guest bedroom closet, which has become Burger’s cozy corner. We leave the door open when he’s inside and remove his crate when guests arrive. Keeping a closet with wooden hangers visible gives the spare room a slightly more polished feel.
That’s our closet tour. We hope this peek behind the curtain is helpful and inspiring. What are your closet tips and tricks? How do you maximize clothing storage in your home?
Curious how the Ikea built-ins were installed on either side of the bed? Check the original post for the full story.