One of the major problems faced by homeowners these days is lack of storage space. With houses getting smaller and accumulation of things only increasing over the years, where to put stuff is the question that plagues us all. An organised closet could be the answer to some of your problems. But just how should you go about doing it.
CUSTOM FIT: For starters, custom-made wardrobes to fit your space is much more efficient than single cupboards or armoires that you might purchase at a store. Custom-made wardrobes allow you to design the outside as well as the inside to suit the needs and design aesthetic of your space and can prevent large storage solutions from looking overly bulky and heavy. For example, painting your wardrobes the same colour as your wall or cladding it with mirror reduces the stockiness of the cupboard and presents you with a more visually non-intrusive piece.
GO VERTICAL: Make the most of your wardrobe space by going as high up as possible. Floor to ceiling wardrobes provide you with maximum room for storage whilst painting or using mirror on the outside reduces the heaviness of it. Place items that you rarely use above a height of seven feet where it is difficult to access without some kind of elevated assistance. Use this space for heavy items, winter clothes and quilts or at times, even suitcases.
HOOK IT: Use whatever additional space you would normally consider as wasted space to hang up hooks. These come in handy for tiny items like scarves, belts, jewellery and bags which otherwise would take up a lot of space in your wardrobe if you had to accommodate them in shelves or drawers. Hooks can be attached to the insides of a door or even on the back and sides of the cupboard, going beyond your hanger space.
ORGANISE: It is very important to organise your closet and design around it. Know your garments; know what needs to be hung on rods and their corresponding lengths. You might need full-length hanging space of 65 inches for your Indian outfits or winter coats or full length dresses. Add a shelf below that for additional storage. Shirts, coats and tops require a length of 39 inches of hanging space. Have at least four to six drawers in a wardrobe of varying heights to accommodate all sorts of items, right from inner wear to even storage of personal files and items.
SHELVES: Install adjustable shelves instead of fixed ones. In this manner, heights can be moved around and precious inches of space are not wasted due to products not fitting in, or being squashed in.
BOX IT: When it comes to additional storage, place items in boxes for maximum volume capacity and also to provide a neat and streamlined look to your wardrobe. Open boxes can also be used in drawers as separators for a more organised look.
SHOE STORAGE: It is best to allocate a completely separate section for shoes, be it vertical or horizontally cordoned, in order to avoid any sort of smell passing over into the entire wardrobe. Figure out how you would like to store your shoes. If placed openly, then an ideal height of seven inches is perfect for most women’s shoes, including heels. Boots will require a much larger shelf height for storage. Boots need not necessarily be stored vertically, but can be horizontally placed in a box and on a shelf. This will enable more storage of shoes. The ideal way to store shoes and prevent them from getting spoiled while making them easy to find is to place them in transparent plastic boxes. Extreme organisers can even label the boxes with the shoes in them. A well-organised shoe cupboard can provide you with up to 20 to 30 pairs of shoe storage.
The writer is an interior designer, with offices in Delhi
and Mumbai. E-mail her at info@fleurxavierdesign.com
