When it comes to amazing wardrobes, you’d be forgiven for thinking these are a fantasy – much like Carrie’s to-die-for closet from the Sex and the City movie. Think again.
With a little styling and time putting a good organising system in place, you too can have a wardrobe that you’ll actually want to spend time in. It might just even become a Zen-like space in the process and become your go-to hangout zone.
To help make this a reality, we sat down with the experts – including interior designers to fashion types – to find out their top secrets when it comes to organising functional – and beautiful – wardrobes.
1 // Create order
“Store your most-used items at eye level and use the same hangers throughout for a clean look that will help you stay organised. Remember to face hangers the same way, colour code or item-store your clothes to make everything easier to find.”
– Christie Turvey, founder of Neue Blvd
2 // Personalise your solutions
“I work with a lot of clients on designing new wardrobes, the biggest consideration in this is how do they like to use the space. For example, if they like to ‘fold’ jeans, or like myself, do they prefer to hang them. If hanging is their thing then more ‘half-height’ hanging space is best. Shoes are also a big challenge when trying to fit everything into your wardrobe, I personally like to store my shoes in clear plastic shoe containers as they are stackable. This means I can see which shoes are in which box and it protects them from scuffing each other.”
– Greta Unkuri, interior designer at GU Interiors
3 // Use wardrobe lifts
“Wardrobe lifts are great for high ceilings, limited storage or short clients. They allow you to use the full height of a room or robe for hanging space. Operable either by pulling manually on a rod or a motorised device, the rail moves down to your level making higher hanging cloths easily reachable. Utilising more space for hanging means your clothes are less crowded, which keeps them in better condition by reducing creasing and increasing ventilation”.
– Kate Connors, designer and owner at Kate Connors Interiors
4 // File your clothes
Pliio, or folding filers, are your drawer solutions for life! Rather than folding T-shirts, tanks and sweaters top to bottom in a drawer, use a folding filer and organise these items from front to back in a drawer, so that every item is visible at first glance.
– Lisa Adams, designer and CEO at LA Closet Design
5 // Cull often
“If you haven’t worn it in a year, get rid of it. No matter what it is or how expensive it was, the chances are you will never wear it again.”
– Leeann Edelmuth, owner and buyer at Marshmellow Boutique
6 // Style your space
“An organised space helps to create an organised mind, so it’s worth putting in the energy creating a nice space to store your daily essentials. Keep the wall tones similar to the bedroom, consider using luxe wallpaper or a colour on the walls and invest in nice coat hangers. Storage baskets are also fantastic and will look nice if matching. If you can customise drawers either in joinery or even a stand-alone chest to store away small items, your zone will always look more organised. Try hanging clothes in colour blocks and store shoes socks and ties – any small messy-looking items – away in baskets or cupboards. If the space allows, a central ottoman is great to sit on whilst putting on shoes and can also double as additional storage space.”
– Justine Wilson, director and principal stylist at Vault Interiors
7 // Use non-slip hangers
“Go out and buy yourself black velvet hangers. They’re an amazing space saver and your clothes won’t fall off the hangers when you’re looking for something to wear – my pet hate when I’m in a rush to get dressed.”
– Leeann Edelmuth, owner and buyer at Marshmellow Boutique
All images: LA Closet Design
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