Have you ever wished you had more closet storage space?

Maybe it’s right there in front of you, but better ways to use the space haven’t occurred to you yet. Last week Spirit & Space transformed three closets in a client’s apartment, giving them exponentially more space for storage for only $20 in products. See if any of these ideas might work in your space:

·      Use the vertical space. If you don’t need to hang clothes, use shelves or hanging closet organizers for storage. The shelf in this shallow utility closet was repurposed from the bathroom; a hanging organizer that was facing the front of the closet was turned and tucked into a recessed corner. The client found the two hanging organizers for the walk-in closet at Target for $10 each.

·      Add hooks and/or nails to the inside of the door or back of the closet to hang items such as bags, belts and umbrellas. If your closets don’t have wood for nails, try anchored screws/racks or stick-on hooks (such as Command).

·      Multiply the surface space by adding shelves on shelves. In the utility closet, we used a small board found on the floor to create a shelf, tucking cleaning supplies underneath and on top of it. In the walk-in closet, we moved a 3-cubby vertical shelf from the floor to the closet shelf, turning it on its side to create three cubbies as well as more shelf space on top.

·      Use stacking bins on shelves. The client had two large empty bins that were perfect for blanket storage on the shelf in the walk-in closet (AKA the cat’s closet). Without a light in that closet, you can’t really see how we used that shelf. Stacking drawer units are also effective on shelves and below short hanging items.

Hint: Take everything out first to sort and purge; besides getting rid of things that don’t need to take up space, the empty closet might allow you to see potential in the space more easily. If you get creative, you just might find some additional space!