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Best Small Closet Ideas for Organization: How to Create Extra Storage

You can never have too much storage space around the house, and it always seems like you need more extra storage. So how do you create more storage space without building a new house? These are the best small closet ideas for maximizing your existing closet storage. 

Learn the difference between small closets in your home. Find out how to make the most of the space they have to offer. And, find out how to upgrade your existing small closets with a custom closet solution. 

Small Closet Ideas to Increase Extra Storage and Organization

In this article, you discover the best small closet ideas for creating extra storage space. You might be surprised how much square footage in your home is occupied by small closets. Look around your house and count how many small closets you have.

According to a 2013 survey, published by the National Association of Home Builders, the average new home features 146 square feet of closet space. That’s a lot of closet space, so why does it always feel like you need extra storage? The answer, often, lies in the optimization of closet space that already exists. 

Often, small closets are built into the nooks and crannies of a home. Common closet organizers only go part of the way before you need a custom closet solution. Begin with these top small closet ideas for maximizing your existing storage space.   

Assessing Your Available Small Closet Spaces: Organize by Closet Type

Walk-in closets are great for storage and organization, but they are not big enough for everything. Small closets are a gold-mine for finding extra storage, and most types of closets are designed for specific purposes. With a little planning, your small closets can offer just as much, if not more extra storage than your walk-in closets. 

Small Reach-in Closets 

Smaller than a walk-in closet, reach-in closets are one of the most abundant types of small closets in the home. Reach-in closets often feature a long bar for hanging coats and garments. They are typically floor-to-ceiling height, and deep enough for an arms-length reach. 

In the foyer of your home, the reach-in closet is called a hall closet or entry closet. Above the garment rack in a reach-in closet, there is usually a shelf that runs the length of the closet. The most underutilized space in a reach-in closet is, often, the floor space underneath the garment rack, and the vertical space above the shelf. 

In your entry hall closet, these spaces might be utilized to store boots and outdoor garments, like gloves and hats. But, how are you organizing these things within the closet? The best small closet idea to maximize the space in your hallway closet is to keep the garments on a seasonal cycle. 

Keeping your warm and cold weather garments separate helps reduce the clutter on the top shelf. Separate warm and cold weather items into bins and label them. During the winter months, store the warm weather garment bin in the attic or garage, and vise versa. 

Reach-in closets are usually deep enough to fit a standard dresser, which provides useful organization functions. An old dresser can be the perfect reach-in closet idea to organize things, like gloves, hats, scarves, and facemasks. 

That being said – dressers can downgrade the aesthetic quality of your closet space. So, consider a custom closet solution that upgrades the aesthetic of your home. Custom closet drawers and shelves turn your closet into an aesthetic focal point, adding good feng shui to the room. 

Small Closet Ideas for Wardrobe Closets and Free-standing Closets

If you enjoy keeping antiques you probably have at least one wardrobe closet. A wardrobe closet is an old-fashioned piece of decorative storage space. The delineative aspect of a wardrobe closet is that they are free-standing from the space they occupy and, therefore can transport. 

Wardrobe closets are often ornately decorated with intricate carvings and patterns. This makes them a beautiful piece to accent any room, and functional for organizing things specific to that room. If you have a modern cloth wardrobe closet, it is the perfect small closet idea to organize your garage storage or attic space. 

Take Everything Out of Your Small Closets

Often, miscellaneous and small closets become catch-all storage heaps for the stuff with which you don’t know what else to do. Take everything out of your small closets to assess the space available in its entirety. This allows you to organize everything by size, type, and usage.

That means, every small closet in your home – empty the closet shelves and closet drawers. Often, what you find is that your small closet spaces are cluttered and disorganized. Not only, does that hinder your ability to find what you need, but it also inefficiently uses the storage space you have available. 

Organize by Type, Size, and Usage

Organizing items by type helps you keep items organized that are often used together. For instance, organize all of your exercise equipment and items together, then organize them by size. After items are organized by their size, organize them by frequency of use. 

Implementing these organization techniques and small closet ideas helps you create more extra storage in unlikely places. Custom closet solutions can add value and functionality to existing storage spaces in your home. Contact an expert to start designing your custom closet.