The Brief Guide That Makes Designing a Walk in Closet Simple
According to a recent wardrobe survey, 12% of women said that they spend 11-20 minutes selecting the perfect look every day. This adds up to nearly 120 hours a year!
Our clothing display and storage needs are clearly at an all-time high. Are you interested in improving your own closet situation? While you may be drawn to flashy add-ons and light fixtures, consider storage type, size, cost, and convenience when you start your walk in closet project.
Read on for our recommendations in all categories.
Types of Storage
Is this space primarily for day-to-day clothing, or will you need to store bulky occasional-use items? Do you live in a place where you need a lot of heavy layers, or are you storing light blouses and dresses? Consider the type of items you will be storing and how storage may contribute to their longevity.
Size
Closet size will obviously be dependent on the space in your custom home and bedroom. Popular closet sizes and styles include:
- Large dressing room with peninsula bench
- Medium-sized walk-in closet with hanging space and drawers
- Small walk-in closet with hanging space only
Remember to consider how many people will be using the closet, as well as how much of your bedroom space you’ll be willing to give up to a walk-in closet.
Cost
Hardware will be the most expensive component of your new closet. Door hinges, drawer pulls and knobs will add extra to your overall budget, as will drawers and grand focal points, and benches. Consider your budget prior to sketching out your grand plans.
Convenience
Closets are supposed to be convenient! Depending on your needs, walk-in closets may contain extra storage for accessories, shoes, and adjustable hanging rods to double the storage space. You’ll want to make the things you wear the most more accessible than the things that you store seasonally.
Planning and Inspiration
A walk-in closet is a little more complicated than the average closet. This is due to the various assortment of storage options available to you when you have a little more space to work with.
Though certain builders might take a different approach, these steps are what we most recommend for designing and building closet layouts.
1. Initial Walk In Closet Planning
The most important part of construction is planning. When planning out your closet designs, ask yourself the following:
- Will you want more hanging storage, or do you prefer drawers?
- Is your hanging storage for shirts, pants, or dresses?
- Do you need room for suits or bulky winter coats?
- Open shelving or drawers?
- Will you be storing your belts?
- Will you need a tie or jewelry storage?
It may help to look at photographs or models of popular closet designs to get an idea of what you like best.
2. Take Measurements
Before you create a floorplan, you’ll need the full dimensions of the room and the shape of the new closet. Take note and measure all:
- Outlets
- Doors
- Windows
- Light switches
- Air vents
Keep track of all measurements, and consider how your clothing and shoes will fit within the storage space.
3. Create a Floorplan for Builders
Whether it’s your personal responsibility to build your dream closet, or you’re leafing the new construction up to a team of professionals, you’ll need a sketched floor plan to communicate your design.
Divide your closet into sections. Include all measurements. Indicate how many drawers and shelves will need to be built into the design.
On To The Next Project
Once you’ve finished with your walk-in closet, perhaps it’s time to focus on other improvement and design projects for your new home. These custom pantries are a fantastic example of other dreamy household storage.
There’s No Place Like Home
Now that you’ve prepared yourself for your next walk-in closet project, it’s time to get started!
We know that while this can be the most satisfying part of homeownership, it can also be the most stressful. To ease your mind, check out the rest of the blog for more design and home improvement tips.
