How To Live Within The Space You Have

It has been a while since I've done any house topic posts, so... how about closets?

Do you ever feel like the closet space you have, or lack thereof, just isn’t working for you? Just because a space is not laid out in a way that is suitable to your style of living doesn’t mean that with a few easy changes you can’t make it into a space that better suits your lifestyle.

Small Closet:

Didn’t get that walk in closet that you were dreaming of? Yea, me either. I got the standard “one bar hanging rack with overhead shelf that is 12 inches above my head" closet.

But, builder standard doesn’t mean that for less than $50 you can’t have your own custom made closet!

By moving the top shelf down 18 inches and mounting a standard wall bracket that attaches to adjustable shelving below it, I was able to give myself ample storage space. I added a few bins from the $1 store to hold things like bras and socks and I now have a cheap,  yet custom, closet system that works much better for not only my lifestyle, but for my height as well.

Closet #1

Closet #2 (Thanks for leaving ex! Now I get both closets!)

Closet Office:

Most of us (not all) don’t have the need for a dedicated office room, but it would be nice to have a place to pay bills, organize paperwork, and just generally contain things like mailing supplies. For me that’s where the “office closet” came into play. I took a closet that sits just off of my living room, added a couple extra shelves, a small chair, and there ya go, an office closet that simply disappears when I close the door.

Relocated Closet:

Is your master bathroom not exactly the spacious retreat you have seen in magazines?

That doesn’t mean that it can’t be just as functional. With a little creativity and the willingness to break traditional storage rules, you can make just about any small bathroom feel larger when you relocate the clutter.

With limited storage space in my bathroom, I made the decision to forgo the idea of getting everything organized IN the bathroom and decided to get it organized outside of the bathroom. The only feasible way to accomplish that was to move everything to the linen closet that sits just outside of the bathroom.

I then moved all the towels from the linen closet into the bathroom vanity. It’s a lot easier to grab a towel from under the sink than to go searching for my hair dryer under there! Since there are three of us using that bathroom, I got rid of the small towel bar and hung a coat rack instead.

Extra Closet:

I realize that this is not a problem most people have, but quite a few people do have small rooms.

With that being said, I have one room in particular, my library, where putting a couch in there made the small space feel claustrophobic since two of the walls are floor to ceiling bookshelves. In this case I chose to take the closet doors off and put the couch in the closet. I then chose a futon style that lifts up to reveal storage space so that I didn’t completely lose the benefit of having a closet.

By hanging some paper lamps to play off the depth of the space, it makes for a cozy little reading area.

No Closet:

I live in a two bedroom townhouse and when my son came along I knew that I would need somewhere for him to sleep; preferably not in my room and preferably not in his sister’s room. The only logical place that was left was the loft, which I then hired a contractor to close it in and make a small “bedroom.”

Admittedly when I closed the room in I was thinking about the homes resale value and therefore chose to build it as if it were intended to be a home office; glass doors and no closet. Still though, since a kid does live in there, he needs some storage space, right?

The lack of a closet does not mean a lack of storage, it just once again means that you need to find creative ways to live within your space. This time it meant buying three closet maid storage units, bolting them together, and then bolting the entire thing to the wall to create one massive wall of storage.

A storage unit like this can be easy, fairly inexpensive, and done almost anywhere in your home since it doesn't take up precious floor space.

In some cases, there might not be even be room for a pseudo closet.

Take my front entryway for example; It is so small that not only is there no room for a closet, but there isn’t even room to fake having one.

In a case like this you have to be willing to think within the confines of a small space. Small spaces don’t mean forgoing storage, they just mean being extra creative about it. In my case there wasn’t much depth, but there was height. By hanging coat hooks above each other it gave me room to hang several jackets. For purses, book bags, and diaper bags, a basket was placed underneath. I then hung a mirror to give the space a feeling of depth.

Your home is your space and you deserve to make it a space that works for you! Don’t let your thinking get boxed in within the walls of a dysfunctional house. 

Often times our homes define us, so make sure that you define the space in a way that suits you best.

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