When I moved to my apartment I had a serious struggle with the existing wardrobe. It was fairly small, it was built poorly with difficulties reaching certain areas and there were no shelves. I wasn’t used to this type of setting and it was defiantly a challenge. After a long, long time I finally have my own settings that work well for me.
These are the lessons I’ve learned during my process, I hope you’ll learn from my mistakes 😉
I added the links to the products I’m using, similar products are added at the bottom of the post.
Some of the links that I use are affiliate links – meaning I get s small commission with no extra cost to you.
1. Have less
Hey, this is just an idea! Don’t shoot the messenger. No matter how you look at it, having less goes together with small spaces 😉 So first thing first’s – declutter! This might be the hardest part for some of us, but it’s also the most important step in getting organized.
Read more: 16 things to get rid off.
2. Add storage
If you only have a small wardrobe and need more room, consider adding a dresser or a closet. In small spaces, dressers can function in more ways- as a shelf, a vanity, or an entertainment unit.
I personally dislike dressers, since I grew up with a shelved closet and can’t handle drawers. fortunately, An indentation in the wall fitted an Ikea closet just perfectly.
The pax system is very versatile and goes with any space, I love it. It wasn’t cheap enough but I feel it made a huge difference.
I also found a similar version of this white wardrobe on amazon for way cheaper.
3. Use vertical space
A lot of apartments and houses only have one hanging rod and that’s honestly a waste of space! There are many ways to use the vertical space as well, you can add temporary fabric shelves which cost around 20$!
Another idea is to hang another lower rod for shorter items as well. Be creative with your space and make the best out of it.
I got the Kallax shelf unit from Ikea and it fits perfectly for my needs, especially for my budget.
I found a system with 6 cubes that I really liked as well on amazon.
4. Shoe Rack
Sounds simple enough right? Well, for years I had my shoes on the bottom of the wardrobe gathering dust, making it impossible to clean the floor and simply being a mess.
I got this cheap shoe rack and it fits 20 pairs 🙂 Granted, my feet are very small haha… So for larger shoes it will probably fit 16 pairs. There are many possibilities to add shoe storage to your wardrobe. Another idea I like is to use bookcases from Ikea like they did here.
5. Shelves
AH! My favorite way to store my clothes. I know I’m the exception but I think it’s a great way to have your clothes displayed and organized.
Adding shelves where you can is something I highly recommend. A cube system also works as an extra shelf to throw my clothes before I fold and put them back to place. Kind of a between stage.
6. Bins bins bins
A fun organizing tip. No place to keep pillows? Bed sheets? Winter chunky sweaters? Put it in a bin and store it on high shelves, under the bed, console tables or benches. Get a nice fabric set of bins for display or DIY like in this post from NORTHSTORY.
7. Small items dividers
Are your socks and undies all over the place? No prob! These cute dividers will do the job!
You don’t have a drawer? Hack these Ikea drawers and place them on a shelf. For a budget-friendly option use cardboard to create different compartments for small items.
I also love these cute acrylic dividers for makeup or jewelry.
8. The right hangers
Oh, how I love my pink velvet hangers. Not only they are beautiful, they are slim so they take way less space than wooden hangers. My clothes don’t slip away as well, and they are affordable.
These tank top hangers which you can rotate to access all of them are great as well. My tops don’t fall, and are all displayed. Super easy to hang back!
You can also use extra hooks on one hanger to use the vertical space, or put shower curtain hooks for scarves like here.
9. Small to big
This is a no-brainer, if you have a small item between two big items, it will get lost! After years of color coordinating I started occasion and size coordinating. It makes a lot more sense space wise. First I have my jackets, then sweaters, winter dresses, night dresses, day dresses and then tops. I don’t have too much so color coordination didn’t work for me anymore even tho it’s very pretty 😉
10. Have a system
Nowadays you have apps to organize your clothes! For me, it’s too much for now, but maybe one day.
A cool possibility is to take a picture of all your items and outfits. Then, in the morning, you have it visible quickly instead of trying to put up an outfit while in a rush.
Another simple idea is to make your outfits in advance. This will help keep things organized since you won’t be stressed to look for certain items or try all of your closet in the morning.
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I hope you find these tips and steps useful and inspiring.
Good luck!
Tell me what are some of your difficulties and how you solved it.
Great tips! I live in a small house so I need some of these!
Thank you, Danielle! My apartment is so weird, it’s fairly big but no storage lol. So I had to get creative.
– Narkis
When we first moved in to our home closet space was one of our issues too and the first one we had to find a solution for! We installed shelving and bought dressers/side tables. I love those hangers, I need them to free up more space!
Hey Joline, can you believe it took me two years before I thought about putting shelves inside my wardrobe? Lol! These hangers are defiantly a life saver as well.
– Narkis
I think in every single apartment I’ve lived in, I have installed more shelves into all the closets and added shoe racks and extra storage. It’s sad but I don’t want to get rid of investment pieces. Love your solutions especially the cube boxes!
Hey Angela, I can’t believe it took me so long to put shelves!
Thank you, I really like the cubes.
– Narkis
Good tips, next year my older one will live alone and I am starting to tell her how to arrange her stuff, borrowing your tips to give her.
That’s one thing I do love about Texas…. the saying that everything is bigger holds true even in the closets! I feel like I have another bedroom off of my bathroom because of the size of the closet. But I have lived places with tiny closets and it’s definitely a challenge.
Than you for the tips! I have to share my closet with my husband so these will Deerfield come in handy.
Aaah everything is so beautifully and nearly organized. Thanks for the tips. I wish my home looks this neat everyday.
I definitely have bins and things for smaller items. It helps to be able to put them away like that instead of hanging.
I have to agree that having the right hangers can help minimize the amount of space you use. I mean, who wants to narrow down on the number of dresses they have? 😉
These are all such great ways to utilize a small space! I really need to organize and purge my closet.
April
All excellent tips, but my favorite is “have less”! We recently moved houses and I couldn’t believe how much clothes I have, and the worst part is I don’t use most of them!
I switched to space saving hangers and it’s changed my life. <3 I was able to crunch down to one side of my closet and add drawers so I could get rid of my dresser. SO MUCH BETTER!
Great tips! Utilizing vertical space is the best way to go to keep everything organized and in its place!
xx, Kusum | http://www.sveeteskapes.com
This is a great post!!! I have several small spaces that I am trying to figure out how to convert into a mini fashion space for storing all of the fun stuff I shoot!