They are not as glamorous as a walk in closet, but most homes have them. Many homeowners believe there isn’t much that can be done, with a reach-in. However, that attitude changes when they see how their custom closet design increases the amount of room they will have for their things.

We first look at how much long hanging clothing (dresses, robes and coats) the person has and make sure there is a hanging section for that. Then we add a shelf tower or 2 depending upon how wide the closet is and what else is going to be put away in there.

This will determine the amount of remaining space available for more hanging. Usually the wall of a reach in closet is approximately 8 feet so a couple of shelf towers should fit. They hold for shoes and boots, folded clothes, t-shirts, handbags.

The remaining short hanging clothes will then be consolidated onto double hanging bars. In a reach in closets this is where there is the greatest gain in useable space.

We keep in mind that women need lots of double hanging for blouses, pants, skirts as well as long hang. Additionally, a jewelry, a lingerie drawer or a laundry hamper may be able to fit into a shelf tower as well.

Men usually need lots of double hanging for shirts, suits and pants. Depending upon how he hangs his pants, either folded over the hanger or lengthwise, will determine the amount of long hang and double hang he’ll need. His shelf tower will be used for shoes, folded clothes, sweaters and workout clothes. If he’s tall, he can use the top shelf for his shoes as well.

Another accessory we recommend are hooks. They’re great for hanging robes or jackets. Belts racks, scarf racks and valet rods are items that add more space to the closet.

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Still don’t have enough space in your closet? Consider rearranging your clothes. Hanging pants all together opens up space beneath them for other items like shoes.

Here are simple solutions to improve your closet: double hang for shirts and blouses, specified shelving for shoes, belt, tie and scarf racks to free up drawer space, and long hang for coats and dresses.

This is how one of our clients from Boulder organized her laundry room. Using Baskets and custom cabinets she was able to have easy access to the things she needed most as well assorting baskets for her laundry needs.

If you have a large enough laundry room, consider a built-in ironing board, hampers and baskets to separate your fabrics and colors. You can have a designated folding counter and add cabinets above and below for even more room to store detergents, fabric softeners, bleach or starch when not in use. Open cupboards or shelving give you easy access to the contents and keep things orderly while still in view. Make your workload a little bit lighter by designing a laundry room with time- and space-saving elements. Read more about our laundry room organization here.

At Affordable Closets of Boulder Colorado we are always organizing something. This month we are proud to bring you our brand new website. We now feature a blog that we can share get tips and tricks with you on organization. Follow us on facebook to learn more tips.