Have you ever looked at your closet, stuffed with clothes on the railing and piled with shoes at the bottom, and thought about how there simply must be a way to make better use of that space? Maybe you actually have a spare closet that you feel is being wasted and could be put to better use as something creative and new. We’ve been thinking about closets a lot lately too after moving house recently, so we’ve had our eyes peeled for all kinds of awesome DIY ways to make the best use of or increase those spaces!
Just in case the idea of making better and more creative use of closet space appeals just as much to you as it did to us, if not more, here are 14 of the very best ideas, designs, and tutorials that we’ve come across in our search for inspiration and guidance.
1. How to make a closet office
Maybe all of your clothing and shoes actually fit in the other closets in your house so now you’re afforded an extra one that’s standing largely empty, and you can’t help feeling like it could go more effectively to another use besides storage? Well, if any kind of work done at a desk is a part of your routine, then you might find the way The Happy Housie turned their closet into a little workroom or study space very interesting indeed!
2. How to add shelving to your closet’s ends
Perhaps you’ve made good use of the hanger railing in your closet but you can’t help feeling like the spaces at the ends and on the floor aren’t being used to their full potential? In that case, we’d absolutely encourage you to take a look at how Reality Daydream added a little extra storage space in those places by building and installing very simple shelves!
3. How to add space to a very small closet with cubby shelves
Perhaps your closet is very small indeed and you live in the kind of bedroom where there isn’t a lot of shelving or other storage space outside of that either? Well, if you don’t have too much to store but you’re interested in keeping what you do have a little more accessible and organized, we have a feeling you’ll find the idea of building cubby shelves on the inside the way Remodelacasa did here quite intriguing, especially because it’s easier to do than it looks.
4. Raise your closet bar so a dresser fits
Maybe you’ve always felt like you could make way better used of the lower and upper spaces in your closet because the place where the bar sits is kind of awkwardly in the middle, wasting space above and below? In that case, you just might be the perfect person to try out this technique from Urban Acreage for raising your hanger bar so a whole dresser fits underneath. This will free up floor space in the rest of your room too!
5. Bookshelf as a pumps and heels shelf
Perhaps the closet really is jam packed and not getting anymore efficient or full but you still have some shoes that you could really use an uncluttered home for? Live Simply byAnnie had the same problem, so they set up a bookshelf near the closet and opted to store and organized their excess shoes on that instead!
6. Closet office with more shelving
Were you very intrigued indeed by the idea of making yourself an office closet but you’re actually doing something a little more intense like running a home business, so you’d need a bit more storage for paper and supplies than the idea you saw previously? In that case, we think you might get along a little better with this tutorial from Quiet Corner that shows you how to build a similarly pleasant workspace but with much more vertical shelving to keep the office clean and tidy.
7. Kids’ closet reading nook and hideout
If you’re going to turn a spare closet into a whole new space in the house, would you rather make it something a little more fun and whimsical? In that case, we think you might get along a little better with something like this closet-turned-reading nook idea featured on Dos Family! Their aim was to make a quiet, comfortable space for their kids to escape to. We love the idea of enabling them to safely climb up somewhere so they’ll actually want to use the space when they need some calm.
8. Turn a closet into a bunkbed nook
Maybe your family grew a little faster than you’d originally planned and now you’re looking for ways to get creative with the little home you have until you can afford to upgrade? Then we think you’ll be rather interested in the way Bare Feet on The Dashboard saved enough floor space to make a playroom by building a set of custom kids’ bunkbeds inside the closet rather than taking up square footage in the kids’ bedroom itself. It’s like a cozy little private nook that the little ones will sleep soundly in! If they have friends over and the beds didn’t get made that day, simply closet the doors and hide them.
9. Window seat style reading nook, but in a closet
Are you very interested indeed in the idea of creating a reading nook for your kids so they can enjoy a quiet moment when they’re tired but your closet is much smaller or your kids are too little for the climbing version we showed you earlier? In that case, we’d suggest taking a look at this simple, cozy little cushioned bench version from Pretty Handy Girl instead.
10. Craft room in a closet
Did we catch your attention when we started talking about making yourself some extra workspace in your home but you’re actually an avid crafter rather than an at-home worker in need of a home office? In that case, we think this closet craft room tutorial from Shanty 2 Chic might be right up your alley! We’re particularly big fans of the way they installed pegboard storage above the desk to keep the little space as organized and efficient as possible.
11. Baby changing station in a closet
Perhaps the room you’re looking to maximize the space usage in is your nursery rather than a bedroom or crafting room, and the idea of saving floor space in the main room is what really appeals to you? In that case, we think this tutorial from Project Nursery that shows you how to turn a closet into a baby changing station might be a little more up your alley!
12. Create stacked storage for oddly shaped things with tubs and shelves
Are you actually already using one of your spare closets for storage but you’re having trouble storing certain things in a way that’s organized and easily accessible, so the space has kind of just become a junk closet? Then maybe this tutorial from Homedit for adding shelving and organizing thinks into easily stacked bins can help you out a little bit.
13. A guide to custom built-in closet drawers
Perhaps you’re actually a pretty handy person and you’re looking for a closet storage transformation that’s a little more hands-on and perhaps a little more challenging? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Build Basic got creative with simple simple shelving units and customized them until they fit perfect into their spare closet space, giving them all kinds of shelves, drawers, and cubbies to work with when they put things away!
14. How to make a closet laundry room
Are you living in the kind of little house or apartment that fits juts about everything you need just right… with the exception of the fact that you don’t have a laundry room? Well, instead of trying to fit the washer and dryer in your kitchen and bathroom where they’ll get in the way of other things, we’d suggest taking a look at how easily Lowe’s lays out the process of making your very own small, space efficient laundry room from a spare hall closet!
