How do I reach in closet corners?
by
Kim
+9
We have a reach in closet in our bedroom and each end has a 12" return. It may not seem like a lot but with so little closet space I need all of it to work efficiently. Clothes get lost and it's impossible to know what I have. We've had a design for a closet organizer drawn out on graph paper for a few years but I need to get this right- my husband will only do this job once. Opening up the closet without the returns is not an option- one side originally had a 30" return but we shortened it to the 12" minimum. We've had people tell us the corner shelving never worked well for them and they're still trying to figure out an ideal solution. Any ideas? Have you dealt with this issue?
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I’m a little confused as to how you’re describing the closet. This will sound weird but you could scrap the plan you have and completely start over. Think of all sorts of crazy ideas and ways to fill the space; sometimes I find my better plans come from thinking outside the box and differently. Or you could try hooks or other small organizers to make best efficient use of the space.
A picture would help with coming up with ideas, Kim. Thanks!
Put short, double rods in the returns, but perpendicular to the main closet rod (so sideways from how you would normally hang a closet rod). Mount the main closet rod from the ceiling or use brackets attached to studs so that you have access to the perpendicular rods. Or, if there's enough space (you don't say how wide the closet is), add narrow closet shelves with a tall rod in between for the space in the middle. Those shelves are great for sweaters, folded jeans, purses, or shoes.
Use the middle space for longer clothes and the double rods on the sides for shorter clothes. Put shelves above the top rods on the sides if there's enough clearance and definitely put shelves above the main rod. Change out the doors if they are bi-fold or bypass to double doors on hinges so you can use the back of the doors for shoe racks as well as hooks or pockets or shallow shelves for extra storage.
Put a decent light in the space (there are inexpensive LED ones that run on batteries and last a long time) so you can see what's in there.
Remove anything that really doesn't belong in a closet, too. That makes such a difference.
I’ve seen some neat ideas on hometalk for shoe racks (like on doors) that might work in the end “dead spaces”...shoes you need to keep but don’t use frequently...that might be helpful. I also find it more useful to put longer hanging items on the ends (dresses, pants clipped on hangers) and shorter items on doubled rods in the middle (tops, trousers, shorter jackets).
We had a similar problem & took off the bi-fold doors completely as the folded doors took up another 6” of reach into the closet on both ends. We used a pair of floor length draperies, but that may not be for everyone.
Curved hanger rods sound like a great idea! I haven’t seen them. Seems like you have really planned it out carefully, including the hunting necessities! ☺️
what do you mean ?
I need a picture, can't wrap my mind around what a closet return is.