Closet space tricks

Courtesy of The Ottawa Real Estate Board July 1, 2010 Face it: everyone has stuff. Some of us have more or less than others, but the fact is that we all need a certain amount of clothing, shoes, dishes, bedding and towels in order to go about our daily lives. Naturally, we need somewhere to store all of that stuff, and in most modern homes, the closet is designated for that task. But what if your home has tiny closets or, in older homes, none at all? The Ontario Real Estate Association has put together an excellent list of ideas for making your home’s closet space work for you, not against you – and many of these options are very inexpensive. Read on: • Make your closets serve a variety of purposes. Try adding a shelving unit to a clothes closet where you can store pantry goods and other items. • Always try to incorporate a variety of shelving units in a closet. These give you space to store small items such as shoes, scarves, handbags and even books. • The ceiling space in closets is seldom used. Consider adding a shelf or a compartment to store bulkier i ems such as luggage or blankets. • Invest in a shoe rack that can be incorporated into your closet. Whether it sits on the floor or hangs from the door or is part of a shelving unit, a rack will not only keep your shoes together, it will give the whole closet a more organized appearance. • Plan to store out-of-season clothes in boxes or elsewhere. Use the closet only to keep those items you wear regularly during a season. • If closet space is still tight and there are few open spaces in your home that can be turned into closets, try adding an armoire or wardrobe. This was the furniture piece used for storing clothes back when there weren't built-in closets. It's still a popular and practical item in many homes today. • Try turning an entire wall in a room into a storage area. There are many systems available that can be easily installed. You can close them up by adding doors, or keep them open and airy. • Kitchens are where you can be most creative in finding extra storage space. To get the best use of kitchen closet space, store as much as possible outside the closets. That means hanging anything that can hang from the ceilings and the walls. Custom-design closets and cupboards for the specific goods each will hold. This may include drawers for knives, shelves for different size cans, jars, etc. • Adding a shelving rack to the inside of a closet door can make even the shallowest closet seem deeper. • In a child's room, don't limit yourself to the space inside the closet. Use lots of bins, stacking baskets and shelving units throughout the room to store and toss things in. As you can see, you have many options even if you are closet-poor. So if you’re looking at a home that you love but find the closets tiny, remember these ideas and don’t let a lack of storage be the only reason you don’t buy the home of your dreams