Nine Nifty Ideas for a Neater Wardrobe: Storage Solutions

Sometimes, clothes storage solutions a bit hit and miss, often limited to makeshift shelves, under-the-bed boxes or forgotten cupboards. However, with a bit of creativity and planning, your closet spaces can go from cluttered to chic, making your home not only more organised but also more stylish. 

1. Assess Your Current Storage Situation

Before diving into storage solutions, you need to assess your current setup. Examine all your wardrobes, closets and other storage areas. Are they packed to the brim? Do you struggle to find what you need? Is everything neatly arranged or are items constantly spilling out?

By identifying problem areas, you can see where to focus your efforts. Perhaps your closets need better organisation, keeping similar items together for instance, or maybe there’s simply too much clutter. The less clutter, the less space needed for storage. 

2. Prioritise Decluttering

Try applying the “Marie Kondo” principle—only keep items that spark joy, or that you frequently use. Something lots of us do is hold onto clothing items that we never wear. Maybe the colour is great but the style doesn’t suit us, or maybe the size is wrong but we love it so we think we’ll slim into it or, alternatively, that we’re sure to gain a bit and then it will fit. Meanwhile, that item hangs in the cupboard taking up space for years. And by the time our size does match the item, it’s out of fashion so we won’t wear it anyway.

When you’ve got more clothes than closet, a better storage system is to divide your clothing by season and then store out of season items in self storage. A self storage locker would be ideal for just a few items carefully packed into boxes. If your wardrobe is more extensive, a self storage room would suit you better where you can install drawer systems and hanging rails to keep everything pristine.  

3. Invest in Customised Storage Solutions

Mass-produced storage solutions may not always suit your needs. Instead, consider investing in customised or bespoke storage options. Tailoring your storage to fit the space and your belongings can make a huge difference in both function and aesthetics.

For instance, built-in shelving, pull-out drawers or floor-to-ceiling compartments can maximise every inch of available space. Custom wardrobe designs can include specific sections for shoes, accessories and hanging spaces for different types of clothing. They give a seamless and elegant appearance, but it’s not always the most economical solution.

4. Optimise Vertical Space

We often consider vertical spaces only inside rooms, forgetting that wardrobes have vertical spaces inside them too. You can fit extra shelves or tension rods to make more hanging space or create somewhere for shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe for an additional storage solution. You could also fit hooks or rails inside doors for accessories, ties or belts.

5. Create Zones for Different Items

Zoning is another storage solution concept you can move out of the room and into the wardrobe. Designate specific areas for certain types of clothing, such as keeping shirts or blouses together, organising jeans and trousers into their own spaces and keeping dresses or skirts in one section. 

If you don’t like category sections, create colour zones instead, which might help you keep favourite outfits together for easy selection. 

A third way of zoning is to maintain areas for work clothes, formal outfits or casual wear, providing a straightforward and organised storage solution.

6. Change Storage Use

As indicated previously, you don’t have to keep your wardrobe the way it was when you first bought it. If it’s not working for you figure out ways to change it. For instance, maybe you need draw space rather than extra hanging space. You can achieve this with a plastic tower drawer set, simply standing beneath hanging items in the wardrobe. They don’t look the best, but it’s not on show and it will help you keep small items or accessories together and easy to find.

7. Use Labels to Help Little Children

Once your wardrobe system is in place, labelling can help maintain order, especially in children’s closets or drawers. They don’t have to be words. A little sticker of a sock can help remind kids where their socks go, for instance, and everybody loves a sticker or two. They cheer up an area and make it look cheerful, bright and fun. You could even go a step further and use photos, chalkboard labels or colour-coding. 

8. Incorporate Aesthetics

Who says storage can’t be stylish? From decorative baskets to beautiful glass jars, there are endless options for incorporating pleasing storage solutions into your wardrobe system. Baskets and woven bins on a top shelf look nicer than a stack of scarves or gloves, and clear glass containers can keep beauty or jewellery items organised and accessible.

9. Regularly Reassess Your Wardrobe Needs

Fashion and clothing collections change overtime, so what works in the wardrobe this year may not be as successful next year. Never be scared to change things up and try something different. Seasonal decluttering and rotating items into and out of a self storage unit can help keep your spaces organised and functional all year round. 

Here’s a final benefit in revamping your wardrobe system: shopping for new items will be easy because you’ll know exactly what you already have, minimising the risk of buying stuff that doesn’t match any of your other clothes.