A Professional Organizer’s Guide to Organizing Bedroom Closets
Closet organization is probably one of the most (if not the most) requested projects you get from clients. Depending on the volume of clothes, shoes, and accessories your client has, closets can feel like a pleasure to organize or a puzzle to solve. Then, of course, there’s the space you’re working in. Everything from small, cramped closets to spacious walk-ins require their own custom organizing design to make them as functional as possible.
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to getting everything (and we mean everything!) in its place. From space saving tips to our favorite closet organization products, we hope this gives you the confidence to tackle your next client project with ease.
If you aren’t already, feel free to follow us on Instagram for some visuals of these tips and more!
The design
The first thing to do is assess the space you have to work with and the stuff your client needs to store in it. Hopefully a good decluttering session will help them to pare down on anything unnecessary. From there, it’s good to determine hanging vs. folding.
Hanging tips:
- If the closet already includes double hang sections, try to organize tops on the top and bottoms on the bottom. This is an eye trick to help them find what they need faster.
- From there, categorize clothes by type first, then color. If they’re struggling with what category a particular item should fall into (i.e. a dress that could be dressed up or down), ask them where they would think to look for it first.
- If they haven’t done this on their own already, swap all the hangers out to a matching slimline style so their clothing can breathe.
- Hang items toward the closet door so they can easily see everything from the front.
Here’s a link to our hanging organization tips on Instagram.
Folding tips:
- Designate each drawer or shelf to store one type of clothing (i.e. pajamas, leggings, sweatshirts) but feel free to combine categories if your client doesn’t have enough to fill one.
- Inside drawers, some things (like jeans or chunky sweaters) hold up well on their own without help. T-shirts might benefit more from spring loaded drawer dividers. Smaller items like socks and underwear stay sorted in cubbies.
- On shelves, keep the folded side of clothing facing out for a more seamless look and use shelf dividers to keep piles in place. Or use coordinating baskets with file folded items to contain their things.
- Always label – whether it’s the inside lip or the drawer or front of the shelf or bin – so that your client can get used to where their things are now living.
Here’s a link to our shelf and drawer organization tips on Instagram.
Space saving tips:
- Install a double hang rod to increase hanging space. Use an adjustable one especially if they need length for a few long dresses or jumpsuits.
- Consider stacking open front bins, boxes with lids, or drop front boxes if there’s a lot of height on the top shelf and/or shelves not adjustable.
- Don’t let floor square footage go unused if you’re short on space. Use it for a shoe shelf, laundry baskets, or even suitcase storage.
The zones
Closet categories can feel infinite at times. We’ve developed two different closet design forms – his and hers – with a list of the most common closet zones for each. In addition to the lists, the form gives you a way to calculate the amount of space needed for each of your client’s clothing items.
Click here to receive the free Closet Design form for Her.
Click here to receive the free Closet Design form for Him.
If you’re currently a Sortifi subscriber, you know that it helps greatly with planning out zones ahead of time. Take a look at this walk in closet example:
Being able to visually plan out your client’s closet system with exact measurements will save you time both on the job and during the supply sourcing/shopping process. Speaking of supplies…
The products
Here’s a list of our favorite hangers plus shelf and drawer organizing products to make your client’s closet both beautiful (like a boutique!) and organized.
Hangers
They don’t have to be velvet, but always try to persuade your client to stick to a slimline style so they can maximize their hanging space.
- NEAT rubberized hangers
- Slim wooden hangers
- Clear wooden hangers
- Gold metal hangers
- Black velvet hangers
Shelf organizers
Keep your client’s clothing and accessories in line on closet shelves with bins and dividers.
PS we’ll be going more in depth on shoes and accessory organization in our next blog post so stay tuned!
- Open tapered canvas bin
- SortJoy wide felt bin
- mDesign shelf dividers
- mDesign metal clutch divider
- Cambridge drop front box
Drawer organizers
Lastly, keep your client’s clothes tidy within dresser and closet drawers with these little helpers.
- mDesign white drawer dividers
- NEAT acacia drawer dividers
- NEAT Oxford bins
- Cambridge 6 section expandable organizer
- Cambridge narrow open drawer organizer
If you haven’t tried out Sortifi yet for your professional organizing business, sign up for a free one week trial HERE and simplify your design processes.
PS check out Sortifi in a recent Redfin article: 37 Book Organization Ideas !