When we bought our new house, I started researching small closet shelving ideas right away. This was because we started with no closet systems to speak of. There wasn’t even a bar for hanging clothes, so we had to create our own system.
Through research, I realized there are many different closet organizers and systems for a closet space. So, to share with you. I put together this list of ideas while finalizing our closet shelving systems. I’ve also included some tips for maximizing the space that you have.
Whether it’s a tiny closet, or even in a large one, here are tips if you want to add more clothes or other items.
Small closet shelving options
There are many different options for closet shelving available out there.
You may already know about customizable closet kits that can be used in full or in pieces to fit your space. This is great for small spaces, because you can maximize the area you have.
Here, you will find large and small organizing bins, shelves, containers, and more on Shelving.Com. and Amazon.
1. Deluxe Closet Kit
This closet kit can work in a space as small as 4 feet wide up to 8 feet wide.
You will find this wall-mounted kit works in a bedroom closet, hall closet, or linen closet.
The best part is that you can configure it however you want during assembly. Customizing is great to make it work for the items you choose to store on it.
2. Expandable Closet Shelf Kit
If an entire closet kit is too much for your space, this expandable shelf kit works well for adding more shelving without taking up your whole closet space.
It works great for small spaces or oddly shaped closets like corner closets. You can assemble it to fit your space accordingly.
3. Customizable Wall Mount Shoe Shelf
If you’re just looking for a solution to organize your shoes, this wall-mounted customizable shoe shelf is great!
This is a great way to use vertical space for store shoes so they take up less floor space. Use the extra floor space to add other organizers.
4. Top and Bottom Shelf/Hang Rod Kits
This double shelf and hang rod kit is great if you prefer to hang most of your clothes.
The shelves can be used for shoes, storage baskets, folded clothes, or any other form of accessory storage.
5. Cube Storage Organizer
This highly customizable cube storage organizer can go in the corner of your closet.
It can even be made shorter by removing a cube or two off the top to fit your space.
Take the extra cubes and make a second stack right beside the first one, or keep them separate and stick them up on a shelf.
However you want to use these, they are great for a unique space that needs customized storage.
6. Modular 4 Drawer Storage Unit
This closet drawer organizer is great because it has half front panels on the drawers that allow you to see what is stacked inside.
This is helpful in small spaces so you don’t have to pull open every drawer and rummage through from the top to figure out what is underneath.
This unit is also stackable. Therefore, if you have vertical space you could add another 4 drawer unit on top of it.
7. Stackable 5-Shelf Organizer
This 5-shelf organizer is great for shoes, purses, stacks of sweaters, and baskets and bins holding smaller items.
Shelves are great because they are so versatile. They can be used for larger items as is or you can always add containers to easily and securely house smaller things.
On these shelves, you can even add some command hooks to the sides and hang things like hats, scarves, and other small loose items that get easily lost.
8. Wood Closet Organizer Kit
This wooden closet kit fits closets 4 feet up to 8 feet and can be customized to fit your needs.
Overall, this closet system looks a little fancier than the wire closet systems, and it gives your closet a more custom look.
9. Premier Closet Organizer
Another wall-mounted closet system option is this honey-maple finish wood system.
Again, this is another system that is customizable to fit your space, small or large.
There are lots of things to love about this. And, there’s something to be said for a closet system that looks nice and functions well.
It will be pleasing to the eye to open your closet.
10. Free-Standing Closet Organizer
This free-standing closet organizer can be used inside or outside of your closet.
This sort of system would work well for those who have extremely small closets or even no closets at all, which is not unheard of.
A free-standing organizer is beautiful, so it can sit out in the open in your bedroom without being an eye sore.
It’s very functional with hanging rods, drawers, and shelves. There is even space to add bins and baskets to the shelves for more organization.
This organizer is spacious but not huge so it will give you plenty of room for storage without taking up too much space in a small bedroom.
15 Tips to maximize space in a small closet
It’s kind of surprising to think of how many ways you can maximize space in a small closet.
This is a problem people have been trying to solve and improve upon for a long time, because the products and hacks available are genius!
Whether you use all of these tips or just a combination of a few of them, they are sure to make your closet space a better place.
All of these items can be bought on amazon, but you can also find lots of helpful storage and organization tools at a container store or even places like Walmart.
1. Stack your shoes
When you’re working with a small space, it helps to use all the vertical space you can.
Lining shoes across the floor takes up a lot of valuable space where something like a dresser or another organizer could be sitting.
Using stackable shoe storage or shoe organizers is a great way to go up with your shoes instead of out.
Depending on your specific space, these clear cube organizers or shoe slots may work well.
2. Add a small dresser
A compact dresser may be useful in a deep closet that doesn’t have much space. You can hang clothes above it, stack clothes on top of it or add another organizer there.
A small dresser adds a ton of space for storage and it is the best way to maximize the height and depth of your closet.
3. Use drawer organizers in your dresser
Drawer organizers make good use of every inch of space in your dresser drawers. They help keep all of your items neat and organized as well, which goes a lot way in making you feel put together.
You can use drawer organizing bins for smaller items like socks, underwear, bras, ties, belts, and smaller items like t-shirts. Or you can opt for expandable drawer dividers that just help keep stacks of shirts neat and tidy.
4. Vacuum seal your out-of-season clothes
When you’re not working with a lot of closet space, the small closet idea is golden. Take stuff out!
When your coats, sweaters, and other bulky seasonal items are out of season, store them in vacuum-sealed bags under your bed, in your garage, or even in the closet if you need to.
Just tuck them away in the back of the closet or wherever you can find space.
When they are vacuum sealed they will take up much less space and make it easier for you to get organized and stay that way.
5. Use a coat rack
A coat rack inside of a closet can be great to take up any dead space on the walls that you could be capitalizing on. It can be used for scarves, hats, belts, or any number of everyday items that are difficult to store.
6. Use shower curtain hooks
Shower curtain hooks are a great way to maximize space on your closet rod. You can use these hooks for anything that makes sense for you, but they are great for making extra space among your hanging clothes.
Use these to hang your jeans by the belt loop like you’ve probably seen in some stores. This makes them hang in a less bulky way and gives you easy access to them when you’re ready to wear them.
7. Fold clothes neatly
It may seem like a small thing, but knowing how to fold your clothes neatly will actually free up enough space that it’s noticeable. You’ll be surprised how a well-folded stack of shirts takes up less space.
Using a folding board is an excellent way to fold clothes neatly and it also really helps kids learn to fold well too.
8. Use under shelf space
If you don’t have a hanging rod directly under shelves in your clothes, using a floating basket is a great way to get the most out of your space.
9. Double up your hanger space
If you prefer to hang most of your clothes, adding a second hanging rod below the top rod is helpful. Be sure to measure the space and hang the second rod below where the bottom of your clothes on the top rid will fall.
This option works great for hanging pants on the bottom and shirts and jackets on the top.
10. Use an over-the-door hanger
Add another hanging rod with an over-the-door hanger or make it another rack with hooks or a shoe organizer. This space is underutilized and can be a perfect solution to having lots of clothes and very little space.
11. Get space-saving hangers
Bulky and mismatched hangers can make things look disheveled and take up extra space.
Flat velvet hangers are really helpful for condensing the space your hanging clothes take up and just making the space feel more put together and organized.
12. Organize with baskets
Baskets and bins that sit on your shelves are really helpful for organizing the small accessories in your closet. They can even be used for socks, underwear, and bras.
An assortment of small, medium and large baskets is also really helpful in a linen closet.
13. Use dividers on shelves
If you are stacking folded clothes on a shelf, you need shelf dividers! These are so helpful for keeping your clothes neatly stacked so they don’t end up in a big pile or falling off the shelf.
14. Use multi-tiered hangers
If you have a lot of hanging clothes, this closet system hack is a must-have!
For shirts or for pants, this takes the bulk out of your hanging clothes and creates So much space!
15. Keep a donation bin
One of the best things you can do when it comes to small space storage solutions is to have less stuff. Professional organizers always purge unused items as a first step before getting into small closet organization ideas. But it’s not a one-time thing, it has to be an ongoing process.
Keeping a donation bin tucked inside the closet or something like these plastic storage bins with a lid in your garage will help you keep a handle on minimizing the clutter of things you don’t use.
Toss things in there regularly that don’t fit, don’t give you pleasure anymore, or that just don’t work for your lifestyle anymore.
Once it’s full, take the items to a local donation center and start again.
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