Ideas for making hall coat closet more functional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did:
> Large basket on the floor to contain the boots
> Hanging shoe strange from the bar to hold scarves, hats, gloves, etc.
> Few hooks on the sides for umbrellas, swifter, and other misc things.

Shoe thing looks like this:

[Anonymous]

We have the same closet and did Elfa. The configuration includes a standalone drawer unit for hats, gloves etc. at the far-right end of the closet. The folding stepstool tucks in next to that. (You could put your broom in there.) On the other side of the drawer unit, there are hooks for the dog leash, baseball caps, etc.

Above the drawer unit is a bar hung high for jackets.

To the right of the drawer unit is a bar hung at normal height for jackets and longer coats. Above that there are two shelves, the lower one with a lip in front (to keep things from falling off). Then there is a high shelf for rarely-used items.

It all works better than it used to. Not perfect (what would be, given the small size?), but a vast improvement.

[Anonymous]

^^^I should add, the bottom drawer of the drawer unit is a deep one and we put flip-flops and sneakers etc. in there.

[Anonymous]

We had a carpenter install permanent cubbies in two of our closets. In one they are down low and sized for shoes with space for coats above and shelves up high. In the other the cubbies are higher, take up half of the closet width, and are perfect for winter accessories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did Elba for our closets and love it. Container store has 30% off right now! Someone helped us design all of our closets and we maximized space.

OP here. I went to Container Store and did an elfa design. Not too many options with such a small space, but we can put a track on the back of the door to hold baskets for gloves etc and they can lower the bar to put two shelves above it. I'm not 100% convinced it will help much more, especially since the designer said that the baskets may squish the coats and it might not close but we can always try I guess. And it will finally get me to get rid of some coats in there we rarely wear.

We did door-hung baskets like that in our linen closet and we put medications etc. on it. It is SO useful because you can see everything.

Who cares if the baskets squish the coats? The designer should be able to tell you if the door will close.

I agree about lowering the shelf.

[Anonymous]

Great ideas!

[Anonymous]

We removed the bar and I installed double hooks all
Along the back and sides. About 12 in total. Then a shelf up top and three plastic bins on the floor. So much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have the same closet and did Elfa. The configuration includes a standalone drawer unit for hats, gloves etc. at the far-right end of the closet. The folding stepstool tucks in next to that. (You could put your broom in there.) On the other side of the drawer unit, there are hooks for the dog leash, baseball caps, etc.

Above the drawer unit is a bar hung high for jackets.

To the right of the drawer unit is a bar hung at normal height for jackets and longer coats. Above that there are two shelves, the lower one with a lip in front (to keep things from falling off). Then there is a high shelf for rarely-used items.

It all works better than it used to. Not perfect (what would be, given the small size?), but a vast improvement.

OP here. Are your dimensions the same as ours? The Elfa designer seemed adamant that the closet couldn't fit any drawers, which is what I really wanted.

[Anonymous]

Put the rack very high up. No shelves above it. Keep the long coats to one side. Park the vacuum in front of or behind the long coats-whatever works for you. Short ones on the other. Underneath the short coats run 1-3 partial shelves for baskets/storage. leave enough room for a few shoes to go under the bottom shelf.

On the door hang a plastic shoe organizer or mount a full length shelf organizer. You can store hats and gloves in this. Plus vacuum accessories. For scarves get a scarf hanger and just hang with the coats. Or hang each scarf with the right coat (we use both systems). You may have room for a few hooks on the front inside of the closet fit a dog leash, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have the same closet and did Elfa. The configuration includes a standalone drawer unit for hats, gloves etc. at the far-right end of the closet. The folding stepstool tucks in next to that. (You could put your broom in there.) On the other side of the drawer unit, there are hooks for the dog leash, baseball caps, etc.

Above the drawer unit is a bar hung high for jackets.

To the right of the drawer unit is a bar hung at normal height for jackets and longer coats. Above that there are two shelves, the lower one with a lip in front (to keep things from falling off). Then there is a high shelf for rarely-used items.

It all works better than it used to. Not perfect (what would be, given the small size?), but a vast improvement.

OP here. Are your dimensions the same as ours? The Elfa designer seemed adamant that the closet couldn't fit any drawers, which is what I really wanted.

Yes, exactly the same. 48" wide by 24" deep. Ours has sliding doors.

Ours could not accommodate built-in/mounted drawers, but this unit fits in there fine.

http://www.containerstore.com/s/closet/drawers/platinum-elfa-mesh-dresser/12d?productId=10014858

If you live in the Silver Spring area, you are welcome to come see my closets!

I would ask for a different designer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have the same closet and did Elfa. The configuration includes a standalone drawer unit for hats, gloves etc. at the far-right end of the closet. The folding stepstool tucks in next to that. (You could put your broom in there.) On the other side of the drawer unit, there are hooks for the dog leash, baseball caps, etc.

Above the drawer unit is a bar hung high for jackets.

To the right of the drawer unit is a bar hung at normal height for jackets and longer coats. Above that there are two shelves, the lower one with a lip in front (to keep things from falling off). Then there is a high shelf for rarely-used items.

It all works better than it used to. Not perfect (what would be, given the small size?), but a vast improvement.

OP here. Are your dimensions the same as ours? The Elfa designer seemed adamant that the closet couldn't fit any drawers, which is what I really wanted.

Yes, exactly the same. 48" wide by 24" deep. Ours has sliding doors.

Ours could not accommodate built-in/mounted drawers, but this unit fits in there fine.

http://www.containerstore.com/s/closet/drawers/platinum-elfa-mesh-dresser/12d?productId=10014858

If you live in the Silver Spring area, you are welcome to come see my closets!

I would ask for a different designer.

Thanks for this! I didn't even know this unit existed but it seems perfect for my needs. I agree about asking for a different designer--he listened to my needs and how I didn't just want more shelves above the bar---and then designed a space where the only change was more shelves above the bar. Do you have someone at the Rockville store you'd recommend working with? And thanks for the offer but I'm way upcounty! -OP

[Anonymous]

here are some different images of back of closet door designs.

also, i keep a small folding stool in nearly all my closets. Picked up a bunch at TJ Maxx some years back. Find I am much better about putting stuff away if it is easier to do it.

[Anonymous]

We have Elfa and have a freestanding drawer unit that's I think 24 inches wide with 4 equal size drawers - 1 for each person. Short coats hang above it, long coats to the side. There is space below the long coats for boots. There is also a shelf above the coats but it's pretty high so for less used items. Nothing on the doors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did:
> Large basket on the floor to contain the boots
> Hanging shoe strange from the bar to hold scarves, hats, gloves, etc.
> Few hooks on the sides for umbrellas, swifter, and other misc things.

Shoe thing looks like this:

Thanks for this great tip!

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I went back to Container Store and worked with a different designer who created a plan more suited to our needs. We will be using the freestanding drawer unit with a rack for short coats above it and then a higher rack for longer coats on the other side. A shelf above that which I can reach and then two shelves above that which DH can reach. There should be room on the ground for boots and there's a price to attach to the side of the drawer unit to hold wrapping paper. -OP