The Container Store Did Not Pay Me For This One

Meurice Garment Care asked me to answer some customer questions for a blog post this week. One of the questions, how to deal with the challenge of a NYC sized closet (small!), was so much fun to answer, I decided to share it with my blog readers as well. As a bonus, my dear readers get an extra tip and pictures! And lots of links to items you can buy at The Container Store!

The original question, from Mary Lynn Halland, is this: How should NYers with small closets (isn't that all of us?) organize their clothes. It's hard to figure out what to wear when you can't see everything at a glance. Bingo! Mary has found the root of the problem and I'm here with 6 tips to help you solve your space challenges.

Tip #1. Make more space with skinny hangers. And no, I don't mean the kind from the corner dry cleaner! Flocked velvet hangers, such as the Huggable Hanger line, protect the shape of your clothes and use MUCH less space than wooden, metal or plastic hangers.

Huggable Hangers

Tip #2. Double your hanging space for $9.99! Everyone to whom I've shown this simple, inexpensive fix, is amazed at the impact it has on their storage space.

Double Hang Closet Rod

Tip #3. Only the clothes you are currently wearing should be hanging in your closet. Put off-season clothes in beautiful fabric bins which you can stack vertically on the top shelf of your closet or another out of the way place. Black tie clothes you wear once a year should also find a new home. Sandals can go in underbed boxes, replaced by boots in the summer.

Baroque Fabric Bins

Tip #4. Repurpose furniture. I believe that out-of-sight equals out-of-mind. Why not stack sweaters and tee shirts on an open bookshelf, instead of away in a dresser?

Verona Four Shelf Bookcase from World Market

Tip #5. Throw away your shoe boxes! The original boxes, that is. Replace them with clear shoe drawers. This allows you to stack many more pairs on the top or bottom of your closet while making them truly accessible.

Clear Shoe Drawers

Tip #6. Put like with like. This may sound elementary to those of you who are naturally organized, but most people don't naturally take this step. You want pants with pants, skirts with skirts, and short sleeve tees with the other short sleeve tees, not the long sleeve or sleeveless ones! How would you know whether or not you needed a fresh white button down shirt if they are scattered around the closet? You wouldn't! Therefore you would buy a new one when they went on sale each season. This sounds like a smart strategy until you gather them all together in one place and realize your have many, many more than you would ever need. Shall we see if said shirt buyer can identify himself ?????