How to optimise wardrobe space

Wardrobes have come a long way from the imposing freestanding items Victorians used to furnish with locks. Today’s wardrobes are usually integrated into double bedrooms, providing floor-to-ceiling storage for clothes and accoutrements.

That’s the theory, at least. In reality, wardrobes are often inefficiently used, with some items of clothing being worn all the time while others get buried alive and become forgotten about. It takes imagination and organisation to fully exploit a wardrobe’s potential, but these tips should help to transform any such space into a storage hero…

Stack up to the ceiling

Most wardrobes have a rail five feet off the ground, with a flat shelf immediately overhead. This is the ideal place to store occasional-use items that you’d rather not consign to a loft or outbuilding. Install shelving units which will extend up to the ceiling, or stack boxes to exploit every cubic foot of airspace. Use upper shelves to store items you won’t need routinely, like dress shoes or winter coats, labelling boxes/containers for instant clarity.

Hang things inside the doors

Sliding wardrobe doors leave limited scope for this, but doors that open out or fold up can be used in all sorts of imaginative ways. Sticking a mirror inside a wardrobe door is an easy win, while a motion-sensor light costs less than £10 and will illuminate proceedings nicely. Other clever storage solutions include vertical racks which fold out to house thin objects like ties, and dedicated wall racks that hang over the door to provide shallow shelving.

Add drawer units or cupboards

There’s usually empty space between the bottom of hanging items and the floor. Fill this with shelving units and cheap baskets (not wicker, which might snag clothes). It doesn’t matter what they look like, but their storage will accommodate huge amounts of underwear, accessories and foldable items like T-shirts. Measure your wardrobe and choose furniture that fills the space – ideally open-fronted units without doors or drawers that might not open fully.

Maximise the potential of hanging rails

Double-height hanging rails are a great space-saving solution, providing you’re not trying to hang ball gowns or wedding dresses. Folding trousers and jeans over an A-frame hanger halves their hanging height, while tops rarely need more than a couple of feet of space. If you can’t install a second rail below the first, invest in stacked baskets which can be suspended from the rail to provide additional vertical storage within a compact footprint.

Hang your clothes in order

Effective organisation also helps to optimise wardrobe storage. Hang paired items on a single A-frame hanger, and try to group related items (T-shirts, jeans, formal work shirts) together to simplify finding a particular item. You could also put freshly laundered items on the left and then pick items from the right, rotating them and wearing everything equally. Banish occasional-use items to the least accessible corner, keeping everyday items front and centre.

Don’t keep it if you don’t wear it

Barely a week goes by without a charity putting a sack through your letterbox, requesting clothing donations. Next time a sack arrives, explore your wardrobe. If you haven’t worn an item in the last year, it can probably be donated unless it’s a staple like a black suit. Chucking out old tops and trainers is surprisingly cathartic, giving other items a greater chance of being worn and reducing the risk of creases, while additionally freeing up space for new purchases.

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