Reach-in closet designs are the most common found in older homes, apartments and condominiums. Reach-in closet designs are both efficient and frustrating – the layouts do not take up much space but that means you have even less space to work with in order to organize your clothing, shoes and storage items. Even the slightest bit of disorganization can throw off your closet’s appeal and effectiveness and leave you feeling helpless when you are searching for particular item. Reach-in closet designs should be simple, compartmentalized and reflect your personality while being an efficient place in your home. Keep these reach-in closet design ideas in mind when making yours work.

photo credit: Associated Fabrication
First determine what will be the best use of your space. Do you have more items that need to be hung up, or folded? If folded, then you need to decide if you like the look of drawers or open shelving. Most reach-in closet design ideas will combine shelving and hanging space but deciding which you would like most of is important to the overall project. You can keep your reach-in closet neat and tidy by purchasing premade shelving systems, bins for accessories, over-the-door shelving and hooks, and hanging rods.

photo credit: MAZZALIARMADI.IT
Once you are ready to install a new reach-in closet design idea, begin by gutting your old look so there is nothing but empty space. As you remove items from your closet, do yourself a favor and get rid of some of it. Limited space in a reach-in closet is a problem and ridding your closet of excess items that you no longer have use for will go a long way in reorganizing and implementing your new reach-in closet design ideas. Think of friends or family members who may need some of your extra items, throw a garage sale or simply donate it all to a local charity. You will feel better. Once you are down to the bare minimum items, make a list of possible additions you anticipate to your wardrobe or storage. Decide if there are things that you are keeping that could go somewhere else in the house, like outdoor storage or the garage. Paring down your items will make your new reach-in closet design ideas work more smoothly.
A trend in reach-in closet design ideas is complete removal of any doors or curtains. Having simply an open space to hang your clothing and view the items on your shelves can be liberating and will encourage tidiness since everything is out in the open. This is especially popular for private closets in bedrooms but should be avoided for common areas like hallway closets or guest room storage. For some people, open reach-in closet design ideas are too overwhelming and throw off the entire layout of the room. In this case, doors or tasteful curtains are an acceptable addition to the closet. Putting your personality into your reach-in closet design ideas will help your organization project be a success.