When we first shared how we organized nearly every room in the house, many readers asked to see how we manage our clothing. So here’s a full tour of our closets and how we keep everything tidy and accessible. I’ve shared how I store my jewelry in a ceramic egg crate before, but there’s a lot more packed into that big Ikea wardrobe.
On my side of the bed, the wardrobe includes two top shelves, a hanging bar, a shelf beneath the hanging bar filled with fabric bins (for socks, underwear, swimsuits, and small accessories), and four lower shelves. I dedicate one shelf to jeans, one to pajamas, and two to shoe storage.
One small trick that saves space: alternate the direction each pair of shoes faces. Because the fronts of shoes are wider than the heels, turning them in opposite directions takes up a little less space and often fits an extra pair per shelf.
The fabric bins under the hanging bar are great for keeping socks, bras, and underwear neatly contained. Since most of my wardrobe is black, the bins help maintain a streamlined look and make it easy to find basics.
I use the two top shelves differently: one holds folded fabric items, and the other stores purses I’m not currently using. I stuff purses with balled-up paper to help them keep their shape and lay scarves rolled up beside them. Matching hangers are another simple upgrade: buying them in bulk from Ikea gives the closet a boutique-like uniformity and prevents stretching that can happen with skinny plastic or wire hangers.
John’s side is tailored to his needs. He also has a hanging bar with two shelves above it, but instead of five shelves below, he has one shelf, three pull-out drawers, and a bottom shelf for shoes. His hanging section is full of colorful collared work shirts, while a dedicated drawer holds t-shirts and casual weekend wear.
John stores jeans on the shelf under his hanging bar and keeps socks, undershirts, and boxers in one of the pull-out drawers. One of the biggest advantages of the Ikea wardrobes is the ability to customize each unit: John’s hanging bar sits about a foot higher than mine to accommodate his height (I’m 5’2″, he’s 6′).
His wardrobe ended up wider than mine because our back window is off-center; we used the wardrobes and curtains to give the room a balanced look. That extra width let his unit include pull-out drawers while mine came with fixed shelves. Standard sizes often dictate which configurations are available.
Even though John owns more jeans, I win in the shoe department. Keeping my clothing palette simple—mostly black with occasional pops of color—lets me use shoes and statement earrings to add personality without overcomplicating outfits. For overflow shoes, suits, dresses, and out-of-season sweaters we still use the original closet that came with the room.
That original closet came with a few leftover nails in the side, which are perfect for hanging necklaces that don’t fit in my egg crate. While they’re functional rather than decorative, swapping them for hooks or knobs would instantly elevate the look.
It also included two stacked wire shoe racks, which maximize vertical space and store far more shoes than a single shelf would. Because there’s more room in that closet, I don’t need to use the alternating-shoes trick there—restraint, at least for now.
We even dedicated the guest bedroom closet to Burger, our dog. We don’t close the door when he’s inside, and we remove his crate when guests arrive. Leaving an empty closet lined with wooden hangers makes the spare room feel a little more polished, which is a subtle but effective touch.
So that’s our closet tour. We hope this peek behind the curtain gives you ideas for organizing your own clothing and accessories. What are your best closet tips? Any upcoming closet projects you’re planning? We’d love to hear your strategies for making the most of clothing storage.
Curious how those Ikea built-ins on either side of the bed came together? Here’s the whole story.