Making the most of your closet space

The closet, a bedroom essential and often a serious factor when it comes to choosing a new home.  And trust me, no one else better understands those closet needs than the fashion industry, so here at Pretty Little Thing, we are constantly looking for new ways to present our clothes and to make sure they are stored correctly whilst being close to hand for all those last minute photoshoots and tweaks.

With London Fashion Week on the way, PLT HQ is making sure everything is super organised and in its place ready for the mayhem, and from this we’ve picked up loads of tips of how best to store and organise your closet space and thought we would share them with you.

So whether you’ve just bought a new home and you are looking to maximise your closet space, or you’ve just stumbled upon this blog and you’re ready to overhaul your wardrobe ready for the new season, these tips will help you to get on the right path:

• First of all, treat your closet space as its own mini room- ensure it has its own lighting and even paint the walls to suit the room it’s located in.  This will help motivate you to keep it organized and lighting will help you use the space more effectively (if your closet doesn’t have its own wiring, places such as Ikea have battery powered stick on LEDs which are ideal!)

• The inside of the door is just space waiting to be utilized- put up hooks to hang accessories onto, or put up a pegboard for a flexible mini-dressing station.  It is also a great place to hang a mirror whilst saving bedroom space.

• Vertical space is important- make sure there is storage options both above your rail and below. Use high places to store things that are used rarely/seasonally.  Store every day outfits at eye level and less used items below.  See-through storage is preferable so you don’t forget what you’ve stored away!

• Hangers are important for organization! First of all, use slim ones to maximise the space.  Then use different coloured hangers for different styles or different seasons- for example winter items on white, summer items on wooden.

• Combine storage units for different needs- drawers and shelves for folded, hangers for dresses and suits, boxes for odds and ends and hooks for accessories.

• And lastly- declutter! Throw out anything that hasn’t been worn in the past 6 months and bear in mind the perfect capsule wardrobe contains; a seasonal coat, two dresses, two great jackets, two jumpers, three skirts/skorts/shorts, one button up white shirt, a pair of jeans, a pair of trousers, and finally a small selection of tops.  Buy occasion wear per event and sell it on afterwards but always keep a little black dress on hand.

Whilst these space maximising tips seem impressive right now, we can’t help but wonder how long they will realistically last – we’re all guilty of refilling our wardrobe with the latest trends after we’ve seen them first hand on the runway!  Don’t get too carried away, store away the summer outfits (sob) before you add your cashmere jumpers and wool scarves – you’ll thank us later.  After all, a decluttered home is a happy home.