Organize the Bedroom Closet

A bedroom can be an oasis of calm-your last stronghold of serenity in a busy life. You’ll certainly want to set up your bedroom to meet your needs and comfort, but that doesn’t mean style has to go. These shortcuts will help you organize your bedroom closet to control clutter without spending a bundle. Doors In a crowded bedroom, this is an all-too-frequent occurrence: You swing open your closet door and end up whacking a nearby piece of furniture. There’s a quick fix for this problem. Replace your standard door with a bifold model. Opening and closing your closet will be smooth and collision-free. Plus, a bifold door is lightweight, and when open it allows access to the whole closet. Pick one up at any home center; it’s easy to put it in yourself. All you need is a drill and a screwdriver for installing the floor plate and frame track. It’s smooth entry from then on. Hooks Take a cue from your grandmother’s attic: Ease the space crunch in your closet by adding a few well-placed hooks. Install them on the end walls on either side of the clothes rod and along the front wall of the closet. Handbags, neckties, ball caps, and maybe a jacket or two-the storage possibilities are limitless with this idea from the past. Old Dressers Shave dollars and steps off a closet renovation by moving an old dresser into it, says fashion reporter Sharon Edelson from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Make sure the dresser is short enough to fit neatly under clothing hanging from the rod. You’ll find it’s a great addition for storing extra blankets and bed linens, as well as kids’ sports uniforms. If appearance counts, paint it to match the closet walls. Shelves Flexibility is important in a bedroom closet, because as your lifestyle changes, so do the things you keep in your closet. Including movable-and removable-shelves ensures that you’ll be prepared for new dimensions to your life, such as taking up the saxophone or starting a new collection. One system that earns high marks for versatility uses ready-made brackets that fit into notched metal tracks so that you can move shelves up or down as often as needed. Most home centers sell these brackets fairly inexpensively. You can pair the brackets with laminated shelves or spend less by making your own from standard lumber, such as 1-by-12s cut to length. (Lumberyards and home centers will cut boards for you at little or no cost.) Just be sure to fasten the metal tracks into wall studs, and they’ll be able to handle the heaviest loads. Install shelves at just one end of your closet; you’ll still have most of the space available for hanging clothing.