Help me organise my new walk in wardrobe (frivolous first world problem thread!

[Justonemorecardi]

I know its shallow, but I'm so excited, as part of our ongoing renovation project I've managed to create a walk in wardrobe which can hold all my clothes I've collected from around the house (summer stuff in dcs wardrobes, boxes from attic etc) but now it just looks overwhelming. Does anyone have tips on how to organise - should I separate summer and winter? Should I hang 'storage clothes' (ones that I rarely wear but might one day)? I have got rid of stuff I'm unlikely to ever wear, but there are still things I'd like to keep.

The space is really flexible as I've used Ikea pax as the frames so can add in drawers, rails shelves etc. So far I've got some dress length hanging and shorter hanging for tops and bottoms. Would you hang jeans, shorts etc?

[Ujjayi]

Haven't got time to post now as off to work but...drool...walk in wardrobe

[billandcoo]

I have a 'closet maid' system in the smallest bedroom and I love it. I have racks down one side of the room which involves two rail levels each side of a shelving unit.

I'm a kind, loving wife so DH gets one half of the rails :) Best way that worked was for him to have a half of the side so all his stuff is one side of the shelving and the other side is mine. There's a small part to hold long stuff like dresses too.

My top and bottom racks hold everything by type. All jumpers together, all skirts together and organised by colour dark to light.

I hang absolutely everything but undies, sleepwear and shorts.

[Justonemorecardi]

Hi billandcoo, your room sounds very organised, I was thinking of hanging most things as I thought they'd be easier to see. My dh has a huge wardrobe in our bedroom and chest of drawers so the walking is mine (all mine!).

I think where I'm struggling is I've put for example all the dresses together, and now it just looks like I have loads, but within that some are out of season and some I don't want to wear, but don't want to get rid of. In the past I've stored summer in winter and vice versa, but now I have this big space I don't need to do that, however the consequences are its not as easy to see what I regularly wear for all the other stuff thats in there. Wow this really does sound like a first world problem

[billandcoo]

For the things you don't want to wear but don't want to get rid of (I can't understand that mentality but then I'm me, not you!) you could maybe put them in a box/vacuum storage bag/out of sight space.

For me - and I stress - for ME, the whole point of this space is to have everything together and to have everything hanging up that fits me and I want to wear.

Out of season things don't bother me so much - I put them at the side of a rail all together. I don't have things that are extreme - I wear jumpers/cardis all year round.

My hangers are all wooden ones and face the same way :)

[whereisshe]

Ooh walk in wardrobe [drool].

I wouldn't group by type, I'd group by occasion and season - eg summer work, spring/autumn work, winter evening out, winter weekend etc. And then by colour within that. Because that's how you use your wardrobe so it makes sense to arrange it that way. And shoes tend to be smelly so I think in boxes is better but with a photo of them on the outside so you know what's in it.

[billandcoo]

I don't have as many clothes as where and too many things would crossover. EG black cardi would need to be in most of those categories

[Justonemorecardi]

I can see what you mean billandcoo - I need to do some more editing. Sometimes its things I that are a bit tight (but only by lbs so not unachievable), or that I am not sure how to wear or what with. Sometimes they look nice but I'm just bored with them. I used to throw away much more rigorously, but I have regretted it. I think I will go through, try to reduce and box up the rest. (It sounds like I have loads but I really don't!).

I'll hang up everything else, but put extreme seasonal at the ends. Planning a lovely self indulgent evening playing with clothes!

[Justonemorecardi]

I can do like the grouping by the way you wear them where going to try that too - it makes sense!

[whereisshe]

I don't have lots of clothes! Just things have a main purpose. If I want to use them for a secondary purpose (eg work cardie on night out) it's not hard to find.

[whereisshe]

Anyway, it's how I try to group my (frankly inadequate) clothes storage and it seems to work .

[billandcoo]

Can you elaborate on your system a bit where? I can a bit too focused on grouping by type maybe

[Gillybobs]

Ooo my favourite subject

Im so lucky to have a dressing room and my clever DH built me a wardrobe system. I have pull out drawers for my shoes, shelves along the side for bags and a high shelf at the top for out of season things.

In the main section I have a wide rail of tops. There is a lot of crossover in my wardrobe but loosely speaking I have casual tops on the left merging into work wear tops in the middle and going out tops on the far right.

Under the tops I have a rail of knitwear and jackets.

I then have a high separate rail for dresses and skirts. I did get a pull out trouser hanger too but its a bit of a fiddle to be honest so wouldnt recommend that.

I waited 40 years for my dressing room. Sometimes I go in just for a look

[Mrswellyboot]

I don't have this (nice) problem ;) but you should look at pinterest and look up videos on YouTube.. You will get fantastic ideas. I have used them for storing my kitchen and baby room

Lucky duck

I sort my clothes into work on the top rail and dressy/weekend on the bottom
Casual clothes / lounging around and sports go in a drawer
Weeding outfits / good dresses go in the spare room wardrobe

[Mrswellyboot]

Wedding

[mrscumberbatch]

Ikea do lots of in-wardrobe handy bits. Like boxes for belts/etc.

I keep my clothes divided by type as there's not a huge difference between my winter/summer wardrobe. Heavy coats-jackets-cardis-jumpers-tops-dresses.

I've got a couple of drawers (ikea again) underneath to maximise storage and I keep my handbags in them. Keeps the dust off.

The only real problem is shoes... My wardrobe is nicely arranged but I've left nowhere for shoes and I'm not messing it all up again putting them in

[billandcoo]

How does everyone keep scarves organised? Mine are in a drawer, I tried them on a coat-rack type thing on the wall but they look ugly and dark against the wall.

[mrscumberbatch]

I use a trouser hanger and drape them through it. It's a solid wood hanger so no chance of it buckling (plastic hangers would stand no chance with my scarf collection!)

Keeps it looking fairly neat.

[billandcoo]

That sounds good mrs. I'll try that, thanks :)

[Gillybobs]

I have this for scarves

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/370814508727?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=t&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

[whereisshe]

I have my scarves on a shelf. It works quite well - I can see all of them but it's quite compact. The ones in high rotation are hanging on a ladder up against the bedroom wall.

bill I have the things I use all the time (work jersey dresses, work trousers and tops etc) in the most accessible shelves / section of the wardrobe - if they fold they go on shelves, if they hang they go in the wardrobe, but together (work dress next to work trousers, jersey dresses folded next to work tops etc). Then I continue by type into less used/less accessible parts of the wardrobe, eg going out things all hang together in the wardrobe but at one end. Rarely used things in boxes or harder to access shelves. Summer / winter things rotate in and out of boxes. Some stuff is year-round so stays out. There are some things that stay together by type rather than by occasion eg layering vests that go with everything. Not perfect as a system but I like it

[Deathwatchbeetle]

Gillybobs - can l come round and gawp?? I promise not to soil anything by breathing/touching it.

[Gillybobs]

Haha! I know, I'm sooooo lucky

[billandcoo]

Thanks for explaining where mine gets reorganised a lot as I try to make it work - it doesn't yet! :)