walk-in closet

Have you just downsized or just moved in with your partner? Or have two of your kids started bunking together? If you said “yes” to any of these situations, you probably need tips on how to organize a shared closet. Before you envision fights for space, read our organizing suggestions.

Purge

When you have a closet all to yourself, it’s easy to hold onto items you no longer wear because you have room for them. When you’re merging wardrobes, though, you probably won’t have this luxury. Take advantage of the opportunity to go through everything you plan to store in your shared closet.

Designate piles or boxes before you begin the purging process.

Pull each piece of clothing and pair of shoes and honestly look at them. Do you still wear them regularly? If not, can they be donated or sold or should you discard them? Enlist a trustworthy friend to help you make decisions.

Do the same thing for kids’ closets, except consider if the items can be hand-me-downs.

Split the Space

Now that you know what will make it into the shared closet, you can plan how to divide it.

Remember to acknowledge both people’s needs. It might work to give each person an equal portion of the closet, but one person could need more room, especially if they have a lot of bulky items like shoes.

Or you might find that you can easily store your items together. Unless you’re very opposed to your clothes intermingling (or your kids who are sharing one closet are), you don’t have to carve out individual areas. Share hang bars or drawer systems where it makes sense. This will result in a more efficient use of your space.

Assigning each person a section of the closet they can call their own might be your best bet.

If you’re able to design your system from scratch, though, think about configuring the two sections differently. For someone who has mostly shirts and blazers, choose a double-hang option. Dresses and maxi skirts will need long-hanging space. Go with a lot of drawers and shelves for the person who primarily owns folding clothes. Decide what will serve you both in the best way. Need help maximizing your closet? Look into our design tools.

Maximize Your Closet

Once the main components of your closet are chosen or divvied up, the last step is accessorizing. How will you make the most of every inch of the space?

Look at your current hangers. Switching to slimmer ones might buy you a lot more hanging capacity.

Do you have a wire closet? Adding baskets and shelves that fit on top of or between the shelves is an easy, no-installation-necessary way to make the most use of vertical space.

Dedicate a drawer for each of your jewelry and watch collections so your pieces have their own places.

Other closet accessories like wall and door racks can be your best friend, instantly creating storage for handbags and small items like scarves and gloves.

When you approach sharing a closet thoughtfully and together, both of you will feel satisfied and organized.