13 Closet Shelving Ideas To Keep Your Clothes Organized

clean and organized neutral closet — Photo:
Daniel Cortez / Getty Images

Does the idea of a clutter-free closet make you chuckle? While it'd be nice to have luxurious, spacious closets big enough for a center island and a few sit down chairs, that's not ideal for the common household. But, that doesn't mean closet organization has to be a myth. With a few solutions, like one of these closet shelving ideas, you can fill your space with storage capabilities you never thought possible.

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Start With a Purge

organized closet shelves and hangers — Reclaim Professional Organizing, LLC

Part of the reason why your closet might be chaotic is that you're holding on to clothes you need to part with. Before you implement your new closet shelf idea, spend some time going through your clothes and pulling ones you haven't worn in at least a year to donate.

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Group By Category

shirts in a closet — Snapper / Getty Images

One of the best ways to organize a closet with shelving is to group by category. Fold your shirts to keep on one shelf before the same with dresses, sweaters, jeans and pants, and so on.

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Or By Season

closet organized by season — Graceful Space Organizing

Another easy way to organize your closet with shelves is to group by season. If your closet is home to your shoes or winter accessories like hats and scarfs, dedicate shelf space to those items. This method also works with clothes by folding items that fit into the same season and storing them neatly on one of the shelves. Or, you can group the season in individual cubbies like Christina did for her client here.

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Don't Forget Your Shoes

organized shoe closet shelving — Reclaim Professional Organizing, LLC

As we mentioned, shoes can be great to keep in your closet so you have everything you need when putting an outfit together. Closet shelves are perfect for shoes since they provide enough space for several pairs to sit at once in a neat arrangement.

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DIY Your Shelves

organized custom closet shelving — Graceful Spaces Organizing

Instead of forking out a lot of money for complete closet systems or intricate shelving units, build your own. Creating DIY closet shelves allows you to create a system tailored truly to your needs and closet space by attaching the shelves wherever you want them to fit. Oak, maple, or cherry lumber shelves are the ideal materials to use for their strength and durability before staining and painting to match your ideal aesthetics.

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Think Vertically

Vertical closet shelving and rods — Reclaim Professional Organizing, LLC

One of the best hacks in closet shelving ideas is using vertical space, especially if you have a smaller closet. Stack shelves up the wall like Allison did here to maximize space and storage at the same time.

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Bring In Bins

closet shelving with identical bins — Composed Living

Bins are wonderful to use for closet organization since they fit neatly onto your shelves and act as "hidden storage" for items you want to keep out of sight. Plus, their decorative exteriors boost your closets design and can add texture when you use materials like wicker. But, if you feel like you might forget what you store in the bins, opt for clear ones so you can always see where your belongings are.

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Fold to Perfection

folded clothes on closet shelving — Meaghan Kessman Home Organization

We love this neatly folded closet organization design from Meaghan Kessman. If you're running low on bedroom space and can't accommodate a dresser, closet shelves are perfect to fold and stow any t-shirts, shorts, jeans, or leggings.

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Keep Items Divided

closet shelf dividers — Organize2Harmonize

Even though closet shelves are excellent organizers, that doesn't mean the items sitting on them won't fall over from time to time. To keep your clothes in their dedicated space (and to preserve the neatly folded aesthetic), put up dividers along your shelving units to keep your garments in place and separated.

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Combine Storage Functions

organized closet with shelves and drawers — Graceful Spaces Organizing

To truly maximize the space and function of your closet, try combining your shelves with drawers and hangers. A variety in closet storage function gives this space enough room for your storage needs, like housing folded items, displaying shoes, and hanging up special occasion wear.

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Try Freestanding Shelving

organized freestanding closet system — Daniel Cortez / Getty Images

If you're running low on closet space and need a makeshift arrangement, or you don't want to drill any shelves to the wall, try a freestanding unit. Freestanding closet shelves operate the same way by providing your home with the flat surface of a shelving unit without the wall markup from nails or screws.

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Test Out a Closet System

complete closet system for organization — Reclaim Professional Organizing, LLC

For complete closet organization, try implementing a closet system. These systems are complete units that can fit one wall of your closet or wrap around to form a U-shaped system like in the picture above. They come complete with every type of storage function from shelves to hangers and drawers so everything in your closet has a place to go.

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Organized Boutique Display

organized closet — Reclaim Professional Organizing, LLC

Feel like you're stepping into a boutique with a closet shelving setup like this one from Reclaim Professional Organizing. The tiers of shelving units and cubbies adds dimension to the space while keeping the garments neat and tidy for a "shoppable" look. Plus, the extra shelves underneath each cubby provides another place to store shoes or handbags.

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