Maximizing Your Fall Wardrobe: Strategic Coat Closet Arrangement Techniques
As you switch out your summer wardrobe and bring back the hats, scarves, boots, and coats for fall and winter, your outdoor gear storage closet is about to play a significant role. With all the winter gear piled up, the closet can become disorganized quickly. Here's how to keep it tidy.
Revamp your storage approach
Begin by welcoming some disorder. This means using the disorder method, which involves emptying the closet and dumping everything onto the floor, creating a (temporary) mess. Once all the coats, umbrellas, and shoes are spread out, start grouping them into smaller piles. Boots go in one pile. Scarves in another. As you create these piles, apply the five-second rule and make a decisive action about each item you pick up. Either toss it, donate it, sell it, or keep it.
Once you have all the categorized piles, continue with keep the core principles of the Organizational Triangle in mind as you organize them into the closet. Remember that all similar items should be stored together and everything needs a designated storage spot.
Ideally, this involves using containers, dividers, and shelves to separate each category of similar items.
$11.99
Organizing your coat closet
To start, invest in a wall-mounted storage piece with multiple dividers. These are typically sold as shoe organizers and appear as follow:
Amazon Basics 24 Medium Pocket Over-the-Door Hanging Shoe Organizer - $11.99I use these for various organizing tasks, such as keeping bag straps, belts, scarves, and socks orderly. If you have a collection of shoes, use it for that, but if you require storage for smaller items, this is a decent option. You can even find versions with different-sized pockets and sections for boots or bulky items, or hanging shoe organizers that attach to the bar in the closet, alongside the coats and clothes. In general, the more divisions you have, the more detailed your categorization becomes, aiding in the overall organization. Therefore, I recommend acquiring two or three of these to split everything up.
Additional shelving is essential too. My hall closet contains a single built-in shelf and a tiny clothing rod, so I added additional shelving at the bottom. Something basic, like a three-tiered shelf with two drawers at the bottom, fits the bill perfectly. I own one of these:
$25.58
Amazon Basics Closet Storage Organizer - $25.58I'd also neglect to mention my all-time favorite organization tool, the versatile cube shelf. I have cube shelves in all my closets, in my kitchen, in my bathroom, and in my living room. They're fantastic for organization because they provide clear dividers for all your categories while being simple to install and clean. They're available in various configurations, allowing you to select one with three cubes, nine cubes, or differently-sized compartments—depending on your preferences.
Lastly, consider shifting some of the items inside the closet to outside of it. Storage furniture is both functional and appealing. Why not a foyer bench with space for shoes, or an attached coat tree? Separating items into different categories will help in maintaining order, even if the coat closet is short on space, so if the hall closet is cramped, you must get resourceful.
After organizing your items using the disorder method, make sure to keep the core principles of the Organizational Triangle in mind while placing them back into the closet. This means storing all similar items together and giving each one a designated storage spot.
To optimize your coat closet storage, consider investing in a wall-mounted storage piece with multiple dividers, such as the Amazon Basics 24 Medium Pocket Over-the-Door Hanging Shoe Organizer, which is perfect for storing small items like bag straps, belts, and scarves. Additionally, adding additional shelving like the Amazon Basics Closet Storage Organizer can provide more space for categorizing your items.
