Okay, so you’ve got a teeny tiny closet. The bane of any woman’s and sometimes man’s existence. It was surely mine for the first 20ish years of my life (as a result I feel a bit overwhelmed by too large closets now).

Growing up and into college and even after graduation, I had a closet that had between 2.5-5 feet of hanging space. Most of the time it was a 2 foot wide closet with two bars. Forget long dresses and skirts.

In all these years, I learned some tips and tricks on how to organize a small closet and still feel like you have a luxe closet.

How to Organize a Small Closet

Before we start, let’s go over the top 3 mistakes you can make in organizing a small closet.

• Not using wall/door space

• Trying storage solutions over decluttering

• Not reorganizing/redesigning your closet layout

Don’t make those mistakes. Let me just go ahead and show you my favorite small closet of all time. Oh, and it just so happens to be mine. No stock photo here, friend.

Pretty good, right? I had a small wardrobe at that time, because I had just decluttered, but I had plenty of space for more. That was hands down the best layout I ever had. Let’s talk layout first and how important it is to look at your space with fresh eyes.

Small Closet Layout

Closet systems are great. And there’s a ton of ‘em. If you’ve got the money to spare, I would invest in a closet system like the Elfa System from The Container Store.

If that’s not in your price range, check out ClosetMaid, which is a great affordable option.

But, it’s not all about the system. It’s about the layout of the system. The power of these is that they can actually create more space. However, my favorite feature is the services that both of these systems offer.

The Container Store will design your closet for free and tell you all the pieces you need. You talk on the phone to a lovely representative who asks what kind of storage you need, is it a shared closet, etc., and you’ll come away with a design you never would have thought of yourself.

While ClosetMaid doesn’t do it for you, they have a virtual service where you can set your closet dimensions and play around with different setups until you find one is perfect. This virtual space is great too, because you don’t have to deal with the mess and time of trying a new layout in person and not liking it.

If you don’t have the time for either of those options to get a new layout (even if you end up building it yourself and not going with their system), ask someone else to look at your closet and see what they say.

For example, when I was very young I had a closet that was about 2.5 feet wide, but it was about 4 feet deep. Had I thought about it, it would have made so much more sense to put a rod for clothing down the 4 foot side and create more space!

I would be lying if I told you I designed the layout for my closet by myself, truthfully, a lot of came from a conversation with my Mom about what I could do with it.

Snap a pic, send it to someone and make plans for your dream closet layout with fresh eyes.

Storage solutions

I’m not big on all these extras like hanging shoes on the back of the door and fancy boxes for this and that or hangers that hang on each other (watch, I’m about to eat my words).

I feel like these often clutter up a space more, truthfully.

But, there are some good options you should consider if you are still struggling with space after decluttering and changing your closet design (if possible).

• Thin Hangers – Yep, those velvet hangers that are uber thin. They’re a must have for a small closet. But let me tell you a trick I learned after that picture was taken: get white hangers. It makes it look like there’s more space! Even though my closet looks nice, those black hangers are a lot. White hangers would look brighter and lighter.

• Skirt Hangers – I love these from The Container Store. Yes, they hang on each other, but they’re so much better than other stacking hangers. They take up less space, they’re durable enough to hold ten items in the space of 1, yet they don’t crush everything that’s hanging in that space. Perfect.

• Pant Hangers – These are no ordinary pant hangers. Click that link! Yep, these have a hole on one side. Small closets can get crammed, and cleaning out isn’t always an option. So, make it easier to get what you need. I love being able to just reach and pull my pants straight off the hanger, instead of fumbling to reach in the sea of clothes and try to shimmy the pants out from between everything else.

• A Shelf for Shoes (or the floor) – I don’t believe in shoe hanging solutions. I just don’t. I think they look messy and create clutter. I prefer to keep my shoes neatly lined up in a row or two on the floor or on a shelf. I like the look of those nice boxes for shoes, but they take up more space. A shelf is going to give you more space than any predetermined shoe solution, honestly.

Luxe Space

A closet doesn’t just need to be functional. Adding some personality can make it feel like a truly luxe closet, no matter the size. Here are my tips for a luxe small closet:

1. Add a mirror on the back of your door, if possible. But a nice one! I spent $10 extra dollars on a hanging mirror that had a pretty frame. It’s functional and looks nice. P.S., this is the one I got, in white of course.

2. If you have wall space, hang up the pretty stuff. Don’t let the walls go to waste, use your walls or even doors to hang stuff like scarves, hats, or jewelry. It’s a heck of a lot better than dirty shoe soles and it’s good storage. Bonus: it even functions as art, if you want to hang it elsewhere.

3. Add a little of your own personality. In my closet now, I have some small framed art pieces. Closets deserve art too, they aren’t just a hole for clothes! Consider putting a small picture, wallpapering one wall, or maybe painting an accent wall. Painting your clothing rod or a closet shelf a bright color would also be pretty dang fun.

For such a small space, it can be pretty overwhelming, huh? I feel ya. But don’t you worry. Take these steps to avoid the small closet cardinal sins and you’ll be the well-organized envy of your big-closeted friends in no time.