Ideal Bedroom Closet Size?

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Started 2 years ago by Mid America Mom
Latest reply from irishbell
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Mid America Mom
Member

We will be moving once again and probably to another small apartment. I joined another site that advocates having a " slow home " . I really like thinking about smart home design and hoping to apply what I learn there in our search. Yesterday they had a post regarding bedrooms and asked what we think is important about bedroom design.

I was disappointed they did not provide some framework for what is a decent sized closet. As I like to say if you have space stuff will come, so really what size should I look for? I struggle to answer and thought this would be a great question to ask here as we all are trying to deal with clutter. In my past I shared a 16 * 6 ish foot walk in master bedroom closet (way too much stuff!) and now share a 5 * 2 (too small but it is a small apartment- 650 sq foot 2 bedroom). When I had my own room 4 or 5 * 2 felt fine. What is your ideal for a master bedroom closet size and what about the secondary bedrooms for children?

Mid America Mom

Posted 2 years ago #
chacha1
Member

wow, M.A.M., that is a tough one. I've never had anything close to an "ideal" closet so I have no idea what it would look like!!

I think my preference is really for built-in systems including wardrobe cabinets & drawers. I like the way they look (closed and tidy, compartments sized to their contents) and function (no three-foot-long caves at the end of a wall closet that you can barely see or reach into, smaller doors, being able to open just the part you need).

But as to the size, it really depends on how much of a clotheshorse a person is. :-) Also I live in SoCal, so I only need one "season" of clothes.

My bedroom at present is a good 12 feet deep; my closet runs the length of a wall, with four pairs of bifold doors (and aforesaid cave at the end). It is a little less than two feet deep. I have all my clothes in there except for the contents of three drawers in my platform bed. I also have upper shelves running the whole length of the closet that house books and DVDs, so the contents of those drawers would easily fit in the closet if I so chose.

It's not a bad closet but I hate the doors - and especially the cave!

And here's an uneducated (I have no kids) opinion on the secondary-bedrooms question: no closets at all. When I was a kid, my closet was a batcave of clutter and mess and disorganization. Trunks and dressers, that's the ticket - and turn the closet into a study station.

Posted 2 years ago #
awurrlu
Member

Mid America Mom, it sounds like your apartment is about the same size as mine. I think that the size of the closet depends on whether you share it or not. My husband uses the master bedroom closet, while I use the closet that's in the spare bedroom/office. (This works out well, because I get up way before he does.) Both closets are about 3*3. We also share one upright dresser where we each get 2.5 drawers.

Because we rent, I can't install built-ins, unless I want to leave them when we move out. With a few adaptations, though, these closets work for us because we don't have an excessive amount of clothes. We do live in a four-season climate, though, so we need to be comfortable if its 10 degrees or 100!

Each closet has a rod and a shelf above it. Here's what we did:

My closet:
My shoes are in boxes on the shelf with pictures taped to the end.
I added a double hang closet rod so that my tops and current-season pants are easily accessible. Out of season pants go on the bottom rod.
On the floor is an upright laundry bin. I have four hooks on the door: one holds a hanger with scarves, one holds my purse, and two hold my in-use pajamas.

Husband's closet:
He irons, so the iron and ironing board hang on the inside of his closet door.
Bed linens and heavy sweaters are on the shelf.
A 6 compartment canvas hanging sweater bag holds his sweaters.
Jeans and button-down shirts hang on the remainder of the closet rod.
On the floor is a two-shelf wire stacking unit for shoes and an upright laundry hamper.

We could probably share a 5*2 closet if necessary. As for a closet for the kids, I love the idea of changing it into a study area! Most of those closet rods are too high for kids to reach anyway!

Posted 2 years ago #
Mid America Mom
Member

Thanks for the response!

chacha1 I envy that closet. Secondary-bedrooms no closets at all.. that is an idea. At the moment the rods are being used for the kids and they tend to keep things off the floor. But good to keep in mind as they age.

awurrlu
Two 3*3 and it works for you. Sounds like a decent system you have.

Posted 2 years ago #
365lessthings
Member

I imagine they didn't stipulate ideal closet size because that is a very individual thing. I for one have a husband who has several different clothing requirements for his job which alone take up the normal closet hanging space for one adult without ever starting on his personal clothing. The type of climate lived in will also effect the variety of clothing types people require. I suppose the best thing to do is decide what are the basic necessities for you needs in the way of clothing and design your ideal closet space around that.

Posted 2 years ago #
irishbell
Member

My kids use their closets to store their in season clothes, closer to their beds and you can open up the closet doors and see everything you have. I live in MI so we have 4 seasons. Sometimes 2 season in one day! They also have a dresser that stores out of season clothes. It works great for them. I do the same with our master bedroom closet. Dresser drawers are just not that convenient to see what you have. Just a personal preference I guess.

Posted 2 years ago #

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