Excuse my big fat liar pants. I promised we’d have a fashion post each week and then failed at the first hurdle. However today’s post is about clothing storage so it’s kind of fashion related plus interiors too. You see I am really dithering about using one of the bedrooms in my new pad as an open dressing room and could do with gathering a few opinions.
First of all I wanted to say thank you so much for all the comments on my house move. Lolly and I were saying only the other day what a kind and supportive bunch you are and it was very humbling to read through all your responses.
Moving day went really well in the end and dare I say it I actually quite enjoyed it. Although James and I were considering a ‘project’ we actually purchased a beautifully renovated property which is just waiting for us to put our stamp on it. Adam popped by earlier this week to take some before pics which I’ll be sharing in upcoming posts.
Today I wanted to share a sneak peek of one of the bedrooms. For all of you who think we live in beautifully styled homes all the time let me quash the rumour. Yes that’s some Dettol on top of a rickety shelf unit and a duvet cover from 1995 rolled up on top of various packing boxes. Stylish? I think not. However unkempt the space seems now my plan is to turn this room into a super organised and sleek clothes storage place. The bed is staying as we need somewhere for guests to sleep, and we’ll also be adding a bank of drawers across one of the walls to house various jumpers, tops and the like. The wall you you see above is just over two metres from the right hand edge of the door to the fireplace. Hopefully you can also see the room has a pitched roof so the walls either side aren’t tall enough to take on the height of a standard wardrobe. With a window opposite, this wall is the only one which is capable of making any decent hanging space.
As always, Pinterest is to blame. I’ve been curating various photos of impeccably organised closets and walk-in wardrobes and would like to copy. As mentioned the bed will be permanent fixture so it’ll be a multipurpose room functioning as both a bedroom and joint dressing room.
Inspiration
In our old pad, I had a very teeny walk-in wardrobe and James had a free standing rail for all his paraphernalia, therefore the traditional cupboard style wardrobe didn’t feature. In the new house I’m really unsure whether to go for a standard wardrobe or some more elaborate pole and shelf structure. Due to the shape of the room and the position of the roof there isn’t really a way to add in built-ins so we’d have to go for something free-standing.
I was nearly sold on the Ikea Stolmen series but then realised it’s no longer available in the UK. Boo. Then I flitted back to the idea of a wardrobe with doors but feel the odd shape of the room with the angled fireplace might look a bit odd.
I’d love to hear how you store your clobber. Does anyone else have an open solution they can share with me? Is it practical or a nightmare to keep tidy? Do you store your clothes out in the open or firmly behind wardrobe doors? Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.
Hope you will be very happy in your new home!
I don’t really get open storage! How do you keep clothes clean? I would feel I had to was everything before I put it on! We do have dogs and children but the dogs don’t go in bedrooms but there is till loads to brush/Hoover up most days.
We bought wardrobes but I wish now I had paid a tame joiner to make fitted ones. I wouldn’t have bought off the peg but I think a joiner would end up cheaper anyway as well as far superior quality.
Thanks Carolyn, we’re loving the new home so far.
We’re going to get a joiner to do quite a bit of work for us as we have absolutely no storage! Lots of alcoves calling out for cupboards downstairs but it’s a good shout to get his opinion on the upstairs too.
Like you we have recently moved property and are currently mid way through renovating so I am loving the prospect of more interior posts.
We don’t have the budget for new built in wardrobes in our bedroom just yet so are using the smaller ‘box’ bedroom as storage for our clothes. We have gone for simple metal poles and whilst they are cheap and do the job I cant help but feel the room looks a bit cluttered and messy. Definitely not like the pictures above, everything just looks a bit mismatched and thrown together. Am interested in what others say and if I can pinch any ideas.
Hi Carly, congrats on the recent move.
Pinterest really does set unrealistic expectations doesn’t it? I’m going to be sharing one of the rooms from our last house soon where James stored his clothes and he always managed to make it look quite streamlined and tidy but I think if we throw both in the mix it may get a bit cluttered.
Did you just get your poles from a DIY store?
Open storage is not for me. I’m just too messy and would turn the whole room into one big walk in wardrobe/laundry pile. I think it can look lovely if you have a very very strict capsule wardrobe in matchy matchy neutral colours and matching hangars but how often is that the reality? You still need somewhere to hide your undies! We had no storage either and custom built wardrobes were extortionate, you’d think I was expecting the company to fill the wardrobe with designer clobber as well as build the fecker with the prices quoted so it was off to good old ikea for us to customise a pax system that covers hanging space, drawers and shelves.
My parents have a Pax Steph and I’ve always been a little envious of the pull out trouser rack. So neat!
Even your mess of boxes find a way of looking chic. My spare room looks like a charity shop!
I love open clothes storage and found it a great space saver in my old house, my only advice would be to use clear covers for the items you don’t wear as often and for your nice dresses. Dust and moths are the enemy! If you have space to whack in a top shelf, for a little shelter then I’d recommend.
Hope you’re settling in okay and loving the new pad!xx
Thanks lovely. Very good point on the clear covers. Dusty clothes aren’t very chic now are they?
I’ve got open storage Karen – great call on the clear covers. I must admit my lesser worn clothing (suits) do have visible dust on the shoulders when I take them off the rail for the occasional wedding / special event.
For anyone interested you can see my master bedroom that was featured back in April 2015 here.
Adam
Congrats on the house move!
When we moved into our current house (renting) we had the odd layout of having the ‘third’ box room just off the second bedroom. Rather than having it as a guest room we (well, I and the wife decided not to argue! lol) went with the idea of having the box room as a dressing room and moving our slimline wardrobes from ikea in there. The wardrobes don’t have doors on so its still fairly open, but also have a chest of drawers in there, along with a dressing table and a desk.
As for keeping it tidy, well, it looks like a bomb has gone off in there right now, but it does allow us to keep most of the clutter out of our bedroom as I can just shut the door on it 🙂
This sounds like a happy medium Gracie – open but just on one side and a great way to keep clutter out of the main bedroom.
I’ll try and post more pics of the room later as its an awkward shape with all the lovely higgledy-piggledyness that comes with an old property!
We’re at the tail end of our renovation and we had part of our new loft bedroom made into a walk in wardrobe, its a little separated space off the bathroom. I have four of the pins myself from those you have above(!) so really love that open look but for me in reality I don’t think I could live with it, I think it’d look messy really quickly and that’s from someone with quite a capsule wardrobe! We had had Pax wardrobes from Ikea with their white opaque doors along one side and in the weird space at the end we’re having a built in wardrobe, again with doors to accommodate my husband’s clothes. I’m then going to get a dresser or little desk under the window for prettier bits and also find space for a mirror in their somewhere. I’m going to make it look more decorative in there eventually with fairy lights and bits and pieces as it looks like a bit of a stark white palace atm but the clothes will stay mostly under wraps.
As a naturally untidy person I too am a bit worried about how messy it would get.
Your new loft bedroom sounds like it’s going to be amazing.
Congratulations on the beautiful house move! Can’t wait to see more of it! In my humble opinion open clothes storage is best left to the world of Pinterest. While I agree the pics look fab I just cannot imagine it working in reality. I am a neat freak and would really struggle to live with all my clothes on display. Unless your wardrobe resembled the White Company! We were fortunate enough to move into a house with built in wardrobes and they are a godsend. Floor to ceiling of storage.
Oooh you lucky lady Nicky. I’m envious of all that storage! x
I’m all for built in storage Lauren! I’m just not convinced my open wardrobe would ever look that neat or colour co-ordinated. Plus don’t even get me started on how the husbands would look. I daren’t even open his wardrobe. Get yourself a good carpenter and sure they can come up with something fabulous. You could have some open elements so that it doesn’t look like a wall of cupboards so maybe some shelves in the middle or cubby holes for boxes. Can’t wait to see it all xx
In the process of trying to find a good tradesman Lottie. I have a lot of work for them to do! x
Hi Lauren….in answer to the practicality of open storage…..VERY! We converted a bedroom into a walk in wardrobe and it worked out better than expected which is not always the case when surrounded by pinterest and insta imagery of sheer perfection. In agreement with others for hiring someone specifically for the job. We looked at Ikea and then got a quote from a wardrobe specialist which worked out cheaper and was tailored to our exact needs plus needs we had not even considered. A combination of shelves and rails of various heights plus shoe racks. All in pristine white which I can paint in the future if inclined or add washi tape to edging which I have done on some shelving. The openness makes us tidier and you can see what you have very easily and have all items grouped together. Some heavy curtains to close during the day to avoid sun damage to items. Full length mirror, sheepskin rug, art, sonas and a dressing table and it honestly makes getting ready in the mornings / evenings so much better 🙂 Good luck xx
Oh Clare, thanks so much for this! Which wardrobe specialist did you use?
I am not one for open clothing storage – even with a wardrobe my spare room looks like an explosion at a jumble sale most of the time! I think it looks lovely in inspirational pictures but I think it would take a lot of maintenance – and dusting. Lottie makes a good point about getting a carpenter to have a look at some bespoke storage as sometimes a neutral person may have some amazing ideas that would work perfectly.
I bought a beautiful wooden wardrobe last year, but lost shelf space so currently my jumpers and t-shirts are stored in boxes in the bottom of it. It’s not ideal but I love my wardrobe – and I am determined to Marie Kondo everything… eventually. I have some grey, material covered storage boxes that I use on tops of wardrobes etc. They were a bargain from Matalan and they look great.
You won’t look back when you Marie Kondo everything Claire. I think I only have about fifteen things left to hang up!
I used to love open storage. In the last year of uni I had a loft room with no wardrobes and created a fab little haven with all my clothes on 2 rails. I could see everything I had and no clothes were forgotten.
So when we moved to our last rental place and had no wardrobes I thought, YAY I can re-create it all again…wrong!
I forgot the fact that I now lived with a boy, specifically a pretty darn messy boy! haha! I love the boy dearly, but he has a very different view on clothes and how to look after them! However much I tried to keep everything tidy, I just couldn’t keep his stuff in line, and it got a little frustrating.
Basically the key to rocking a gorgeous open storage situation is to not have married Mr Messy! ha!
Can’t wait to see what you do with the space though, am sure it will look perfect 🙂 xx
Living with a boy has its pitfalls doesn’t it Rebecca?!
Hahaha at Mr Messy Rebecca. I am having the same debate. We are just about to extend our bedroom and create a bit of a dressing area and I can’t decide if its wardrobe or open either. Currently we are capsuled and mine all matches. Joel’s (Mr Messy’s brother) is a bit less nice to look at and also contains far too much multicoloured cycling lycra – basically not the colour scheme on the mood board for the redecorate at this time or what I want to wake up to look at EVER. But his is handily inside an built in cupboard next to mine in an alcove at the moment. I like being able to see everything and so am happy with mine. Plus is encourages me to put things away instead of drop them in a pile. Lauren if you’re still doing the capsule wardrobe then I don’t see why you shouldn’t – your wardrobe always looks so nice in pictures.
Also conrats on finding a gorgeous house. Every picture I’ve seen so far looks like yet another beautiful room with a stunning fireplace!
The multicoloured lycra comment made me laugh out loud!
Definitely still capsuling – I have so few clothes now there’s not that many to store. James is jumping on the bandwagon too. Luckily he’s more a grey and navy kind of guy than a lycra 😉 x
We had the same issue when we moved in to our new home a couple of years ago. The main bedroom would have been too cramped to have a wardrobe in and with no kids and two extra bedrooms we decided to convert one of the rooms into a walk in wardrobe/dressing room. The walls in the room were slightly curved at the top so unless we wanted to spend thousands on a very bespoke wardrobe system we opted for the Stolmen system from Ikea and I haven’t looked back. I love having the space to get ready and having most of my clothes on display and haven’t found dust or dirt an issue at all as we tend to keep the door shut and blinds drawn when we’re not using it to prevent it getting dirty and the sun from discolouring the clothes. We’re going to be moving at the end of the month and the new owners don’t want to keep the system so you may be able to grab a bargain on ebay soon!!
You’ll have to let me know when you’re selling them Anne! x
I’m on the fence about open wardrobes too. I don’t think I’d be able to keep them as uniform and tidy as the pinterest images.
Here, I personally think that a freestanding wardrobe would look better on this wall – something like a big white armoire wardrobe (you could paint a vintage one) which would have a similar style to the bed in the room. The main reason for this is that I think an open rack and/or open shelving which were the whole width of your available wall space would encroach on to the nice fireplace feature wall and detract from it, whereas a piece of furniture would add to the space. Also, it would be more pleasant for your guests to look at a piece of furniture rather than all of your clothes. Just my two pennies worth! Looks like you have a lovely new house, can’t wait to see the tour!
Thanks Jade. Lovely suggestion x
We’ve got an Ikea PAX but without the doors, so it’s open plan storage. Our room is quite big so it takes up one whole wall and we got lots of compartments and drawers and pull out things that I’m not sure are needed but look snazzy. Because it takes up a big, tall wall, it’s become a feature and we designed it like that with extra shelves for photos and travel books and a special area for shoe boxes. Would totally recommend. It was a really good price all in all, and we had loads of fun designing it in store. My fiancé didn’t have so much fun building it mind….
My friend has an open PAX in her dressing room too. I love your idea of using as proper shelving space for the prettier bits.
Umm can we just take a moment to admire that rather lovely fireplace in the header image! Lovely and nothing at all like the luminous tiled numbers we had to remove from our property. Very jealous!
I’m in two minds about open clothing storage – we actually had this at our previous house and I loved the fact that I could see all my clothes at once and therefore was so much more creative with what I wore. But and it’s a big but, we had to be meticulous with hanging clothes up and putting them away after they had been washed and worn. And I don’t mean just shoving it on a hanger, I mean pristine styling. So there was that. It probably helped too that Ste and I tend to wear clothes in a similar colour spectrum and mostly blues, greys and blacks at that for aesthetic purposes.
That said I’m seriously considering having open storage again in the new house; since we’ve moved temporarily back to my mum’s where there’s only wardrobes, I’ve felt a lot more stunted with my clothing choices and not so creative.
I’ve not really helped either way have I…?
Ha ha Lolly. We’re in the same camp – I can’t make up my mind but James is very keen on the open storage idea. Loving all the suggestions though from all the readers. Lots of food for thought x
Another well timed post!
I’ve not a been a fan of open racks as I think it can look a bit too cluttered and time consuming to keep looking so perfectly organised.
However, I’ve currently got a walk through wardrobe (yes, my bedroom is in fact, Narnia!)…so I’m looking forward to seeing what solutions you come up with so I can pinch all your ideas! ?
Ooooh a walk-through Sarah. So SATC 🙂 x
It looks so beautiful in the pictures but you’d have to hang up everything so neatly! As a slightly messy person I’m not sure I could keep that up! I also quite like just being able to quickly shove everything in the cupboard out of sight when guests are coming so you’d have to keep it quite tidy. Would everything not get dusty and sunbleached? I had an open wardrobe at uni (it did not look classy like those pics!!) and the sun completely ruined a couple of my silk tops by bleaching the side of them 🙁
Luckily the room is north facing so no need to worry about sun bleaching. The dust is another matter though! x
Oh I think this could be great!
What fantastic pictures for inspiration. Go for it!
Thanks lovely x
Hi Lauren,
I’m in NI so I used a local trader who was recommended by someone in work 🙂 Not much help for you across the water I’m afraid x
Ahh shucks, maybe he’ll travel 😉 x
I use open storage as I found I just don’t wear my clothes if I can’t see them. I’m also a bit baffled by those asking how you keep them clean. Clothes hanging in cupboards also get dusty and you can’t see if they’ve gone mouldy as once happened with a beloved football shirt of my husband’s when we lived in a rather damp flat.
I have this from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-Double-Clothes-Rail-Wardrobe/dp/B00H7P1HC6 (flip through the pictures until you get to the one with clothes in to see how it actually looks). Except it only cost £13 when I bought it. There is loads of space, and it’s sturdy so it doesn’t topple when my cat uses it as a climbing frame (he likes to shimmy up and sleep on top).
Thanks Annie, I never thought to check Amazon. A very chic place your cat to sleep! x
[…] Image via rockmystyle.co.uk […]
[…] in Hove which has sadly now closed. As you may remember from my recent post I’m considering open storage in the new house too. We still haven’t made a decision on how we’ll store clothes now […]
[…] got round to sorting out any storage yet. However I’ve come up with a whole new plan for the closet conundrum which no doubt I’ll share with you […]