Turn That Spare Room Into a Walk-in Closet
If you’ve ever feuded with a spouse over hanger space or drawers, or turned your house upside down trying to find the summer clothes you stashed last fall, you might be a prime candidate for a closet conversion.
Turning a spare room into a walk-in closet is not a huge task, and it can reap instant rewards. People want all their stuff in one space.
Project: Turning a spare room into a walk-in closet.
Why: If your current closet is too small or poorly organized, or your clothes are distributed all around the house, a closet conversion could be just the ticket.
Things to consider: Almost any space can be turned into a closet, although the task will be easier if the room is a standard rectangle or square. Working with different angles is trickier.
While windows can provide welcome illumination and ventilation, too much sun can fade clothes, and too many windows can reduce the amount of wall space available. (The room’s heat source shouldn’t affect your decision; it’s easy to notch around baseboards or to redirect floor vents into a toe kick.)
Closet systems fall into two basic types: wall mounted and floor mounted. Wall-mounted closets are affixed directly to the wall or hung from a rail mounted onto the wall.
Floor-mounted closets are attached to the wall as well, but get most of their support from the floor. For that reason they tend to look more like built-in cabinetry.
Which system you choose will depend largely on two factors: looks and budget. Wall-mounted systems are usually less costly, combining coated-wire baskets and racks with hanging wood shelves for a look that tends to be more contemporary and utilitarian. Floor-mounted systems are usually more expensive, and are typically made from particleboard panels covered with melamine.
Depending on the design, finish and trim, floor-mounted closets can be adapted to nearly any style of decor, and tend to look more integrated into the architecture of the home. There’s no inherent difference in quality or durability between wall- and floor-mounted systems.
A basic closet system features rods for short, long and medium-length hung items; shallow drawers for underwear, socks and belts; deeper drawers for sweaters and T-shirts; and open shelves for shoes and sweats. One pole and one shelf isn’t working for people.
Valet rods are a very popular feature right now; these hooks extend out to hold dry cleaning, clothes for packing or the next day’s wardrobe. People don’t just want closets anymore They want dressing rooms.
Closet lighting has also evolved in recent years, with LED strip lighting augmenting or replacing recessed cans or track lighting. LEDs use less electricity, produce less heat and can be surface mounted and plugged in, so they don’t require ceiling access.
