Best way to start planning a new closet is to look in the old one

By Janne Terfruechte Jan 19, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Berlin - Planning is an essential step when organizing or reorganizing a closet in order to ensure that everything - dresses, skirts, shirts, tops, sweaters, vests, blazers, belts, ties, hats, shoes, lingerie, underwear, stockings, jeans and socks - fits into the space and is easy to find.

An inventory of all the articles of clothing and all the accessories is a good way to start planning. Often the result is more space or another system of organizing - or both - are what's needed.

A good first step is to discard anything that hasn't been worn in a while. Whatever remains has to be laid out and measured in order to know how much space and what kinds of spaces are required, said interior design expert Katharina Semling. Knitwear, for example, should be folded and stacked, but the stacks shouldn't be so high that they fall over and create a mess in the closet. These stacks should fit into compartments and it's always a good idea to leave one or two compartments empty so there is room in the closet for any new purchases, Semling said.

The same measuring procedure should be carried out with dresses and shirts on hangers in order to know how much room is needed for rods.

In addition to the amount of clothes, all other characteristics of a person's wardrobe should be considered. When there are a lot of shirts, for example, some of them should be hung and the rest should be folded and stacked, said personal shopper Sonja Grau. If there is space, consider buying a shirt stand around which a single shirt can be hung by wrapping it around the stand.

The final plans for a closet should avoid even a minimal waste of space. The closet should reach all the way up to the ceiling if there is little space in the room, said Birgit Schwarzkopf, a member of the German association of interior decorators. 'If you plan a closet from ceiling to floor or across an entire wall, you should take advantage of all the space,' she said.

Another space-saving and practical idea, especially for shorter people, is a closet lift, said Ursula Geismann of the association for the German furniture industry. The system is composed of two clothes rods positioned over one another. The two rods change places with the flip of a switch or by remote control. This is one way to create space for two rods and make the clothes reachable at any time, said Geismann.

In addition Geismann recommends placing clothes that are not in season on the upper rod or in higher compartments. Grau further recommends keeping an overview on what is stored where because even on summer evenings the temperature can drop enough to make a jacket necessary, and in the winter a sleeveless top sometimes is needed to go with a pantsuit or skirt to be worn at a formal occasion.

Accessories and smaller items such as jewelry, hats and socks need a place in the closet or in a nearby chest of drawers. In addition to storage boxes and the various types of drawer organizers found in stores, there are cartons and boxes that are designed to simply sit on shelves wherever there is a convenient space. The contents of the boxes can be marked with a photograph attached to the outside.

If drawers are preferred, they should be classified according to what they contain. One for jewelry, one for scarves and so on, said Grau. Belts can be hung on hooks attached to an inside wall of the closet. Ties can be hung over the rod.