YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Closets

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Closets https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 27 May 2026 01:52:23 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Gigi on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815421 Wed, 14 Jun 2017 05:56:30 +0000 Gigi 1815421@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I don't think I would like a walk-in closet, simply because I would fill it up, as others have stated, and I'm happier having only those things I truly need and will actually wear. I get anxious when I have a lot of clutter and too much stuff, so I have to keep things to a manageable amount. I like how the SOs were clearly in tune with the fact that dressing stylishly made their wives and GFs happy; they saw that it was something that was important to them.  Kate on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815244 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 19:28:16 +0000 Kate 1815244@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My DH is very accommodating and some years ago helped me install a complete racking system in my fairly large closet. It works nicely, but everything is pretty tight in there, mainly part of the space is taken up by bed linens and towel storage. So yes, if I had the space to enlarge, I'd jump at it! More space wouldn't encourage me to buy more—it would enable me to collect all my clothing in one place, and see everything I have so I could plan more efficiently. In fact, it might encourage me to purge more. I recently had to buy a[nother] dresser so I can better store winter sweaters. That dresser will go in my home office beneath the stairs. Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815221 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 18:16:58 +0000 Anonymous 1815221@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Your Woman Cave is beyond gorgeous, MsMary.  That rug alone takes my breath away.  MsMary on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815195 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:49:08 +0000 MsMary 1815195@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'll admit it: I've done it! My Lovely Husband has a big walk-in closet that he once shared with his late wife, but over the past 12 years he's expanded his (very fab!) wardrobe to fill the whole thing! So when we were negotiating the terms of our marriage my one demand was that I be given the spare bedroom to turn into my Woman Cave. It's my closet/study/dressing room and I love it beyond all reason! There is a place for everything, and plenty of breathing room for everything, and it makes me so happy! And it made LH happy to be able to do it for me! LH built me the shelving unit in the first pic below. And I love the big TV so I can watch Doctor Who while I play in my closet!  There are more pics, including "before" pics, here: <a rel="nofollow" href="https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/unveiling-the-woman-cave-show-me-your-closet">https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....our-closet</a> Diana on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815155 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 14:52:31 +0000 Diana 1815155@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Heh. My husband built me a shoe rack because he got tired of tripping over my big pile of shoes in the front hallway. I'm sure he'd extend my closet if we had the space. It's just self preservation. Lol. He has to live with my clothes in a small apartment after all so it's in his best interest to organize them. We do have separate smallish closets and I have an additional freestanding wardrobe, and it's still not enough space lol. That said if I had the extra room I'd turn it into a knitting room/library. (But if that room had a closet I'd keep clothes in it!) I helped a (male) friend out once by checking out apartments for him before he moved to town, and he pointed out that I seemed unnecessarily focused on closet space in the apartments. (Apparently I took a lot of videos of the closets!). So I guess not everyone gets it. anne on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815138 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:41:50 +0000 anne 1815138@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Fascinating stuff Sterling!. I can't imagine having a conversation like that with my friends, but then I think you've said a lot of your friends are quite keen shoppers, and not all of mine are. I have sometimes talked to DH about my fantasy of having a separate room where my clothes are, but that isn't about space. We have a smallish walk in and several chest of drawers and it is quite adequate. No, the separate room fantasy is completely about being able to dress in the light, as I have written about before. I would like more storage in our house in general though. We have no basement or  proper attic, a tiny shed and a one door linen cupboard.  And things like having no central heating mean we need to store lots of cold weather  bedding and heaters, and put away the fans in we have out in summer. Getting back to  your conversation, the whole awareness by the male thing is very interesting! cindysmith on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815114 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 11:30:26 +0000 cindysmith 1815114@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I remember how overstuffed my closets always were from childhood (born in 1970) until 2010 when we moved into an RV. I have DH the bigger closet (he really has zero patience for minutiae) and I took the 2 tiny ones on either side of the bed, and the 2 cabinets along the ceiling over the bed. I stored all the winter clothes under the bed; when I did my first seasonal changeover I decided I would never do that again. It was a total PITA. I gave away a trunk full of clothes. When I say trunk, I really mean the trunk of my car was stuffed full of those giant black garbage bags stuffed full of clothes and shoes. I started thinking about purchases more, and adopting a loose "1 in, 1 out" rule. I might not get rid of one thing when I bring in a new one, but I destroy clothes (or get bored with them) often enough that it averages out. I'm due for a sort at the moment. It's pretty packed in there right now. Currently, DH has far more clothes than I. He has work clothes and not-work clothes for both seasons (he is a brick Mason so the work clothes are not the nice ones in his case LOL); he also has hunting clothes for both seasons. Now that we are building a little house, we are including a small walk-in closet (that is also a solid masonry & concrete safe room). DH will get more of that space than I, and his gun safe (rifles and night vision optics for hunting wild pigs at night) will go in there too. I'm going to have to get creative with storage solutions in there so that it doesn't look a jumbled mess with all of both our clothes and shoes in there. I know better than to make the closet any bigger, because I would definitely shop to fill it LOL. And DH? Is definitely one of those people that sees an empty space as a place to store more stuff and therefore he acquires more stuff to fill that space: clothes, art supplies, hunting gear, native American & mountain man collectibles, art supplies, books--you name it, he probably has a lot of it. So it makes sense to me that lots of ladies know the law of the universe that dictates that the quantity of stuff we have will expand to fill the space allotted to it, no matter how much more space we allot for it. It also tells me that men pay more attention than we give them credit for LOL. And finally, it hints at how consumerist our society has become, without delving into the topic too deeply. That's kind of my soap box: we don't live in a CAPITALIST society, we live in a CONSUMERIST one (that is driven by messaging everywhere we turn that attempts to make us feel we are not enough unless we acquire 'thing x'). There's nothing wrong with having an interest in fashion and style; if that's your thing, I applaud you for finding something that makes you smile. However, I'm also seeing a number of people talking about things like mindfulness, minimalism, and intentional consumption in this thread, even if they haven't used those words. And that warms my tree-hugging-granola-crunchy heart. Barbara Diane on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815088 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 07:31:53 +0000 Barbara Diane 1815088@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My husband is wonderful, but not handy and not clothes or closet aware. I would love to have more space so that I could have space between items and see them easier. I don't think I would buy more. But I do ponder the general increase in closet space over time.  Brooklyn on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1815086 Tue, 13 Jun 2017 07:10:12 +0000 Brooklyn 1815086@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think it's good that the men are not judging their SOs for wanting/needing more closet space. (Even if the women are self regulating by not asking for it.) My husband, like a lot of men (being sexist here), has a strong desire for his own shed/ workshop. In fact, this desire has been recognised and celebrated in Australian culture.    <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mensshed.org/">http://mensshed.org/</a> To that end, he has turned what once was our garage into a workshop. Our car is now out in the weather. I totally support this and we have lengthy discussions about making the space more comfortable and practical for him. I am certainly attuned to his needs. So I think if I wanted more space for any interest of mine (whether it be a closet, study, sewing room, or indeed another workshop), he would be keen to help. And, in fact, he has helped me with storage issues in the past (he made a storage system for my jewellery, which is very useful). So he would definitely be one of the "aware" SOs. LaPed on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814901 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 17:12:13 +0000 LaPed 1814901@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We live in a slightly odd house. The master bedroom has a tiny closet but a huge en-suite bathroom, and the second bedroom (3-yo DS's) has a normal-sized closet. It was obvious, when we toured the house before buying, that the childless couple who lived here before us each got one closet to themselves -- the wife just stored her clothes in the guest bedroom instead of in the master. Enlarging the master closet would require redoing the upstairs bathroom, not a project we're interested in undertaking, so we make do with the tiny closet, store off-season and special-occasion clothes under the beds and in DS's big, under-utilized closet, and have tucked some extra hanging storage into a few corners of the house. At some point I'll go to Ikea or the Container Store and figure out a better organization system for the master closet -- it's really poorly designed, and has a chimney running through one corner of it to boot. In need of a re-vamp, for sure.  When we lived in Las Vegas, we got accustomed to walk-in closets. Even in small apartments, it seems to be de rigeur there, and DH and I never had trouble fitting the entire family's clothes, plus bed/bath linens, into one walk-in closet. One could argue that's a pretty efficient use of space. :)  Emily K on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814878 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 16:33:19 +0000 Emily K 1814878@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm not surprised at the reaction of the men--but I cannot say why that is.  Maybe because the partners of my friends are all pretty metro-sexual and spend money and attention on their own wardrobes?  I own half of a small-to-moderately-sized reach-in closet.  It's not enough space, really.  I wish for more.  Laughing at JAileen's shoe-volcano.  Shoes are difficult for me to store adequately, so I totally get the simile. Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814851 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:21:45 +0000 Anonymous 1814851@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm kind of surprised that all the SOs are that accommodating, but it sounds like you have a bunch of friends who like fashion too. Maybe I can borrow one of the men to help my closet organization (but I'm not picky, I'd take help from a woman who's handy too) Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814841 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:56:10 +0000 Anonymous 1814841@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a lot of clothes, and my DH has never told me I have too many. That said, he has never offered to expand our closet space. Christina F. on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814838 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:49:28 +0000 Christina F. 1814838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This talk of expanding closet space is funny to me. I share a large by NYC standards closet with my husband - but it's the only one we have. I have maybe about 2/3 of the rack space and half the floor space. He keeps all his clothes in the closet, including on some shelving he built. I keep the rest of mine in a bureau plus under-the-bed drawers. My shoes and bags live in... lots of places. I put the out of season clothes in our storage space in the basement. I wish we could expand the storage space a bit, but there's just nowhere for it to go. The closet takes up the whole length of a wall in our living room. We plan to upgrade to a two bedroom in about 5 years, and one of my top priorities is closet space. But that is very, very scarce in Manhattan. Even having a second closet would help a lot, though. JAileen on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814834 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:42:59 +0000 JAileen 1814834@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We've lived in our 50 YO house over 20 years. We had one 8 foot long reach-in closet for the two of us. My clothes fit very well in my half. After five years, we did a big remodel, adding a family room, new kitchen, redoing a bathroom, etc. BTW, we continued living here during the construction! That was crazy, in retrospect. Anyway, we also added another closet to the master bedroom. Now my clothes completely fill my entire closet. The worst part is the mess that is my shoes, which are spilling out, like lava from a volcano. Janet on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814831 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 14:28:42 +0000 Janet 1814831@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hah! Well, I squealed in happiness when I walked into the office space in our house, with its built-in bookshelves and work surfaces, and promptly claimed it for my own, while my husband claimed the vaulted ceiling study for his office (perhaps a bit ironic now because neither one of us spends much time working from our home offices these days -- how things change in a decade!). Our closet -- a moderate walk-in -- was a huge step up from the tiny reach-in in our old home, which held my clothes, along with a rolling rack hidden behind a shoji screen, and hubs' clothes in an antique armoire (which now serves as accessory storage for me). Our wardrobes have grown to fill the available space, as they tend to do. So no, I wouldn't want even more space, because I know i would just fill it with more stuff I don't need. I'd rather have a smallish, efficient space than a cavern that's pretty to look at but ends up feeling wasteful. Suz on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814811 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:58:20 +0000 Suz 1814811@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is fascinating! I am very impressed with these menfolk. Wow.  LaBDM, I am that one lone voice squealing: "OMG, a STUDY!!!" but then I am a writer who works at home and my wardrobe can easily fit in a regular closet if I change it out seasonally. (So really, if I am being perfectly honest, it fits in TWO closets, LOL -- which is obviously a similar solution to a walk-in, so who exactly am I kidding other than myself????). In other words, I would ALSO like a great closet wherever I live and feel like it is the height of unfairness to have to sacrifice one for the other...oh home designers, get with it!!    Mary Beth (formerly LBD) on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814809 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:29:27 +0000 Mary Beth (formerly LBD) 1814809@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is so interesting!   Like most women I know, I have this fantasy about a big walk-in closet, with a window and a little pouf to sit on while I strap on Louboutins-of-the-day, and admire myself in a floor-to-ceiling gilt-framed mirror.... but I love the way my condo space is currently allocated, and I can't see giving over an entire area just to house more stuff that I will never have enough days in the week to wear. I have several spacious reach-in closets, that I have been in the process of steadily minimizing for several years now.   They are still somewhat stuffed, but they're gradually becoming less overwhelming.   Sometimes I find I resent the amount of space that even those reach-ins take - or perhaps it is that I would love to reach a point where I remove the doors and the closet is pretty enough to become part of the room.   So that my collection of safari-themed hats and my treasured rubber chicken purse can become part of the room. All of the 'me' part of this aside...   Staysfit's comment about converting over the study makes me wonder... how much value would a beautiful custom closet add to home value, versus having a study space?   When I watch house-hunting real estate shows on HGTV, I never seen someone squeal "OMG THERE'S A STUDY", whereas I see women (and some men) get all kinds of silly about closet racks and shelves, even the white tubular stuff you can pick up at Wal-Mart.   I wonder, in off-camera realityland, does a super-fab custom closet generate more revenue in a home sale? I'm thinking maybe tastefully shelving one wall in a way that suggests it is useful both for your shoe collection, or your collection of rare books might add value to one's home. Maybe this should be a separate thread.    :D  :D   cindysmith on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814808 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:27:38 +0000 cindysmith 1814808@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ OMG I wish I didn't have to go to work right now so that I could really get into reading this and the responses. I have favorited it so that I can return to it later because this is fascinating, and the psychology/sociology behind it is even more fascinating. I'm eager to hear everybody's take on it Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814803 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:55:40 +0000 Anonymous 1814803@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree that it is knowing that I would fill the space and then some that might keep me from wanting a whole room for a closet. Still, after seeing the photos of Ms Mary's gorgeous new closet, it would be tempting. Lyn D. on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814795 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:23:28 +0000 Lyn D. 1814795@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree that more space is not always ideal unless the existing closet is tiny. The most important thing for me is being able to see everything for the current season, so that pieces aren't forgotten or lost, or crowded together to make access difficult. Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814794 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:21:31 +0000 Anonymous 1814794@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sisi, I too had not realized that there were so many men willing to accommodate their women's wardrobe needs.  My sample size was small, but just the fact that every man at the party could contribute to the conversation surprised me.  The men knew things like "One In-One Out" and accessories.  The depth of your knowledge just surprised me.  (Am I being sexist?) Although I did not get to speak to the women individually, I wondered if it wasn't because we all knew we would fill that space up.  That knowledge actually sent a shudder through my body.  And yes, Lucy and Deborah.  Some of us are very blessed with men that both want to fix things and have the capacity to do so.  Deborah on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814793 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 12:17:46 +0000 Deborah 1814793@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ How interesting. My husband suggested we buy a free standing wardrobe for our bedroom (thankfully a generous sized room) so I could have the walk in robe all to myself. We did this and I have just the right amount of space. Any more and I would feel overwhelmed particularly as I have embraced the less is more concept. He also suggested turning the spare room into a closet for me and at one point, when we were considering building into our house, he included a spacious walk in robe in the plans. I really appreciate that my hubby takes an interest in something that is important to me. Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814788 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 11:35:39 +0000 Anonymous 1814788@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh shot.  I lost my post.  I'll have to come back later.  Gail on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814775 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:37:19 +0000 Gail 1814775@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I moved to my current home 13 years ago. My closet was twice the size of the one in my previous home. I have managed to fill it to the point of bursting ugh. Admittedly there are are other items stored in here such as the leaves to my dining room table and all my wrapping paper supplies. However it is full for the most part with my clothes !! Lucy on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814774 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:31:27 +0000 Lucy 1814774@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting! My hubby has always been most accommodating in this regard :)  In our previous house, we had a tiny wardrobe and he remodelled the front end of the house to take part of the entrance foyer into our bedroom, and he fitted lovely closets all along the wall as well. He was very pleased with himself and got major brownie points from me - it really was perfect.  After we moved interstate to a new home, he fitted the wardrobes out just as I wanted them again. Now I keep my winter woollies in my study closet as we don't have much need for them, other than travel. But the rest is all done beautifully again.  I think he finds it a challenge to get it right? Men do like to "fix" things.  Staysfit on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814772 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:25:54 +0000 Staysfit 1814772@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ LOL! I read this post to my DH and he is rolling on the floor with laughter! He has moved some of his belongings into DD's old closet to make space for more dress hanging space in ours, now that DD is out of the house. Our closet is medium large, but most of it is double racked, and the single rack space high enough for dresses is relatively limited. He would otherwise never consider making an accommodation. He loves it when I wear dresses! :-) One time I asked our handyman how much it would cost to close off the front study which sits across from our bedroom and make it into a large walk in closet. When DH found out he was furious! "No way! That money is going into savings for other things!" He meant both the money for the clothes to fill the space as well as the money to remodel the room. It's okay. (No remodeling took place). It was more of a fantasy to have a showplace room that looked gorgeous than a desire for anything practical. My current closet is practical except for the relative lack of hanging space for dresses which we have figured out. Practical wins over fantasy most of the time in my world. DH knows this about me, but he also knows that if I have a space, I am likely to fill it, so having a larger closet would mean that I would keep buying. I'm not sure I wear all my clothes in a given season at present. (I have started to keep track in a calendar to actually see what I am wearing). Adding more space does not seem like an environmentally friendly prospect. Learning more about this seems more important to me at present than converting a room into a closet. If I find that I am using everything, than I might consider a more attractive way to store things in the space I already have. Sisi on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814770 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:00:22 +0000 Sisi 1814770@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting ! I have never heard of husbands like those ... :) I agree with you, I would never want a huge closet space: reason 1, I am trying to live in a more minimal way;  reason 2, I grew up in a huge house and I know too well what it is having  too much room available: you end up accumulating tons of clutter. Too bad you had not the opportunity to speak with those women because it would be really interesting to know their opinions about this matter.  Anonymous on "Closets" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/closets#post-1814765 Mon, 12 Jun 2017 09:37:25 +0000 Anonymous 1814765@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Friends and I got into a long discussion about closets over the weekend.  It was a fascinating discussion because husbands and BFs were part of the discussion and they (the men) were talking about how they were more than willing to enlarge closets for their significant others.  The men had even thought about it and offered concrete suggestions as to how they would go about completing the task.   First, I was taken aback that every single SO had put some thing into their wives/girlfriends wardrobe management system.   But the thing that struck me the hardest is that every single woman resisted the idea of enlarging their closet.  You always hear about women who want to turn spare bedrooms or other spaces into huge walk in closets.  And here were men that not only agreed to it, they had actually put some thought into how it could be done and were willing to do the work.   Despite this, every single woman resisted the idea.  Even I cringed inwardly.   I didn't have the opportunity to speak to the women individually to ask them why exactly they were reluctant, but I knew if I turned a spare bedroom in a closet, it would be disaster.  It would be thoroughly organized and look beautiful, but I felt I would shop at an accelerated rate to complete the space.  Everything I currently own would easily fit into the "walk-in closet" with lots of empty space.  The third things was how much the men knew about their wives/girlfriends wardrobe and buying habits.  They were sharply attuned.   I probably could have talked about this all night long.