So you’ve found it: that perfect pre-war/loft/converted-warehouse/fill-in-the-blank that you’ve coveted since your first viewing of Flashdance. Sure, it might be pricey, and don’t even get me started on the water pressure, but it’s your dream home, right?
Many of us can adapt to creaky floors and five stories with no elevator in the name of apartment paradise, but any girl (and those guys who own more than one suit) will balk when they discover that their casa is closet-less. Sorry folks, but turn-of-the-century smelters did not have as much need as you do for a spacious walk-in.
So what do? Turn down the perfect pad out of duty to your shoe collection? Or get creative and enter a realm of never-before-experienced hipsterdom? I’ll be you can guess which one I vote for.
Closet Alternatives
Open Closets
Open closets are great when you have gorgeous clothes you guests can croon over.
Colorful clothes are pieces of art. Image courtesy apartmenttherapy.com
Cordon off your open coset with a hanging curtain. Image courtesy apartmenttherapy.com
How: You can find shoe stands and hanging clothes racks at Target and IKEA; I’ve also seen people suspend wooden dowels or curtain rods from the ceiling. Enormous closet-esque wall units are also available, but can be costly.
Cool factor: This is a great method if you’re tidy by nature so everything looks artful and hip, not sloppy. Curtains are great substitutes for closet doors.
Bummer factor: Open closets will look disheveled and hideous the second a T-shirt becomes unfolded or your dirty laundry piles up in front of your Louboutins.
Armoires
If the required tidiness of the open closet is too much to bear, consider an armoire.
This nursery room armoire has room for clothes, diapers and toys. Image courtesy coastalliving.com
Room to hang and to fold. Image courtesy apartmenttherapy.com
How: Find an armoire you love and put it in your room. You can even paint or stain it if it doesn’t coordinate right away.
Cool factor: Armoires are kind of like enormous dressers, where you can just throw stuff in and shut the door, folding be damned. You can invest in a really beautiful antique armoire and own your own little slice of history – if that’s your thing.
Bummer factor: For taking up as much room as they do, armoires tend to fill up quickly. If your wardrobe has an emphasis on quality, not quantity, you should be in the clear. If you’re a pack rat, you might be out of luck.
Take Advantage of Unused Appliances
Not much of a chef? Have no use for that second bathroom? The first time I heard of filling your oven with jeans I thought it was ridiculous. But then it made sense. If you never eat in, your jeans will have the perfect home.
Keep your combat boots cool. Image courtesy nypost.com
A couple of wine glasses and your handpages. Perfect. Image courtesy nypost.com
How: Never use your kitchen/bathroom/whathaveyou. Ever.
Cool factor: It’s a life of glitz and glam, never going grocery shopping, and Sunday brunch every day. Also, your cool, dry, dust-free appliances might just be the perfect place to keep clothes looking fresh.
Bummer factor: Waking up at 2:00 and craving a bowl of Lucky Charms with cold milk is just never going to happen. Is it worth it? Maybe.
Only Wear 3 Outfits Per Season
For clothing minimalists, closet space has never been an issue. For the rest of us, prescribing a strict, seasonal clothing regiment could be the key. Because heck – all your clothes could fit in one pretty box.
Just imagine: one trunk is all you'll need. Image courtesy apartmenttherapy.com
How: Each season warrants two pairs of shoes, one pair of pants, and a couple of shirts. Vacuum pack the rest of your wardrobe into flat plastic units and hide them under the couch.
Cool factor: There’s nothing like the freedom from societal pressures on the way you look.
Bummer factor: You might start to smell.
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