Walk in closet size small
10 small walk-in closet designs |
(Image credit: Future)
Small walk-in closets are a possibility – especially if they are fitted out cleverly to cope with all your clothing storage needs. They can transform how adult bedrooms look, and help children keep their bedrooms neat and their clothes in good order, too.
We've sourced our favorite small walk-in closet designs to show that your bedroom ideas don't actually need huge square footage – just natty tricks to maximize the space you have.
Small walk-in closet ideas
If you are looking for walk-in closet ideas that are ideal for a smaller space, this is a great place to start. We’ve put together our top small walk-in closet ideas to inspire your bedroom remodel.
1. Small walk-in closets can be perfectly formed
(Image credit: Sara Cosgrove)
This small walk-in closet design created by interior designer Sara Cosgrove is a perfect example of how you can make a tiny space work well. The curvy joinery makes the spacious but small walk-in closet efficient, which is exactly what you want to achieve in a smaller space.
Mirrors are used to the maximum here. The shoes look great in the front section and add a decorative element as you walk-in. Keep your clothes folded each side and more seasonal pieces in the drawer at the bottom.
2. Stretch space with white walls and pale flooring
(Image credit: Kasha Paris )
Design studio Kasha Paris are experts at designing pieds-à-terre – and this includes stunning small walk-in closets that combine elegance with practical luxury.
For apartment living at its best, you need to make the most of every inch of space. In this bedroom, the vanity is in the bedroom rather than in the closet – as some are – while the warm-toned herringbone floor and straight-laid floorboards define the two zones (a great tip to steal for larger, dressing room ideas). An open plan feel has been adopted between the two spaces, which keeps the view through into the closet light and airy – ideal for a small square footage.
3. When space is tight choose clever lighting
(Image credit: Neatsmith)
Often small walk-in closets are tucked away and can be in spaces that have little or no natural light, which is where well thought-out bedroom lighting ideas come into play.
‘When designing a small walk-in closet, it’s important to think about lighting and light-reflecting surfaces to make a windowless or smaller room come to life, making it a beautiful place to spend time in,’ advises Philipp Nagel, director of Neatsmith .
‘Including warm recessed LEDs, mirrored door designs and decorative glass finishes helps to maximise light and a sense of space within a small walk-in closet.’
4. Create a multi-functional space full of personality
(Image credit: BarlisWedlick/Joshua McHugh)
If you want to know how to turn a room into a walk-in closet with a personality, this is a great example – even if the bold shades aren't to your taste.
‘Our inspiration for this closet was our client’s wardrobe,’ says Tina Schnabel, senior interiors associate at BarlisWedlick .
‘Our client has an amazing collection, and she loves color with playful prints. We used her love of color and pattern to create a dynamic space with a dark and moody backdrop, and a playful ceiling wallpaper. The dark backdrop allows her clothing and accessories to pop against the millwork and wall paint color.
'The space needed to function in many ways for our client. A walk-in closet for storage, but also a lounge space, and a desk space. Our client’s schedule is busy and packed to the minute, so this space is private for her to take calls and quick meetings. She didn’t want a space that was too serious, but playful, to function in all these ways.’
5. Opt for elegant muted tones and glass doors
(Image credit: Gunter & Co/Mary Wadsworth/Hannah Franklin)
If a neutral color palette is more your bag, then be inspired by this small walk-in closet by Gunter & Co , which demonstrates how bedroom storage ideas can be elegant as well as practical.
With natural light pouring in through the French doors at the back, the emphasis has been placed on the glass doors being used to reflect light toward the front of the closet. They give it a spacious feel and allow you to see your clothes and shoes straightaway.
It’s always a good idea to have somewhere to sit too– this round stool blends in whilst also adding a touch of pattern.
6. Have a full length mirror at one end
(Image credit: Maison Valentine)
A top tip for a small walk-in closet design: add some space- and light-enhancing dazzle and glitz with 3D style floor tiles, a full length mirror and metallics – we love this gold-effect freestanding built in basin.
The beauty of a small walk-in closet is that it’s your own private space that can totally reflect your character and individuality. Don’t forget to install some under-cabinet lights so you can easily pick out your outfit and match accessories easily.
7. Add a decorative aspect with Chinoiserie
(Image credit: Louise Bradley )
‘Add elegance to a small walk-in closet or dressing room by combining harmonious finishes to create a calming and luxurious space,’ advises bespoke luxury interior designer Louise Bradley .
‘Practicality should always lead, taking into consideration the clients' functional requirements. However, never underestimate the importance of unique decoration to make a statement. We opted for bespoke hand-drawn Chinoiserie for the joinery doors with bronze handle detail, combined with decorative lighting and a mirrored wall to optically lift and expand the space.’
8. Make a small walk-in closet glow – literally
(Image credit: Gunter & Co )
There are ways to incorporate special features into your small walk-in closet, so you’re not just stepping into a purely functional space. Take this stylish closet as an example – the hanging space is illuminated and has a wallpaper back while the gold rails add a luxurious touch and tie in with the wall lights both in the closet and on the bedroom wall.
Encompassing the hanging section is a deep velvety blue that further highlights the closet space and tonally matches the claret vanity and velvet covered stool.
(Image credit: Sims Hilditch)
There's something harmonious about choosing one single color for a scheme, and it's an interior design trick to apply when space is tight.
In this charming small walk-in closet, the alabaster shade from floor to ceiling provides a welcoming feel. There's a good mix of drawers and hanging space and the double mirror provides enough reflection to bounce the light around. A comfy armchair is always worth considering – you can drape tomorrow's clothes on it or use it for relaxing in at the end of the day. The ribbed carpet adds an extra layer of luxury too.
10. Use an accent color to highlight not hide
(Image credit: James Merrell)
Often, when faced with a tiny space, the tendency is to hide it away, not make a feature of it. This small walk-in closet idea shows how the opposite can work very successfully.
A challenging space is often when we get the most creative, and by painting this uber small walk-in closet in a ruby red turns it into a modern design feature.
The blush shade on the bedroom walls softens the view through to the closet and then the bathroom, and sliding doors are a great option because they save space by not opening out into a room.
What is the smallest size a walk-in closet can be?
A walk-in closet needs to be at least 4ft wide by 4ft deep – large enough to install at least three hanging rails in a U-shape. That would be the minimum; under the rail, you will need space for drawers or shelves, for shoes and a couple of baskets or boxes for accessories. Obviously the more you can fit in the better – have a shelf above the hanging rail that could be used for hats and shoe boxes, too. The key is to maximize every inch of space.
What would you need in a small walk-in closet?
To make the most of your small walk-in closet the essentials would be hanging space, a full-length mirror, hooks or shelves for hats and handbags, drawers for clothes and accessories like jewelry and watches – and the key ingredient for a small space – great lighting.
Knowing how much fitted wardrobes cost to install will help you budget for what you need to prioritize.
Sophie has been an interior stylist and journalist for over 20 years and has worked for many of the main interior magazines during that time, both in-house and as a freelancer. On the side, as well as being the News Editor for indie magazine, 91, she trained to be a florist in 2019 and launched The Prettiest Posy where she curates beautiful flowers for modern weddings and events. For H&G, she writes features about interior design – and is known for having an eye for a beautiful room.
Walk in closet dimensions
- Home
- Closet Design
- Walk in Closet Dimensions
By Meg Escott
On this page we'll step through all the essential walk-in closet dimensions that feed into closet design. The measurements on this page are all about component parts, like hanging bar height, shelf height and depth and drawer measurements. If you want to know about the overall size of walk-in closets, take a look a the walk-in closet designs page (coming soon).
This walk-in closet dimensions page forms part of the walk-in closet design series.
This page on bedroom dimensions will also come in useful.
Walk-in closet dimensions - hanging space
So let's started on walk in closet dimensions with hanging space.
We'll start with the width you need for storing clothes hung on hangers supported by a rod. A comfortable width for this would be 24ins (61cm). As it happens that's the same depth as kitchen base cabinets. You might get away with slightly smaller with 20ins or 51cm but my recommendation would be to stick with the comfort size.
Hanging space width
So let's started on walk in closet dimensions with hanging space. There are two types, half hanging height for hanging shirts, tops, most skirts and folded trousers and full hanging height for hanging dresses, long coats and I have also seen bed linen stored on hangers in a full hanging height space.
Not a bad idea.
For half height, the average height is 3ft 6ins (1.07m) and for full height the average height is 5ft 6ins (1.68m). When you come to design your closet one of the steps includes measuring your reach so that you can customize your closet dimensions to your height and reach.
Half and full height hanging spaces
If you have one half height hanging space on top of the other, depending on how tall you are the shelf on top would only be useful for seasonal storing. It would be too high for me to reach on an everyday basis for example.
Another little detail about hanging rods is the clearance required between the rod and the surface above. Make sure there's 2ins (5cm) for a hanger to pass over the top of the rod.
Leave 2ins (5cm) clearance between the rod and the surface above
Walk-in closet dimensions - shelves and drawers
So now let's move on to shelves and drawers.
First of all, some definitions to make sure you know what I'm talking about. If you were facing your closet the width would be across, the depth backwards and the height up and down.
How shelf and drawer dimensions are definied on this page
If your closet is going to have shelves above or below a hanging rod it makes sense that they will be the same as the hanging rod space, so that's 2ft or 61cm. At this depth it makes sense to store items 2 deep but to make this practical the shelf needs to pull out, or be a drawer.
If you're going to have shelves which inhabit their own space you have more of a choice of how deep the shelves are. 12ins or 1ft / 30cm is a common depth because it matches the depth of kitchen wall cabinets.
If you plan to store shoes on a 1ft shelf, you may need to include a special shoe rack to introduce a slope if your shoes are too big to fit flat on the shelf. I couldn't find any pictures of stilettos from above so you're stuck with brogues in the picture below.
Shelf and drawer depths with storage options
Let's talk a little about shelf and drawer height. Closet shelves should be adjustable and fairly close together and drawer height shouldn't be too much. If you have to stack too many clothing items on top of one another this makes them hard to keep neat and hard to find and retrieve without disturbing making a mess.
I advocate storing no more that 3 or 4 items in folded piles. Since two 3 t-shirts take up a lot less height than 3 fluffy sweaters the secret to getting the right shelf height is in being able to adjust the height of each shelf.
One thing to bear in mind is that drawers become much less useful if they are placed above eye height as it becomes impossible to see what is in the drawers.
Don't put drawers higher than eye height
Walk-on closet dimensions - dressing space
Minimum dressing space
If you want to get dressed in your walk-in closet you'll need a minimum space of 4 x 3ft (1.
2 x 0.91m). You need 4ft to sit and bend down to put your shoes on or put a top on one arm at a time. The 3ft dimension is in line with corridor width. It works out to be the size of a small changing room you find at retail stores.
How much space do you need to sit and bend down or put an arm into a top?
So there you have it. The essential closet dimensions. To see how these dimensions play out in closet designs have a look at the other closet design pages.
More walk-in closet design for you
More room design for you...
5 best layouts + organization tips
Do you need it?
Small dressing rooms are comparable in functionality to solid closets: what to choose from this? When answering this question, the ergonomics of the dressing room should be taken into account. It should be convenient for a person inside to move around, respectively, the minimum width of such a space is 150 cm (shelves, clothes on hangers will take ~ 60 cm).
Accordingly, if the choice is between a narrow dressing room and a closet, choose the latter. nine0005
One of the ideas for a small cozy dressing room is a deep closet, in English it is called reach in closet system. It is usually located in a niche, it is distinguished by its large capacity and ease of use.
See also
Storage ideas without cabinets
If there is enough width for movement, you can equip a full-fledged small dressing room.
Its benefits:
- Space saving. Oddly enough, to equip one large storage system in an apartment, less space is required than several small ones. nine0018
- Saving time. If you organize all the clothes in one corner, the morning preparations will go faster.
- Economy of forces. Compactly organized things are easier and faster to put into place.
To make the dressing room as ergonomic and comfortable as possible, follow the designers' advice:
- Use the full height.
In every house there are things that get 1-2 times a year. Their place is under the ceiling. - Don't make extra shelves. The lower one, for example, is useless - put shoes or boxes directly on the floor. nine0018
- Plan your filling ahead of time. To do this, you need to know exactly what and in what quantity you need to store.
- Make a sliding door. Or a curtain. Or abandon it altogether in order to save space.
- Order an individual project. Only custom-made furniture takes into account all the nuances of the room and allows you to use every valuable centimeter of space.
Which closet layout would be best?
See also
20 great ideas for small wardrobe storage
It is impossible to say for sure which design of a small dressing room will suit everyone. Depends on the area and dimensions of the allocated premises, the number of things in storage.
A small dressing room can be organized in five ways - choose the one that suits you best.
Linear
Usually used in niches, looks like a closet or reach in closet system, separated from the room by curtains, sliding doors. In some cases, even a small stylish dressing room without doors looks good - for example, if it is located behind the bed and a partition separates it from the bedroom. Shelves along one wall are also often mounted in long, elongated spaces. nine0005
Corner
L-shaped plan is suitable for both long and square rooms. The dressing room is considered more spacious, because 2 walls are occupied at once.
U-shaped
think so that nothing intersects. nine0005
Parallel
The arrangement of two rows opposite is possible only in dressing rooms not less than 2 meters. It is appropriate to decorate the far wall with a mirror or fix an ironing board.
Circular
Shelves, rods and drawers are installed around the perimeter, including the space above the door.
Suitable for wardrobe rooms of at least 4 square meters (2*2).
Where is the best location?
Arrangement of a small dressing room begins with the choice of location. If the apartment already has an empty pantry, it is easiest to use it. The pantry is usually located in a convenient area, already separated by a door, has lighting. In other cases, you will have to use living space for a dressing room. nine0005
See also
15 ideas for storage in a small bedroom
The most commonly used option with zoning the bedroom. The design of the room is initially designed taking into account the location of a small dressing room. It is placed behind the bed or at the entrance, depending on the layout of the room. The bedroom will become smaller, but you will be able to store all the clothes, shoes and other necessary items in a place hidden from prying eyes.
The advantage of a dressing room in the bedroom is an intimate setting in which you can change clothes in peace.
nine0005
The second most popular example of the placement of dressing rooms is the entrance hall or corridor. Usually there is little furniture and enough space for cabinets. In a spacious corridor in a square or close to a square shape, with the help of partitions or compartment doors, a niche is separated and shelves are placed in it. Narrow elongated is only suitable for a large closet.
How to organize the internal content?
See also
Ironing board storage ideas for a small apartment
A small dressing room should be thought out to the smallest detail: you have to not only choose the right elements, but also correctly position them relative to each other. Drawers should open, clothes on hangers should be conveniently removed and returned back.
You should start with the bars: the free space under them depends on the things that are stored on the hangers. Dresses, long coats - 150-160 cm, shirts - 90-100 cm, trousers - 65-75 cm.
hang clothes or take them out, and lift them back when the process is completed. nine0005
Mandatory attribute of the dressing room, even in the mini version - drawers. Inside it is convenient to store underwear and other clothes that do not require storage on a coat hanger.
There are never too many additional shelves: shoes, boxes with the necessary things, accessories are put on top.
When arranging storage up to the ceiling, be sure to think about exactly how you will get and put into place items from the top three shelves. It is logical to place here a small stepladder, which facilitates the task. nine0005
Don't forget the basic usability element: light. Lucky if the dressing room has a window. But more often closed spaces are reserved for storage, so lighting is mandatory here even in the daytime. High-quality illumination will be provided by several recessed spots or directional lamps on the bus.
Useful ideas for easy storage
See also
How to store things in a small hallway? nine0005
The organization of a small dressing room is no different from a large one.
To make it convenient and intuitive to use, consider compartments for each type of clothing and accessories: trousers, shirts, underwear and socks, belts, bags, watches.
Lower shelves for shoes. It is convenient to put out-of-season things in boxes and clean them to the very top.
If your closet has more clothes that are stored on the shelves, make more drawers and go for a vertical storage system. Things are folded into compact rectangles and placed on the "end" in rows. nine0005
Folding this way saves space and keeps order. You can be sure that one thing will not pull several others along with it (as is often the case when storing in piles).
The last detail is the layout logic. The most used things are stored at eye and hand level, the upper shelves under the ceiling are reserved for seasonal or rarely needed things. At the very bottom are items that are not needed every day, but should remain available. nine0005
We hope that among the photos of small wardrobes in the article, everyone will find the perfect option for themselves!
Small walk-in closet - 135 beautiful photos of small but comfortable and roomy walk-in closets
Complete Custom Home Rebuild
Coyle Modular Homes
An example of the original design: a small unisex walk-in closet in neoclassical (modern classic) style with open fronts, white fronts, beige floor and carpet
Closets
617 Home Improvement Inc.
Home Inspiration: Small Neoclassical (Modern Classic) Unisex alcove cabinet with open fronts and white fronts
After Custom Closet Makeover in Secret Finish
TidySquares Inc.
This Secret finish custom reach-in closet is not a well kept secret, but not one to hide either! Fully custom storage, it's a joy to use and look at, especially when you have an open closet. Shown with an oil rubbed bronze hardware, this custom reach-in closet provides plenty of storage with shelves, hanging rods and drawers. nine0179
Wynnewood, PA: Master Bathroom & Custom Closet
Bella B Home Designs
When we started this closet was a hole, we completed renovated the closet to give our client this luxurious space to enjoy!
Stylish Design Small Unisex Dressing Room Neoclassic (Modern Classic) with Recessed Panel Fronts, White Fronts, Dark Parquet Floors and Brown Floors - Latest Trend
Walk-in Closets
Renew Doors and Closets LLC
Stylish design: small unisex dressing room in neoclassical (modern classic) style with flat fronts, white fronts, slate flooring and colorful floors - the latest trend
Reach-in Closets
Closet Factory ( Fort Lauderdale
Our daily routine begins and ends in the closet, so we believe it should be a place of peace, organization and beauty.
When it comes to the custom design of one of the most personal rooms in your home, we want to transform your closet and make space for everything. With an inspired closet design you are able to easily find what you need, take charge of your morning routine, and discover a feeling of harmony to carry you throughout your day. nine0179
Full Home Remodeling Project in Houston ( view at the closet)
Smart Remodeling LLC
We updated this bedroom, considering closet space. we added a walk-in closet and it was a fantastic investment because it adds storage and extra space. We painted this bedroom white and make it look bigger. We used engineered wood flooring made of plywood with stable dimensions and a hardwood veneer. which adds beauty and makes them feel safe and comfortable in the bedroom. nine0179
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Christy Collection International
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