4 Tips for the Garment Rack Closet Solution

A garment rack can be a fashionable, inexpensive way to store your clothing, especially if you are in a non-traditional or small space living situation where you don’t have a closet. Now I know you have a dresser, and you have folded everything vertically in the drawers Marie Kondo style so they fit just right! But sometimes, no matter how much you have discarded (you’ve faithfully done your discarding - right?!), and folded, and hung only the things that need to be hung - your closet is just too small. Or maybe you would just like to display your favorite items because they bring you so much joy! Go forth and garment rack! Our tips and photos after the jump!

1. Choose a Color Palette. Aim for all of the colored clothes to be at a matching level of color saturation or temperature, i.e. pastels, jewel tones, or earth tones mixed with neutrals. I recommend going with more light colored items than dark so the rack doesn’t absorb too much light from the room. 2. Edit. Much in the way you have decided what clothing to keep, the clothing that you display should be chosen carefully. These should be higher quality items that make an offering to the space. Play with different textures. Make sure each piece of clothing has plenty of room to breathe. Garment racks should not be your sole clothing storage, but an opportunity to display a few key items. 3. Display with purpose. Arrange your garments in a way that is pleasing to the eye, starting on the left by hanging the clothes from dark to light, and long to short, with items rising to the right. 4. Keep Accessories Minimal. It looks best not to have anything hanging off the sides of the garment rack (even though they have those tempting extenders!) If you want to display hats, install hooks for them to hang above. If you store shoes under the clothing, use a box or something else to sit across the slats and keep the shoes off the floor so they don’t get dirty or pushed around. In my rack, I’ve used a mirror! If you have a dog or a naughty cat, perhaps store accessories out of reach in hat boxes. If you still have clothing items left to hang after arranging your garment rack, consider other hanging storage such as a wardrobe or armoire. I don’t recommend hanging clothing behind a curtain in a small space, because it tends to make the space feel smaller. Craigslist often has vintage wardobes that only need a coat of paint, or you can line one wall with an IKEA system like the PAX. For more inspiration, check out all these well-styled garment racks on our Pinterest Board! I detail in the description why I like each one. Happy Tidying!