You could just divide your closet down the middle—or you could follow these tips to perfect closet bliss.
Every couple knows this problem: Two people sharing one closet, she’s got a ton of shoes and enough bathing suits for a round-the-world cruise, he’s a bit obsessive about his collection of vintage baseball caps and wrist watches. How do you divide the space?
In a traditional walk-in closet scenario, he would get one side, she would get the other—but does that address each person’s needs? Probably not.
A great closet designed for him and her isn’t about having enough space; it’s about each person having the enough of the right type of space they need. Is one partner more of a clothes horse than the other? Does one prefer to hang their clothes while the other is content to fold them on a shelf or in a drawer? Is one partner very tall and the other very small? These are the first questions that need to be asked when designing a new closet for a couple.
Follow these tips to design the perfect custom closet for you and your partner.
1. Take stock of your clothing and accessories
Literally measure the length of your shirts—men’s and women’s clothing is, of course, sized very differently. Your closet should be designed to accommodate not only how much clothing you have, but the types and the sizes. Group liked-sized items together to determine both the width on the rack you’ll need and the vertical height.
There are different solutions for shoes and accessories depending on how many items you have, their size, and how often you use them. It’s important to know what you have (and be realistic about your future shopping habits) before you sit down to design your closet.
2. Don’t try to split the closet equally
While it’s possible that you and your partner have exactly the same number of shoes, clothing, and accessories, that’s probably not the case. Your closet doesn’t have to be split down the middle—and probably shouldn’t be. You’ll both be a lot happier if you each have the space you need, even if one gets more than the other.
It all comes back to having the right type of space(s). She may get the majority of the hanging space, while he’ll have the majority of the drawers. She might like a dressing table while he prefers a full-length mirror.
3. A closet full of clothes, and nothing to wear
It’s so much easier to get dressed in the morning when you can see what you’ve got. Purses, hats, even sunglasses are more easily stored on open shelves or on slim pull-out shelves rather than in enclosed drawers or behind cabinet doors. And by definition, if your clothes are hanging in the closet or folded on a shelf, they’re put away. You don’t have to hide them further behind a second door.
Think of your closet as your own personal boutique. By keeping your clothes and shoes where you can see them, you may find it’s a lot easier to decide what to wear.
4. Make it easy to keep it neat
In every relationship, there’s bound to be one neat freak and one who is, shall we say, a little more relaxed. No matter who is who, it will pay dividends toward reducing stress and the long-term health of your relationship to include space for a catch-all. That is, space to toss items you plan to hang up or put away later.
It could be a couple of extra fabric laundry baskets. Or, you could add personality to the space with a saddle stand for him to toss that shirt he decided against wearing on, and for her, a beautiful armchair. The point is to each have an agreed-upon space that allows you to get a little messy when you need to, without messing up the whole closet.