GAZELLE MAGAZINE APRIL 2018 | Page 54

HEARTH & HOME Get Your Closets in Order   I f you’re not throwing things out or donating them, you’re going to need somewhere to put those items. You can’t put things away if your closets are already bulging at the hinges and in total disarray. Home organization expert for  modularclosets.com, Marty Basher, has some great design ideas for setting up your closets so that you can always find what you need. Start with the closets Empty them out, decide what you’re keeping and what you’re not, and be ruthless with your decisions. Once you’ve cleaned out the various closets, it’s the optimal time to put in place new storage elements that will help you keep your newly cleaned space tidy. 52 GAZELLE   Closet drawers for a tidy appearance Storage that is closed off from view is ideal. A  solid-wood drawer box with dovetail corner joints, chrome slides, and elegant and smooth drawer fronts create a very tidy appearance, and gives you the ideal place to store smaller items and things that don’t need to be hung up. Particle board will warp and fall apart over time. This is one aspect of your closet that will get a lot of wear, so do it right the first time. From socks, underwear and T-shirts, to jewelry and small accessories like sunglasses, drawers in your closet can create those extra spots you need for all those smaller pieces that are easier to lose. Figure out what goes in each drawer and make sure you keep them that way!   Corner spaces don’t need to be wasted spaces Corners inside a closet are often lost, dark spaces where clothes hide and never return from. They are underused because they’re awkward, but there is an easy solution, and it comes in the form of L-shaped corner shelves that close that gap between two units. They provide seamless connection and a ton of otherwise lost storage space.   Hang more and iron less As you look at everything you pulled out of your closet, you might find that there are a lot of pieces that you were folding or piling on a shelf that might hold up better if they were hung up. Who wants to spend more time ironing than is absolutely necessary? Double-hanging solutions allow for twice as many pieces to be hung up. After all, how many fancy ball gowns need to go back into your closet? Instead, if you count up your pants, skirts, blouses and nice