Ever open a closet and get an hvac unit staring back at you?? When my husband and I bought our home we knew this hvac unit needed to go!! Our house had minimal closet space and they were less than functional to say the least.

Luckily the way the closet were designed in the bedrooms and the hall had them all slammed up against each other. Our hall closet was far deeper than it needed to be and the bedroom closets were too shallow and dark, really….really… dark. So we can up with a plan. Rip them out and start all over with the 2 bedroom and hall closets.

We stole space from the grossly oversized hall closet and created a wider closet opening in the bedrooms with full double doors. Based on our storage needs and use, I designed a closet shelving buildout. We then added dowels for hangers and our bedroom closets were complete.

Now for my favorite part! The return of the functional hall closet. I added an oversized door even though it looks a bit larger than the other doors in my house it does not seem out of place. Again I designed how our space would be best used; then built out shelving and a storage area for my vacuum and cleaning supplies.

I wish we had done this sooner. I was afraid to put anything in our creepy corridor bedroom closets and HATED hearing that dreadful ac unit in the hall closet. It was relocated to the attic in a more central location in the house. Our bill has dropped and the whole home stays consistently cool now.

PRO TIP: You can always go smaller with doors but going bigger is not an option unless you rip things out. If you want to actually see what is in your closet go with the bigger door you won’t regret it.

HINT: Make sure you plan the space you are designing before construction. I made sure the full doors would have clearance in my bedroom design, but if you do not have the clearance bifold doors are a great alternative.

This rough out is a perfect example of both tips. Maximizing space and ensuring space for trim around doors.