I need a closet that looks like that. We all need closets that look like that.

Well, if you mean mine, it's not that hard to have.

The dress bags are about 15" wide and have a lightweight, ingeniously-designed frame inside (top) that holds the hangers and keeps the hangers from sagging together into the middle. I got 6 lightweight blazers into one, for example. Hooks poke out of the fabric top. to hang on the clothes pole. What had me stuck were the &^&*()(* closet doors-- sliders that were so thinck they took up more inches of depth than the closet had to spare. As soon as I could SEE the solution-- remove doors and replace with curtain rod standing 4" off the frame-- I began to price dress bags. I came up with easy to find, cheap ones. They zip down the center and have a clear pastic window near the top so you can see the contents. I guesstimated how many would fit on the rod and got 'em (two at a time as I could afford them out of the grocery bucks). After I got over how impossible the directions seemed (which took a few weeks), one night I put them together one at a time, hung 'em up as I went, till the available space was nicely full. Then I went and fetched the stuff waiting to go into them-- and the amount of clothes was PERFECT.

That's the overflow closet. Formal and funeral garb goes in there, as well as offseason stuff. Luggage lives on the shelf up top.

The MAIN closet (near my getting-ready-to-go-out bathroom) is a different kettle of fish. It's very small, but it holds an incredible amount of stuff. Imagine a typical coat closet, deep but not too wide. This is a tad wider, with double doors hinged along the side. I guess the doors are about 18" each. Inside, there's another couple of inches of width on each side, alongside the frame.

OK, open the closet and the two doors are now wings on either side of you. On your left, on the inside of the open door is a pair of showere caddies serving as racks, holding costume jewelry; there are several hanging heights there, and it's taking up the whole door-inside. On the right there is an over-door thingie on the inside of the door that holds a dozen skirts (or trousers), with holes for the hangers to keep them from sliding together (or off). Below that is another set of hooks for hanging jewelry, purses, store bags with the latest purchase waiting to be hung up, etc. These two doors, now, hold a dresser-full of stuff, visibly accessible. All on the inner surface of the doors.

Now the inside. To your left is the side edge of a tall bookcase, with the shelves facing into the center of the closet. On that edge facing the doors is a rack holding 7 million :~) colorful scarves for "instant pastor-wife uniform." On the shelves: sweaters, shoes in boxes, handbags, etc., all neatly folded/stowed on the shelves. The shelf unit only takes up 9" of floor space because it's in there sideways.

Above/in back of that is the clothes pole with hanging dresses, blouses, raincoat etc.; the pole is as high as I can reach.

That leaves a nice open piece of floor, large enough to stand in there comfortably to access the shelf. Large enough for ME.

On the floor is a nice thick bathroom-type rug to stand on when I have to walk all the way in there to get at the shelves; some boxed fabric stacked in the back (remnants from clothes that my seamstress has remade); a smallish hamper with a removable bag, for things that need to go to the dry cleaners.

On a very high shelf above the clothes pole are summer seasonal things like hats and picnic hampers, camera bag....


And it's all in there, an amazing amount of stuff, all easily accessible. On the cheap, a piece at a time.


On the outer surface of the doors are a few over-door hooks for coat, things waiting to be re-hung, etc.

~Susan