Custom Walk-In Closets Mistakes to Avoid

Homeowners in Vancouver are choosing to go for custom closets rather than one that has been predesigned by the building contractors. And because it is a sort of DIY design, many make certain mistakes that should not have been made in the first place.

Therefore, in this article, we will give you a list of several mistakes you need to avoid in your custom walk-in closet designing. But before we do that, we will give a brief explanation of what a custom closet is, and what a custom walk-in closet is. This will give you a perfect understanding of what you are getting yourself into.

What is a Custom Closet?

Custom closets are made up of a combination of drawers, cabinets, and shelves that are designed and customized to fit your needs and home space. With this, you get to add your personal taste to your overall home aesthetics. Custom closets can be either for just a specific storage space or the whole house space. And the entire process requires working closely with a closet designer or company. You can visit Designer Closet Guys to learn more about working with a designer company.

Four Major Types of Custom Closets

Not all custom closets are the same. Their design and purpose make them unique from one another. When comparing these storage structures, we have four major types which we look at briefly below…

1. Walk-In closets

They are the focus of attention in this article. They are the largest type and will require a lot of space. As you might have deduced from the name, it allows you to literally walk into your closet. This is the kind used by most celebrities and rich folks, or basically anyone who has a large home space.

2. Reach-In closets

This type is smaller compared to walk-in closets. As the name suggests, the design allows you to reach in and pick the items that are stored within the cabinets, locker, and shelves. It is perfect for those with less home space.

3. Utility Area closets

This set of closets is found in utility areas such as your garage, mudroom, or laundry room. Their purpose is to provide you with a place where you can orderly keep your tools and frequently used items without having to search for them always.

4. Other Storage options

Closets in the office and your pantry fall into this category. After all, a pantry is simply a closet found in the kitchen. Click here to check out some closet office designs.

Custom Walk-In Closets Mistakes

Now that you have an idea of what a custom closet is and what a custom walk-in closet is, we turn our attention to the design mistakes that are common with custom walk-in closets…

1. Dead Space at the Top of the Shelf

Many folks design a custom closet and leave dead space at the top of the shelf. Like, absolutely no cabinets or drawers are fixed there. One of the reasons for this is that many like to stack up items on the top. But trust us when we say it makes your closet look very organized. Besides, when you stack up to 12 inches of materials, they begin to lean. Another problem is that they also become difficult to access. Hence, instead of having that much dead space, the top of your shelf should touch the ceiling. Then fit those spaces with cabinets. Hence, you can then keep your stack your clothes, shoes, suitcases, and other items inside.

2. Angled Shoe Shelves

We know they look cool and luxurious, but they do provide efficiency? Do they give you sufficient space to store your shoes? Imagine having a growing collection of shoes but you have no room to keep them because you went for glamorous rather than efficient. Angled shoe shelves leave a lot of dead space at the back that could be used to create more storage space for your shoes. Instead of angled shelves, go for flat shoe shelves. This is a shoe storage tip that you ought not to ignore.

3. Shallow Shelves

What is the need for shelves in the first place if they will not conceal your clothes properly? Many make closets that have shallow shelves that leave their clothes and shoes hanging outside. When this happens, it makes the whole closet look disorganized. You can fix this by using 14-inch-deep shelving rather than the 12-inch shelving which most closet manufacturers prefer using because it is cost-effective. Do not allow anyone to bait you into using 12-inch shelving. Visit Designing Your Perfect House to learn more about shelving depth.

4. Non-adjustable Design System

The whole deal about having custom closets is to have one that fits you and will work for you at any time. Hence, when designing your closet, make sure they have an adjustable system. You can do this by asking your closet designer to insert support rails by the side that has increment holes. These holes offer you the chance to move the drawers and shelves down or up by adjusting the rod.

5. No Proper Lighting

Many make this mistake when setting up their walk-in closets. The fantastic thing about walk-in closets is that you can dress in them. Hence, you need to light up the space properly. We know this can be somewhat difficult given that some walk-in closets do not have electrical outlets. And setting up a closet with an open window is not such a good idea. What then can one do? We recommend that you go for rechargeable LED lights that have motion activation. (Do not just get one, go for a unit). They can easily light up your dark closet whenever you walk in and they do not cost a fortune. You can use them for a long time, and you only need to recharge them when they run low.

Conclusion

If you are planning to design your walk-in closet, we hope you will not be making any of the 5 mistakes we discussed above. And if you already have one and are guilty of any of the mistakes discussed, you can still make corrections using the solutions we shared.