Blog

Nov 21, 2023

6 DIY Closet Remodel Projects You Can (And Should) Do This Weekend

By Madeleine Janz The biggest mistake you can make on a DIY closet? Viewing the

By Madeleine Janz

The biggest mistake you can make on a DIY closet? Viewing the room as a long-term storage space. "It's easy to shove things that will be forgotten into our closets but it's a counterproductive action," says professional organizer Shannon Johnson of Situate Your Space. She's worked with closets of all shapes and sizes through her Houston-based organizing business, and one thing remains true for all: Function and aesthetic need to coexist in these small but impactful rooms.

Closets, with their sometimes cramped quarters, awkward angles, and poor lighting can be a DIY nightmare, but they also offer tons of options for customization, creativity, and optimization. "There's so much truth in the saying ‘when you look good you feel good.’ There's a strong connection between the two, so when disorganization and clutter are present in a closet space it can easily mark the start of an unproductive and messy day," Johnson says.

If you’re ready to bring more beauty and function into your DIY closet space(s), look no further. With these tips, your weekend project can add more utility and beauty into your day-to-day life. As Kim Bui—a Tampa, Florida, content creator for @xomyhome—says, "Sometimes it can feel a little scary to experiment with color and patterns in your home. A closet is a great place to start to build your comfort and confidence."

Here, six designers and bonafide DIY’ers give their tips for a blend of different closet projects, from doubling your hanging space to building an office and carving out a kids room.

Now you see it, now you don't home office by designer Jesse Lammers

"This DIY is perfect to tuck away your work for the day as it can be concealed just by closing the doors," says Jesse Lammers, the designer for this cloffice (closet-office) completed for a client in Toronto. Although WFH is now a tried-and-true lifestyle, not every professional has space for a full office. To create your own workspace, Lammers recommends this closet DIY that just requires a plank of wood, some paint, and caulk to fill any gaps between the wood and the walls. There's also plenty of room for customization. Need more storage space? Add upper cabinets. Need better lighting for late-night email sessions? Add strip lighting or a battery-powered lamp.

Lammers loved this project because it perfectly combined function and fun, especially because of the bold wallpaper. Katie Hunt, wallpaper installer and expert who has worked with the Property Brothers, advises, "DIY’ers should use non-woven wallpaper, which is a new technology, that is easier to install, and does not expand or contract. You just apply the paste to the wall and place the wallpaper directly on top."

Keep toy clutter out of sight with this cozy DIY closet nook by designer Emilia Wisniewski.

When Toronto-based designer Emilia Wisniewski, creative director of Studio 1Nine1 saw this client's cramped closet space, she knew they had to get creative with its function. The solution? A customized nook to store toys and books while offering a fun place for kids to play. The cushion can easily be DIY’ed by measuring the space, buying a foam insert, and taking the measurements to a fabric store to ensure you purchase the right yardage (Wisniewski recommends purchasing a durable and washable fabric and asking the staff for help in selection, if necessary). Using fun wallpaper or paint can bring the space to life while keeping the room flexible. "We wanted to create a space for the preschool-aged child, but we also had to consider how the space could transition with the child," she says. "If one day our client's daughter decides to store her shoes in the closet as a teen and close the doors, the paper won't scream kid print."

A closet was turned into a cozy office nook by Abigail Kulp.

Back to a regular walk-in closet

Sometimes a DIY can feel too transformative because it can change a room forever, but Abigail Kulp, an interior designer and content creator from Allentown, Pennsylvania, has the perfect solution: A completely convertible room that easily transforms from traditional closet to office and back in no time. Kulp's floor-to-ceiling shelving made from birch plywood and a bracket system allows her to store both work materials and clothes depending on her needs. The ceiling-mounted rods act as a home for both plants and clothes. "I needed something that would work as an office for this season of life, but could easily convert back to a closet when needed," Kulp says. Want to make the space feel even more cohesive? Kulp recommends painting the tracks the same color as the wall, "to draw your attention away from the tracks and more to the wood shelving and items you have in the space."

You’d never guess that this closet used to have only one wire shelf.

Shelving lends itself to neater sweater storage.

We’ve all been there: Clothes keep piling up, and there's not enough space in your closet to organize and display your wardrobe. Michaela Hillman, a Washington, DC–based market research manager, had the same problem, so one weekend she built out this shelf-and-rod combination closet from a traditional hanging closet in her rental. Her DIY closet hack? Measure the longest pieces of hanging clothing and custom install rods to fit the length. For Hillman, that meant measuring to ensure her dresses wouldn't graze the wicker cabinet she wanted to push into the closet for more folding space. The result: A closet with double the space. "We aren't one-size-fits-all people," Hillman says. "Our clothes are shaped differently. Our closets should fit that."

A custom DIY closet made by Kylen Chen-Troester that serves as a ledge for artwork and plants.

By Emil Wilbekin

By Katie Schultz

By Katherine McLaughlin

Typically when renters need additional hanging space for their clothing, they pick up a rolling rack and put it into the most unassuming corner of the room. However, Kylen Chen-Troester—a content creator and actor from Austin—believes extra closet space shouldn't only be functional, but also beautiful. That's why she decided on this budget-friendly shelf and rod system which she installed in under an hour by securing the brackets to the wall, hanging the shelf and rod, and getting to work decorating. If you’re looking for more customization, this is the project for you. Chen-Troester recommends staining the wood to your liking or painting it to match the aesthetic of your room. "This DIY can fit any look," she says. "The room feels brighter, and I feel less stressed now that the corner isn't an eyesore."

Content creator Kim Bui's hack for hiding wire shelving? Wood panels.

Every home has a junk drawer. For Bui, the family's "drop zone" for random household items needed a major makeover from its jumbled state. To prevent the annoyance of constantly losing items, Bui transformed a closet into an aesthetically-pleasing storage space. She added wood panels over the top and front of the closet's existing wire shelving, which she painted with a polycrylic matte finish. She then applied a fresh coat of paint and Cricut decals to the walls. Now, the closet has a completely new feel and function.