Dreamy Walk-In Closet Organization and Decorating Ideas - Southern Home and Hospitality (2024)

Do you love looking at the dreamy dream closets of celebrities?

The glittery chandeliers dripping with crystals, the glass doors keeping the haute couture dust-free, the perfect shelving housing all those Jimmy Choos. If these aah-mazing closets had a soundtrack, it might be the angels singing as the doors slowly part to reveal the fabulousness inside.

While we most likely will never have a closet like these, they are a treasure trove of ideas that we can use!

Why should we spend valuable time and money on a closet?

For most of us, the master bedroom closet is so much more than a storage space hidden behind a door. It’s a place where choosing an outfit we feel good in can affect the entire day. Where we let the tension go at night as we peel it off for our comfy pj’s. It can even be our private retreat from the world (I’ve heard many a woman say it’s the best place to have a good cry.)

But starting and ending the day in a depressing jumbled chaos where you can’t find anything only adds to our anxiety. So doesn’t it follow that a beautiful and well-organized master closet can make your life better?😊

Whether you’re looking to design a walk-in closet from scratch or upgrade the one you have, I have lots of closet organization and decorating ideas to inspire you—many from a beautifully appointed, luxury custom closet, and a few from my own!

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Walk-In Closet Organization Ideas.

Us girls just looooovve a good closet. One of my best friends was generous enough to let me share her beautiful custom closet in this post and all of its well-thought-out features. Our girl group thinks her closet is so spectacular that we sometimes ask to go in there when we’re over just to ooh and aah.

While my closet is wonderfully large as it was intended for two people (and is my long awaited dream closet), it did not come with any built-in cabinets or an island, but just the standard closet set up of hanging rods with a shelf above. Taking inspiration from custom closets, I’m throwing in a few ways I’ve handled storage and made my master closet a little more special for me.

Custom Built-Ins.

If you’re able to plan a total closet remodel or build from scratch, custom built-ins with shelving, cabinets, and drawers will keep your master closet looking organized and add value to your home.

In my friend’s closet, she knew exactly what she would be storing and planned the custom cabinetry around it all. The outcome is orderly, organized, and a beautiful space to be in. Three of the walls are filled with floor-to-ceiling custom shelves designed for clothes, shoes, and her divine designer handbag collection.

And in between, a center island offers even more storage with its perfect mix of nothing but drawers on one side:

And the other side is filled with functional cabinets. Behind door number one is a pull-out clothes hamper:

And behind these cabinet doors, it’s easy to keep t-shirts and smaller items organized in wicker bins from the Container Store:

My closet was the ideal size and layout to add in an island. Instead of having a custom one built, I saved a bit of money by buying two matching white dressers. We took the back feet off, joined them together back to back, and had a mirror cut to fit the top:

In my friend’s closet, the custom closet system not only makes the most of the vertical space with tons of open shelving, no small space was left unused for extra storage opportunities. I would have never thought to add this drawer at floor level with the available space under shorter hanging items like these scarves:

One full wall is for hanging clothes. Upper and lower rods in most of the sections optimize space for shirts and pants. And one section is devoted to longer hanging items like full-length dresses and coats.

To make her clothes easy to find, she organizes them by type and color—plus, it makes the closet look more aesthetically pleasing!

Shoe Storage Ideas.

The top shelves above the hanging clothes were designed to showcase her collection of cowboy boots, giving this closet so much personality. On the opposite wall, space was planned to keep shoes accessible and easy to identify.

You might be thinking, she reeeealllly like these Ilse Jacobsen shoes. I’ve got (only) three pairs and I can vouch that they are a great everyday slip-on shoe. They’re comfortable, they breathe, and they actually stay on my feet. Plus the colorful rainbow looks so fun displayed in her closet!

And check out this good idea for storing shoes—they’re in their original boxes with a photo on the front making it easy to see each pair:

My closet didn’t come with any place to keep shoes, besides piling them on the floor. So I use stackable shoe racks that fit under the hanging clothes:

I took a cue from more fancy closets and use stackable cubes to display some of my heels:

And I utilize some of the closet rod space to hang up taller boots with boot hangers:

A Place for Purses.

In my book, every dream closet should display fabulous shoes and a fabulous handbag collection!

In her planning, my friend allocated plenty of closet space to show off her amazing taste in purses. The ​top shelf on the right is open to accommodate large totes:

And smaller handbags are housed in the shorter shelves:

She elevates the little bags in the back so they can be seen and not forgotten:

In my closet, I store my purses and bags in a couple of different ways. I use more of the stackable cubes on the closet shelf:

And shower curtain hooks fit perfectly on a closet rod and make great accessory hangers. I use these to hang large totes:

Accessory Storage in the Closet.

Fabric storage cubes and plastic bins in this custom closet keep the shelves looking neat.

These fabric cubes fit the shelves perfectly and the neutral linen is so much tidier to look at than all the stuff that they’re able to hold!

They’re a great option for flip flops and flat shoes that you might not care about putting on display:

A well-organized closet should also have a way to store jewelry. This small dresser in my closet became a jewelry chest with the help of some drawer organizers:

And I keep my necklaces from tangling with this wall-mounted jewelry organizer:

A watch winder case is a beautiful way to store and display nice watches:

If you have a nice sunglasses collection, these storage cases are a cool way to keep them:

And we need a place for belts. Show off special or designer belts in a belt box. Or these belt hangers are a great way to save closet space:

Master Closet Functional Feature and Accessory Ideas.

Proper Lighting.

When designing a closet, make sure to include plenty of general lighting. Another nice-to-have touch that can be done at any time? Highlight clothes and display shelves like a boutique with wireless motion sensor bar lights that you can stick on anywhere.

Matching and Specialty Hangers.

Investing in matching hangers elevates the feel of the closet and the clothes! I chose wood hangers for my closet, but they do take up a little more room.

If you don’t have this closet rod room to spare, consider velvet hangers to maximize hanging space and to prevent clothes from slipping off. Tiered hangers for skirts or pants can also help save space.

A Place To Sit.

A well-equipped retreat closet should always include a place to relax or put on your shoes. It can be a chair, bench, or even a chaise lounge chair.

This closet features not only a custom upholstery bench, but a charming built-in window seat:

A Full-Length Mirror.

Floor-length mirrors can help you decide if your overall outfit look for the day is on point:

Valet Rods.

Valet rods are a must-have closet accessory for planning outfits. And they can slide back in out of the way when you aren’t using them.

An Ironing Board.

For me, the closet is the most convenient place to iron or do last-minute touch ups. My closet came with a built-in ironing board cabinet, which is always handy just for this purpose:

A Catch-All Tray.

A tray on the closet island or a shelf can corral everyday essentials like perfume or odds and ends like extra buttons, keeping things accessible and looking tidy.

A High Reach Garment Hook.

If you have third-level hanging rods for storing off-season clothing, one of these long-reach garment hooks for easy access saves you from getting out the ladder when rotating seasonal clothing.

Walk-In Closet Decorating Ideas.

Now that our closet is super organized and functional, these tips bring it home to make it a space just for you that you’ll love to be in. It’s not much different than decorating any other room of your house!

Choose a Color Palette and Theme.

You can either go with a color scheme and design style that will flow with the rest of the house, or since this area is usually closed off and only you see it, this is a chance to depart entirely! A closet is a safe opportunity to try that wallpaper you love on an accent wall. Or put down that leopard print area rug.

To make the closet cohesive with the rest of the house, consider using neutral tones as a base and incorporating pops of color through accessories.

Statement Lighting.

In addition to the general lighting of the closet, every dream closet should have some sort of chandelier, more for style than light:

Window Treatments.

If you’re lucky enough to have a window in the closet, upscale this space with a nice valance or drapes.

Display Special Handbags, Shoes, and Accessories.

The most natural closet decorations are things found in a closet! The accessory stars of this dream closet are the designer handbags and the curated collection of cowboy boots that make this closet unique to its owner. Being able to see them all on display just makes her happy, especially the purple, white, and black pairs of her alma mater, TCU. (That feeling is exactly why we should decorate our closets!)

In my closet, some of my hats double as decor—I use old candlesticks to display them on the closet shelf:

Add Personal Touches.

Add decor that brings a little lightness, whimsy, and more personality to make you smile, like a sign that speaks to you:

The most eye-catching decor in my closet has to be this large framed poster from Breakfast at Tiffany’s:

And this Audrey Hepburn quote is perfect closet decor and daily reminder:

Display Memorabilia.

Since the primary closet is a very personal, private retreat of sorts, it’s an ideal place to showcase sentimental items, photographs, or collectibles!

My fun collection of Mardi Gras shoes decorated by my girlfriend who is a Muses Krewe member has a special place on the shelves in my closet.

And I love being able to see the Mardi Gras headdress I made during her milestone birthday weekend in New Orleans.

Make Closet Hardware the Jewelry.

Special drawer pulls, handles and knobs are an instant closet upgrade that can really elevate a boring closet!

These crystal door knobs with champagne brass backplates are gorgeous in this closet. And the matching cabinet knobs:

I did the same for my DIY closet island with the dressers by replacing the knobs with crystal ones:

No matter the size of your closet, we all deserve a space that makes us feel special and starts us off in the right mood every day. I hope you’ve found some ideas here to inspire you to make your closet a little more dreamy, just for you.

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