33 Clothing Storage Ideas If You Don't Have a Closet

Keeping your wardrobe organized is a challenge, no matter how many clothes you own. If you don't have a built-in closet or are otherwise lacking in storage space for all of your clothes, shoes, and accessories, there are plenty of clothing storage ideas that can help.

From DIY closet storage solutions to floating shelves, freestanding clothing racks, and vintage and thrift store furniture, check out these simple and effective clothing storage ideas that will get the job done without compromising on style.

The 7 Best Clothing Racks of 2024

Improvise an Open Closet

Create an open closet that is tailored to the shape of your room. Neva Interior Design added clothing storage to the irregular walls of this closet-free Paris bedroom by adding improvised open shelving, a hanging rod, and a dresser that hugs the curves of the small space.

Hang a Rod From the Ceiling

In an airy bedroom with enough wall height, hang a tension rod from the ceiling. This top floor Mallorca apartment from Fantastic Frank has a minimalist loft feel. If you have a closet, you can still use this open clothes storage idea to keep seasonal items at hand or display pieces you love to look at but never seem to wear.

Create a Boutique Feel

Turn your lack of closet space into an opportunity to create a boutique feel with open shelving that will put your wardrobe on display. Then hang a crystal chandelier for a touch of glam, like this all-white open closet from Leanne Ford Interiors.

Build an Accessories Room

Many older homes lack closets, making clothes storage a conundrum. If you live in a large house, sometimes the best solution is to repurpose a spare room. Calimia Home converted this spare room into storage space for a large collection of shoes, bags, and accessories using simple wrap-around wall-mounted bracketed shelving and a pair of freestanding dresser drawers.

Add DIY Wall Shelving

While it can be tempting to hire a professional to install a custom closet, if you don't have the budget, you can create your own bespoke clothing storage by using things you already own and installing inexpensive shelving and clothing rods as needed.

A Beautiful Mess created a DIY open closet system where there once was none by hanging double-stacked clothing rods, open shelving lined with baskets, and adding a vintage dresser.

Add Bonus Storage

Even those with built-in closets sometimes find themselves in need of some extra real estate to house their wardrobes. Leanne Ford Interiors added wall-bracketed open shelving outside the main closet of a spacious bedroom to create a grab-and-go display space for spillover, favorite, or everyday items.

Repurpose a Vintage Rack

If you are a hardcore minimalist or someone who likes to lay out the next day's outfit the night before, a classic bentwood coat rack in the corner of the bedroom can provide extra space to neatly store clothing when you're not wearing it, like this Stockholm bedroom from Fantastic Frank.

How to Use a Vintage Coat Rack

A repurposed vintage coat rack can also work in a hallway for coats if you don't have a coat closet, or in a guest room without a closet, or for hanging towels and bathrobes in a bathroom.

Add an Entryway Armoire

Place a large armoire in an entryway in an older home that lacks a coat closet. Blogger Liz Marie placed a repainted junk store armoire near the front door of her farmhouse living room that compensates for the lack of a coat closet.

Commandeer the Home Office

When space is at a premium, no room in the house is off-limits for adjunct clothes storage. Just be sure to keep clothing organized and tidy so that it looks intentional, like this home office from Fantastic Frank.

Convert a Spare Room

Turn a small spare room into an open closet and dressing room with a few DIY moves. Inspired By Charm installed a simple DIY closet system on one side, and a double dresser, mirror, and table lamp on the other to create a functional space.

Repurpose a Bookcase

If your wardrobe fits the style of your decor, there's no reason you can't put it on display. Leanne Ford Interiors styled a bookcase with an ornate gilded mirror and filled it with everything from ankle boots to extra sweaters, folded blankets, and decor objects.

Use a Coat Rack

If you have a guest room without a closet like this London basement en suite from Emilie Fournet Interiors, treat it like a boutique hotel and install a handsome metal clothing rack with wood shelves for shoes or extra towels. Add a hanging plant from the top shelf for a welcoming feel.

Mix Old and New Pieces

Pair a vintage dresser with a modern rolling clothes rack to create an open closet. Then style it with art and plants, like this space from Emily Henderson Design.

Utilize Unused Space

Even people who live in big houses can run out of space to store clothes. In this London home from Studio Peake, an antique chest of drawers in an empty space on the landing makes a perfect spot to offload off-season sweaters, scarves, and more.

Hack Some Built-Ins

If you have the space for a closet but lack one, hack an IKEA wardrobe system to create a custom look and solve a host of clothing storage needs without breaking the budget, like these faux built-ins from A Beautiful Mess.

Use a Leaning Ladder

Look for stylish ways to store accessories in your bedroom to take the pressure off your main closet. In this spacious bedroom from Emily Henderson Design, a leaning ladder serves as an overnight landing pad for scarves and bags.

Build DIY Wall Storage

If you are a fashion-conscious dresser whose outfit isn't complete without a coordinating handbag, hat, and jewelry, having a place to keep those finishing touch accessories on display can make getting dressed easier and more fun. A Beautiful Mess added simple wall hooks in neat rows to the wall outside the closet to keep everything organized, visible, and right at hand.

Use an Antique Armoire

Source vintage, antique, or second-hand armoires at thrift stores or estate sales that were built for the days before built-in closets. Emily Henderson Design placed a curvy antique armoire in a niche in this spacious bedroom, but you could just as easily repaint a budget piece from your favorite thrift store if that better suits your style or budget.

Hang Some Pipe

Use affordable industrial materials to build a boutique-style open closet. Blogger Liz Marie created clean, industrial-looking clothing storage space by mounting two staggered lengths of galvanized pipe on a blank wall. A row of hooks for a hat collection were made using large carriage bolts.

Use a Freestanding Rack

Use a freestanding clothes rack if you have a minimalist wardrobe and want to keep everything on display to make it easier to get dressed in the morning. In this airy Swedish studio apartment from Fantastic Frank, a simple white freestanding clothing rack is perched outside the glass-and-metal doors separating the sleeping area from the main space.

Choose a Nightstand Dresser

Trade a nightstand for a full-size dresser where you can store pajamas, slippers, and loungewear, freeing up space in a smaller closet, like this space from Becca Interiors.

Repurpose a China Cabinet

Give an old china cabinet a makeover and turn it into clothes storage for your bedroom. Studio Peake repainted a glass-front china cabinet red, then added pleated white fabric on the interior that is decorative while hiding the contents.

Improvise a Hall Closet

If your entryway lacks storage, improvise a coat closet with an old wooden ladder and a pair of black metal wall shelves, like this space from Fantastic Frank.

Extend Your Closet

Use the space outside of your closet for spillover items. In this bedroom from Emily Bowser for Emily Henderson Design, a wooden peg rack hung on the wall provides a place to store jewelry and scarves.

Try an Upholstered Bench

Place an upholstered storage bench at the foot of your bed to create both seating and a place to store off-season sweaters, like this light-flooded bedroom from Thistlewood Farms.

Choose a Trundle Bed

Store off-season clothing in the guest room while leaving space in the closet by choosing a trundle bed for integrated under-bed storage rather than a spare mattress, like this space from Thistlewood Farms.

Build a Storage Headboard

Build a custom storage around the bed in a small room without a closet. Neva Interior Design turned the storage in this small Paris bedroom into a headboard wall that doubles as decor, finished with pistachio paint, brass hardware, and patterned wallpaper for a polished look.

Display a Shoe Collection

If you love shoes, let them double as decor instead of hiding them away. Neva Interior Design displayed shoes in a low wood console with open cubbies, then styled the top with objects and art.

Use an Adjustable Rack

If your bedroom has limited closet space, edit your wardrobe down to a capsule collection and hang them from an industrial-style clothes rack, like this space from Lobster and Swan. Be sure to choose an adjustable rack that can be contracted or expanded to fit your space.

Use a Vintage Crate

Use a vintage trunk or crate to add character and extra clothing storage in a small bedroom, like this modern farmhouse-style guest bedroom from My 100 Year Old Home.

Utilize Under-Bed Space

Using the empty space beneath your bed for extra clothes storage is a go-to strategy. You can buy storage containers or use what you already have for a budget-friendly solution.

Liz Marie Blog repainted spare dresser drawers to create affordable under-bed storage that fits in with the room's farmhouse decor. She added wheels on the bottom to make them easy to slide in and out.

Set Up Garage Storage

Use your finished garage to store off-season clothes. Blanco Bungalow set up a wall of hacked IKEA cabinets behind the seating area in this boho-style Los Angeles garage that can be used to store clothing, athletic gear, suitcases, and more.

Use Matching Hangers

Keep your open clothing storage looking polished by paying attention to small details. Matching hangers keep this color-coordinated clothing rack and shelving looking sharp.

Read Next: The 8 Best Under-Bed Storage Organizers of 2024

Read the original article on The Spruce.