Organizing a closet with slanted ceiling

I was recently on Tip Junkie's blog and saw a comment from Joann asking about utilizing a closet with a slanted ceiling. I identify that it is not always easy to utilize the space.
This featured space was added when we were choosing paint colors for our gameroom/media room. While I'm cocking my head sideways at the sample colors on the wall my husband is knocking on a corner space saying he thinks he found some storage space behind the wall!
Then he gets a hammer and knocks a hole in the area. My eyes were like saucers!
But behold, there was definitely space there that could be used even though the roof slants in the area.
I wish I had photos of him with his hammer!

I group like things together. As you can see the shelves are graduated lengths to utilize all space available as the ceiling slants up. The puzzle stacker is awesome. I got mine at a garage sale, but I have seen them at teacher supply stores. I use bins for legos and other toys that need to be sorted. My grandkids love Geotrax. They seem to appeal to wide age range. 

 As you can see we also store our buckets of wheat here, otherwise there would be tons of space on this side of the closet for more storage. It works well to stack the large toy pieces on top there.

But here is the finished result.

Attack that closet now!

Hello! Yes I know, I have been MIA! So I have allowed you to have a nice holiday hiatus! Now back to organizing!

When seasons change, it is time to purge clothes in the closet. (You will determine when to do this task from the climate you live in) I am fortunate to have a spare closet to store "out of season" clothing. If you do not have this option, try under bed storage, attic space, or Space Bags are a great way to conserve space. Some people use stored suitcases to store out of season wear.
As you can see I group pants by color using hangers that come from the dry cleaners. Additionally, the items are grouped by type, ie., casual, jeans, and dress, etc.
Be sure you examine each piece of clothing you are about to store. Are they worn out? Did you wear them this past season? Do they need repair, ripped or missing buttons? And are they clean?
Then as you pull out your past season clothes, ask yourself... Do I still like this? Has the trend past for wearing this? Is it really worn? Then purge again. It is nice to keep a pad and pencil handy to make remarks for shopping. If your black tank is snagged and faded, maybe it's time to treat yourself to a new one.

If you do not have upper and lower rods in your closet you are missing out on valuable storage space. Photos in magazines always have 8 or 9 shirts neatly hanging there and of course the closet looks beautiful, and I always have to chuckle at the ads because most of the time all the shirts are the same color. Unfortunately, your closet or mine is never going to look like the ad. If you are like most people you have a lot more than a few shirts, and you own different colors.
In this view sweaters, and turtleneck tanks are left and then tanks sorted by color that I wear underneath jackets in the winter where I live. On the end by the wall are print styles. Note I always put empty hangers at the front of the rod when I take something out to wear, then they are handy when I'm ready to hang laundered clothes or things I plan to wear again. You can buy a basket to toss them in if you prefer. But when I hang them up I always put the item back in color order.

This shows the upper rod of the closet where all of my blouses, 3/4 sleeve T's and a few winter color T's  are.  Check out the nifty belt rack that I purchased at Lowes from ClosetMaid
 This hides behind the door but is perfect for accessorizing, right inside the closet! I have a full length mirror in the closet for dressing.

Think all of my closet space is organized? Think again! I saw some great acrylic shelf dividers in a magazine that I plan to purchase from The Container Store to remedy this problem I have with purses and bags. I promise to show you the end result!

Related articles

• 7 Tips for Keeping an Uncluttered Closet (apartmenttherapy.com)

Finally the Scrapbook Closet

I am fortunate enough to have a large walk-in closet in my studio that has truly been a thorn in my side. It houses decades of photos. I wish I had taken before photos because the closet was so filled with clumsy mismatched filing cabinets to tons of Sterlite bins. The lighting was so dim I could barely see inside.

I plan to post the progression of this closet. Bear in mind that I used to own a scrapbook store so I probably have unusual amounts of supplies and tools. But anyone can use these organizational principals for their own space.

This photo shows an Ikea Expedit that so many of us have adopted for our rooms. They are an ideal solution due to the 12x12 capacity of the shelves making it perfect for our needs.

I struggled to figure out the type of bin I would use to replace file cabinet folders that were already done. I settled in the Lekman clear bins and I put a 12x12 piece of patterned paper that coordinates with the studio decor in front of each bin to disguise the contents and make it pleasing to the eye.
The magazine files above are all that is left of my giant magazine collection. Most of what is in these files house "how-to" books from punching to paper folding and journaling. The black boxes are photos by year which can be a space saving way to store photos if you don't have as many as I have. The markers are stored in the nifty containers made by EK Success. My husband installed a replacement light that is like daylight now. I can easily get what I am after now.

As you can see I had to alter the bins. Because of the lip that goes around the Lekman it prevents a hanging folder from being attached as I originally anticipated. I purchased the hanging folder racks from the office supply and the hanging folders were already in my old filing cabinet. In my case each bin holds a decade of photos. These folders can be ordered from  www.archival.com . I do not want my photos exposed to acidic elements. If you have boxes full of photos I can help. I have a form I used to help me sort my photos. Let me hear from you if you are interested in knowing more about this topic.