Need to get your closet organized? The best way is to add additional storage by building closet shelves or a DIY closet organizer. Here’s how to make closet shelves and some DIY closet organizers to inspire you!
I just love organizing a closet.
There’s something about a builder-grade empty closet with one metal shelf and rod 2/3 of the way up the all that just… excites me.
Because, it’s terrible of course.
But, what is beautiful in that terrible closet is that there is SO much room for improvement.
So, if you feel like your home needs more storage, look in the closet! Adding a custom closet system will instantly make the most of the space that you already have.
How to prep a closet for shelving
Step one of any closet shelving project is to empty your closet completely.
This means take out any clothes, hangers, or furniture. Anything on the floor or a shelf or the closet rod.
This is a great time to sort through it and purge what you can.
Now, remove all existing shelving, rods, and hooks.
Then you will want to patch any holes in the walls. This is the wall patch that we like to use.
Then, sand off any excess and you are ready to paint!
The first closet we ever did in our condo, I didn’t paint. I was lazy. I didn’t see the need. I left patches of spackle on the wall (yiiiikes). It drove me nuts for years. Don’t be lazy. Paint.
How to make simple closet shelves
You can read our exact closet shelf building plan here. But, the general idea is that you want to add horizontal braces (just thin strips of wood) to the wall and use those to hold up your shelving!
Put the braces on the sides of the closet and nail them into the wall. You can use a stud finder to identify studs and be sure to nail into them for extra security.
DIY closet organizer inspiration
Here are some examples of DIY closet shelf systems. I hope that they inspire you to get building on your closet space!
DIY Closet Shelf Ideas
Want to build your own closet shelves? Here are tons of examples or DIY closet organizers to inspire your project!
This is our very thorough and detailed article showing exactly how we build all of our custom closet systems!
This custom closet system was designed for our coat closet in the entryway of our first home.
We built a custom built-in dresser for the closet in our new house!
Here is the wooden closet system we designed for our son's closet in our first home. It has shelves and stacked rods.
This is how we added really simple wooden shelving in a closet to turn it into a craft supply closet.
This is how I used IKEA shelving to hack a custom closet with drawers in my first condo.
This is a step by step tutorial showing how we made our custom closet system in our master bedroom in our first home.
This is a great project where we took a narrow but deep pantry and added custom wooden closet shelving to make it a walk in!
This tiny closet was just a stack of wire shelving until we upgraded it with DIY wooden shelves! This is a simple tutorial we did before we even owned a saw!!!
Prepare to have your socks knocked off. This is the most gorgeous amazing DIY closet system I have EVER seen!
This post has a lot of tips for organizational hacks - like these brackets that can be used for extra clothing storage!
This is a great tutorial for how to build wooden storage shelves and drawers inside a closet!
This project involved adding L-shaped shelving & brackets inside a large walk in closet.
I love the look of the lip that goes all the way around these plywood closet shelves!
This master closet system involves adding an existing dresser for extra bonus drawer storage.
This is a really cool way to add built in closet systems INSIDE your walls! Really cool for areas like our upper floor with attic crawl space on either side!
This closet makeover is such a good example of a simple closet organizer making a HUGE difference in the closet looking much nicer.
I LOVE the chunky look of this closet organizer. Plus, it's made from MDF, making it a really good budget-friendly option!
This is a cool tutorial for how to build cube-like storage shelves at the base of a closet. This is really great for a kid's closet since they usually have so many small loose folding items!
This DIY closet system was designed with pull out bins to serve as drawers, which is a really beginner-friendly way to build drawer storage.
I really love the smart use of a closet rod in the corner to keep that space from being awkward and useless!
Have an awkward under-the-stairs closet? This is a great idea for how to add a closet system to that space!
This budget friendly closet makeover is epic - I love the use of shoes hanging on the wall! Such a smart use of a tight space!
This is a great tutorial for how to build a DIY closet organization system - complete with drawers - from scratch.
Turn an IKEA PAX system into a custom closet with this fantastic tutorial!
This closet looks like an adorable boutique to me. I love the wooden shelving!
Here is another tutorial for how to build wooden closet shelving, plus I love the creative use of door space for extra organization!
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Hey there, I’m Sean, the woodworking enthusiast and builder behind CharlestonCrafted.com! Since 2012, I’ve been sharing the magic of turning raw materials into beautiful creations. I love teaching others the art and satisfaction of woodworking and DIY. I try to inspire fellow crafters to make something extraordinary out of nothing at all.