HGTV's Hilary Farr Has A Creative Storage Solution For A Room Without A Closet

Older homes often present unique storage challenges, such as bedrooms cursed with smaller or non-existent closets that make modern homeowners long for new abodes. In a recent episode of HGTV's "Love It or List It,"  host Hilary Farr helps out a pair of homeowners whose newly combined wardrobes present a unique dilemma in a vintage home with limited storage space overall and no dedicated closet in the master bedroom space. Farr and her team, by adding in a set of low cabinets that feature hanging rods, shelves, and drawers on each side of the room, solved all their storage problems and created a neat and streamlined space the couple loves. 

While the couple had previously been storing clothing on open racks in the bedroom, the effect was chaotic and cluttered, making the room feel small and cramped. The slanted upper-level ceilings presented a unique challenge in the room which did not allow for taller armoires or cabinets. Farr offers the perfect solution by installing lower cabinets that fit under the slant and span both sides of the room, leaving space in the middle for their bed. This layout creates a very clean and uncluttered look with all the clothing and accessories tucked carefully behind the cabinet doors. While the two ultimately decided to trade the home for a larger one, the solution is still a brilliant way to organize a room with no closet.

Hilary Farr's solution is a great one if you lack a proper closet in any bedroom, allowing you to customize the type and size of cabinets to fit your needs. Cabinetry can span one or two walls in a room, adding many square feet of storage for your wardrobe. Doored cabinets create a neater and streamlined look that keeps the chaos hidden and helps keep the room looking neater overall. Creating cabinetry, whether from prefab units or custom built, you can adapt the storage solution to things like ceiling height, width of space, and room style. It also gives you the chance to perfectly customize the units for the type of things you will be storing, such as higher rods for coats and dresses, lower ones for pants or skirts, drawers for folded items, and shelves for shoes. 

If the cabinets are painted the same color as the surrounding walls they can almost disappear, resulting in a far more open look in even the tightest spaces. You can even fake a gorgeous built-in with manufactured cabinets (like the many varieties available from IKEA) into custom look cabinetry by adding elements like kickboards and crown molding. Farr's cabinet solution is also great to create your own room divider if you live in an open-concept studio apartment or loft space. Banks of streamlined cabinets can be an easy way to break up a space into zones, but still allow light, air flow, and the feeling of openness in the space above.