A small closet remodel requires a creative mind. You don’t have a lot of real estate to work with, so you’ve got to make the most of every square inch.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Task Lighting

Accent lighting is sexy, but not always ideal. Your favorite items may get lost for months in a cramped closet. Installing a task light will brighten your closet enough to see all its contents so that things will never go missing again.

2. Divided We Stand

You don’t need a walk-in closet to get that walk-in feel. If you have a narrower bedroom, section off the end with a half wall, and create a makeshift walk-in closet. Take measurements to determine how to make the most of the space. Your closet can be as large or as small as you’d like, just don’t sacrifice too much bedroom space.

One reason we love this small closet remodel idea is because your half wall doesn’t make you feel like your compromising space. Your divider doesn’t totally break up the room, it just gives it more function.

3. Outer Closet

Who says your closet needs to be, you know, in a closet? Take some of your favorite, most frequently worn items and put them on a free standing closet rack elsewhere in your bedroom. This will free up space and allow you to brainstorm more closet remodel ideas.

You can also use a free standing closet rack to store seasonal clothing, and hide off-season clothes behind your enclosed closet doors.

4. Start a Chain Reaction

Hangers usually only hold one article of clothing, and bulkier hangers can take up more space than necessary.

Try chains instead.

Take a plastic chain with about ten links or so, and spray paint it in any color you wish. Next, attach an end-link to a large S-hook, which you can hook to your closet rod. Finally, start slipping hangars through each link or every other link to hang your clothes from. You can sometimes fit upward of five times the amount of clothes in your closet this way!

If chains aren’t your thing, hook the tabs of soda cans on the hooks of your metal hangers. Now you can insert an additional hanger through the hole of the tab, letting you double the number of clothes you can put in your closet.

5. Go Seasonal

Switch out your clothes with each season, store your tanks and shorts somewhere else in the winter, and your sweaters elsewhere during summer. Sure, this requires you to have extra space elsewhere in your home, but doing this will free up extra space in your closet.

You can also divide your closet into seasonal sections, and use the chain or tab strategy above to maximize your closet’s functionality.

Bonus: Column Rods

Vertical space can provide you with that crucial square footage you need. Install column rods on the side or door of your closet. These rods provide more space to hang clothes or, if you have a shoe addiction, store your high heels on them.

Final Thought on Your Small Closet Remodel

Your closet may be box-shaped, but it doesn’t require in-the-box thinking. For more helpful closet remodel tips and tricks, check out our products and get inspired.

5 Smart Small Closet Remodel Ideas for Modern Living