Closet Design Tips: 3 Rules for Designing Closets That Fit Your Client’s Needs

By Eric Marshall, Co-Founder & President at Closet Training Institute

1. Heights of hanging

Short hanging (or double hang) at 42” is the industry standard, but 36” can work well for petite sizes.
Long hanging is traditionally around 70” tall, but today’s women’s dresses come in multiple lengths—midi, maxi, and full length—typically measuring about 50”, 60”, and 70”.

2. Width of shelving

What you plan to store on your shelves determines the correct shelf depth and width. Always measure your shoes or folded items to be sure they fit properly. This helps avoid awkward spacing—like only fitting 2½ pairs of shoes on a 24” shelf due to men’s shoe sizes.

3. Corners in walk-in closets

Corners in walk-in closets can be a real challenge. Be sure to allow enough space to comfortably reach into the corner—I recommend at least 30”. Shelving rarely works well in corners; hanging is usually the better option because it’s more flexible and allows items to move in and out of the corner more easily.

Now for a few tricks to share to your clients to make their newly remodeled closet look organized once everything is back in place:

• Always face your shoes with the toes pointing toward you. We recognize our shoes from the front, and this will save you time when looking for your favorite pair.
• Try not to place folded items in drawers. Folded clothing is much more visible on shelves, and if you don’t like the look of sweaters on open shelving, simply add doors. Save drawer space for items that can’t be hung or displayed easily—like underwear, socks, and swimsuits.
• Lastly, hang long sleeves on the bottom rod of a double hang, and short sleeves and pants on the top rod. This allows the closet to feel wider at the top and keeps sleeves out of your face. I call this “pants on top,” and I always joke by asking: would you ever make your upper kitchen cabinets deeper than your base cabinets? It just doesn’t work—and neither does reversing closet depth. Always place deeper items at the bottom and shallower items at the top, creating a pyramid effect so everything is visible and easy to access.

All of Eric Marshall’s tips and tricks can be found on his Instagram channel at Closet Training Institute.