How to Turn a Bedroom into a Closet on a Budget

Whether your closet is overflowing with luxury brands like Gucci, Prada, Dior, Versace, and Louis Vuitton, or it’s chock full of comfy and practical clothing and accessories, your problem can be solved by turning a spare bedroom into a walk-in closet.

Depending on the size of the room and how much DIY work you’re willing to do, converting a bedroom into a closet can cost you from $1,000 to $30,000.

But first, you’re going to need to let go of your pre-loved clothes & accessories that haven’t seen the light of day in years. After all, there’s no point in having a brand-new walk-in closet if it’s already full by the time you complete construction.

Sort Your Clothes and Accessories into Four Piles

Your brain is probably trying to come up with reasons to keep the items that you’re eyeing for disposal. And that’s okay. This is why this process is going to take the better part of the day.

We’re going to take Erin Gates’ advice from her amazing book, “Elements of Style” and we’re going to sort our clothes into four piles:

1. Donate It
2. Toss It
3. Keep It
4. Not Sure

💡 Note: Once you start this process, don’t stop until everything is sorted. If you convince yourself to come back to it later, you’ll inevitably shift the piles around.

• When to Donate It. Sometimes you make a bad purchase. It happens. Maybe it just doesn’t fit right or maybe your fashion taste is more refined now than when you purchased it. If that’s the case and the item is in good condition, throw it on the ‘donate it’ pile.
• When to Toss It. If the item has holes, tears, or stains that aren’t by design then it belongs to the ‘toss it’ pile.
• When to Keep It. If you’ve worn it lately and it can make it through a couple more seasons of wear and tear then throw it on the ‘keep it’ pile.
• What to Do with the Not Sure Pile. Anything that’s not in the above three piles gets thrown into the ‘Not Sure’ pile. For this pile, it’s best to get outside help. Invite some friends over, try on these items, walk the makeshift runway, and let your friends judge away!

How to Start Planning Your Walk-in Closet

If you have the skills and you’re meticulous enough with your measurements, you can plan your walk-in closet with a pencil and a sheet of paper.

But if you need a bit of technological assistance, you can try using these programs to create your walk-in closet plans:

1. https://www.3dhouseplanner.com/ (Free)
2. SketchUp (Free version available)
3. Kozikaza (Free version available)

💡 Note: There are other programs available for free but these three are the easiest to use.

What’s the Best Material for Your Shelves and Cabinets?

If you’re purchasing your shelving and cabinets from IKEA, you’re most likely going to get something made from particle board and there’s nothing you can do about it.

But if you’re building your own shelves and cabinets, then you should go for MDF (Medium Density Fiber Board) or Plywood.

Particle boards are simply less durable and less water resistant than MDF or Plywood. The only reason to use particle boards over the more durable alternatives is if you want your shelves or cabinets to be as light as possible or if you somehow want to use wood veneers, thermoplastic foils, or melamine paper.

MDF vs Plywood for Shelves and Cabinets

MDF is essentially a bunch of wood fiber that’s mixed with wax or resin and then pressed into dense sheets. But even though it’s heavier, it’s still not as strong as plywood. MDF’s main advantage over plywood is that it’s cheaper and easier to cut. It has a smooth and even surface that doesn’t handle moisture too well. It’s best used on cabinets or shelving that you plan to paint.

Plywood is made by pressing and gluing many layers of hardwood, softwood, or wood veneers. Plywood is sturdier than MDF and its exposed edges when cut are great for those who want that rustic look. It can also hold screws a lot better than MDF so cabinets and shelves made from plywood last longer.  Unlike MDF, Plywood can simply be stained if you want the wood grain to be the star of the show. But you can also paint it if you have a specific color scheme in mind for your closet.

💡 Bottom Line: MDF and Plywood are both great materials for cabinets and shelves and the choice between the two is simply a matter of preference.

Converting Your Attic into a Closet

Converting a room to a closet can be as simple as adding wardrobe cabinets, shelves, racks, drawers, stackable plastic bins, fabric-covered boxes, and baskets to the room.

• But if you want to convert an attic into a closet, you first need to figure out whether you have a vented attic or a sealed attic.
• Vented attics generally can’t be used for storage due to moisture build-up and severe temperature fluctuations. In this case, you’ll want professionals to convert your vented attic to a sealed attic before using it as your climb-in closet.

💡 Pro Tip: Even sealed attics suffer from moisture issues so invest in a good dehumidifier to ensure your clothes and accessories are safe from water damage and mold.

Should You Build or Buy Your Closet System?

Mike Montgomery of Modern Builds decided to build Home Depot’s Closet Evolution Ultimate Closet Kit ($548.00) from scratch. The materials cost him roughly $200.00 and it took him 8 hours to build it.

• In this case, if you have the tools and skills to build your closet system, then it’s worth building it yourself if your labor is valued at $43.50 per hour or less. If you make more than this per hour, then you’re essentially throwing money away by building it yourself.
• However, if you enjoy building things and it’s a skill that you’d like to develop then building your own closet system is a worthwhile investment (in yourself!).

💡 Pro Tip: Use cedar lining kits on your closets to protect your clothes from moths and other insects that can munch on your collection.

Increase Your Hanger Space with Simone Giertz’s Coat Hinger

The Coat Hinger (no that’s not a typo), is a stainless steel coat hanger that folds unto itself. Unfortunately, the coat hinger isn’t available yet but it should be on sale by autumn 2024.

So if you can afford to wait until then and if you can use the extra space on your walk-in closet, then by all means plan your space with these coat hangers in mind.

💡 Pro Tip: This DOIOWN Pants Hanger minimizes the space you need for pants and it can also be used for scarves and towels.

Get +100% More Shoe Space with Bayou Shoe Slots

Let’s face it, shoes look so much better on a shelf than on a shoe rack. Unfortunately, shoes waste a ton of vertical space when displayed on a shelf. So these Bayou Shoe Slots come in really handy when you’re all out of space.

Showcase Your Bag Collection with Tabletop Display Stands

Sure you can plop your bags down on a shelf and call it a day. But they deserve so much more. And this YIFU DISPLAY Purse Stand can give your bags the spotlight they deserve.

Mood Lighting Makes All the Difference

Can’t shake the feeling that there’s something missing from your custom closet system? Nine times out of ten, the missing ingredient is light. Mood lighting to be more specific. You’d be surprised at how several meters of LED strips or fairy lights can transform your walk-in closet from okay to breathtaking.

Is the Elfa System Worth It?

The Container Store’s Elfa System allows you to design your own closet online on this page: https://www.containerstore.com/design-center/closet-design-online

The convenience of planning your closet system through their website is quite tempting. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Elfa System is by far the most expensive way of creating your own custom closet system.

Not to mention how useless their one-year warranty is in most cases. We’re talking about a closet after all so issues usually don’t pop up within a year unless someone botched the installation.

💡 Bottom Line: The Elfa System is generally not worth its price tag. The only reason to go for this option is if you want a hands-off experience when it comes to building your walk-in closet.

Detoxify Your Walk-In Closet with NASA-approved Plants

Wood can emit volatile organic compounds (VOC) like formaldehyde. Luckily for you, NASA has created a list of plants that can reduce these VOCs indoors.

Here are the top 5 plants that can detoxify your walk-in closet:

1. Bamboo Palm
2. Chinese Evergreen
3. English Ivy
4. Gerbera Daisy
5. Janet Craig

💡 Note: English Ivy can be great decorative pieces as well. They look amazing as hanging plants, but you can also just plop them down on a shelf and call it a day.

Related article: 8 Ways to Build an Outdoor Kitchen on a Budget