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System Hacks

An unconventional closet solution

This is the weirdest closet I've ever seen, and I love it.

May 10, 2023

I can’t stop thinking about a brilliant closet system I read about in Apartment Therapy a while ago.

A woman noticed her husband really struggled with the typical dresser-and-hanging-clothes systems that define most closets. He just couldn’t seem to keep his clothes organized.

“After living together for 15 years, I finally accepted the fact that my husband would never use hangers and drawers. The traditional system for clothes organization simply did not work for him,” she says.

“Not all brains work the same and traditional systems don’t work for everyone.” So true!

“He needed to be able to see all of his options when getting dressed and when putting away clean clothes. Clear labels were a must.” Amazing insight!

So as a birthday surprise she came up with an innovative system that works with his unique needs.

I love this solution for so many reasons, mainly:

First, it’s not very attractive and that does not matter one bit! Most closets I see featured in articles online look like an ad for closet organizing systems, with every hanger perfectly spaced 2” apart. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I have to believe dropping $1,000+ on a system isn’t the only path. This woman spent $200 and five hours of time.

Second, it deeply sees her husband and his needs. Organizing and systems design have to include empathy for the people using those systems. Sometimes we need to step outside of convention to meet the needs of our household.

Third, it’s a refreshing reminder that we are free to set up our homes however we want. If you keep hitting a wall in your organizing efforts, be sure you’re not limiting yourself to conventional solutions. Let’s let our organizing freak flags fly!

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