6 DIY Closet Remodel Projects You Can (And Should) Do This Weekend

Lammers loved this project because it perfectly combined function and fun, especially because of the bold wallpaper. Katie Hunt, wallpaper installer and expert who has worked with the Property Brothers, advises, “DIY’ers should use non-woven wallpaper, which is a new technology, that is easier to install, and does not expand or contract. You just apply the paste to the wall and place the wallpaper directly on top.”

Create space for kids’ toys and games

When Toronto-based designer Emilia Wisniewski, creative director of Studio 1Nine1 saw this client’s cramped closet space, she knew they had to get creative with its function. The solution? A customized nook to store toys and books while offering a fun place for kids to play. The cushion can easily be DIY’ed by measuring the space, buying a foam insert, and taking the measurements to a fabric store to ensure you purchase the right yardage (Wisniewski recommends purchasing a durable and washable fabric and asking the staff for help in selection, if necessary). Using fun wallpaper or paint can bring the space to life while keeping the room flexible. “We wanted to create a space for the preschool-aged child, but we also had to consider how the space could transition with the child,” she says. “If one day our client’s daughter decides to store her shoes in the closet as a teen and close the doors, the paper won’t scream kid print.”

A convertible space for WFH lifestyle

Sometimes a DIY can feel too transformative because it can change a room forever, but Abigail Kulp, an interior designer and content creator from Allentown, Pennsylvania, has the perfect solution: A completely convertible room that easily transforms from traditional closet to office and back in no time. Kulp’s floor-to-ceiling shelving made from birch plywood and a bracket system allows her to store both work materials and clothes depending on her needs. The ceiling-mounted rods act as a home for both plants and clothes. “I needed something that would work as an office for this season of life, but could easily convert back to a closet when needed,” Kulp says. Want to make the space feel even more cohesive? Kulp recommends painting the tracks the same color as the wall, “to draw your attention away from the tracks and more to the wood shelving and items you have in the space.”

Add more space for clothes

We’ve all been there: Clothes keep piling up, and there’s not enough space in your closet to organize and display your wardrobe. Michaela Hillman, a Washington, DC–based market research manager, had the same problem, so one weekend she built out this shelf-and-rod combination closet from a traditional hanging closet in her rental. Her DIY closet hack? Measure the longest pieces of hanging clothing and custom install rods to fit the length. For Hillman, that meant measuring to ensure her dresses wouldn’t graze the wicker cabinet she wanted to push into the closet for more folding space. The result: A closet with double the space. “We aren’t one-size-fits-all people,” Hillman says. “Our clothes are shaped differently. Our closets should fit that.” 

A creative solution for extra clothes in a rental