Creating custom year-round storage in your Chantilly home is a chance to use your imagination to make your home a better match for your lifestyle.

Late winter is a pensive time for Chantilly, VA families. The weather warms up one day and the cold comes back the next. It’s not a scenic time of year, and family trips to Walney Visitor Center, Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, or Manassas National Battlefield Park aren’t as rewarding when the trees are bare and the weather is iffy. Kids, tired of being cooped up, get out and about for playdates at Kid Junction, and come home tracking mud on their boots. Pets get spring fever too, and may demand more attention than a trip to Little Jenna’s Grooming.

What’s a parent to do? Hire a babysitter and slip out for a grown-up night out at Ono Brewing Company or WineStyles South Riding. But then what? Come home to a house that’s gotten cluttered over the winter months and in need of a good spring cleaning? Use your time before spring wisely. Customize the closets and utility areas in your home to free up storage space you can use year-round.

Customizing your closets and utility areas puts all of your home’s available space to the best uses possible. And if your closets are not customized already, they are spaces ripe with possibilities. Creating year-round storage in your home is a chance to use your imagination and creativity to make your home a better stage for the lifestyle you want to lead. And when you put your plans to work, you’ll have the opportunity to install sturdy solutions that will last for years, providing improvements you will and your kids will continue to enjoy, long after they’ve grown up. Here are some ways you can customize your home and get ready for the year to come.

Improving Your Reach-In Closets

Ah, thank goodness for reach-in closets. Whether in a spare bedroom, hallway or office having extra storage space at strategic locations within the home can be a godsend. Where else are you going to store seasonal items, while keeping them easily in reach when their time of year comes around again? Not to mention having a place for all the “extras” you can’t live without; like extra linens, tableware for entertaining, kids’ stuff and so many odds and ends. No matter how your closets are configured, there’s a plan to make them even better. Consider, for example, the following custom upgrades:

• Adjustable shoe shelves: Store all your shoes from season to season with polished chrome shoe shelves.

• Slide-out belt and tie racks: Organize your belts on an extendable rack, while keeping ties fresh and organized with a slide-out tie rack.

• Valet rods: Plan tomorrow’s outfit or hang up dry-cleaning on valet rods where it will stay fresh and neat.

• Built-in laundry hampers: Make your laundry hampers easier to access and pull out of the closet by using hampers with removable liners.

• Wardrobe lifts: Use the vertical space provided by high ceilings with a lift that organizes upward.

And remember, your closet system can be adjusted whenever your storage needs change. You can double up on upper and lower hanging rods for extra wall storage, or add a center tower to access winter or rubber boots on slanted, adjustable shoe shelves. Whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to change it up.

Customizing Creative Walk-In Closets

Walk-in closets are truly one of life’s little pleasures. Few features of the home compare to the luxury and indulgence of entering a special little space where you can surround yourself with your favorite things. This happy little ritual—done simply to please yourself—can be a much-needed pick me up after rolling out of bed in the morning, or a welcome comfort at the end of a long day. There are several features that can customize your walk-in closet to make it beautiful and functional, such as:

• Closet islands and peninsulas to increase surface area storage.

• Adjustable shoe shelves that can play host to shoes of any type, shape, or size.

• Elegant, velvet-lined jewelry storage ensures your precious pieces don’t get misplaced and remain where you can easily admire them.

• Slide-out belt racks that fully extend to help keep the right belt for your outfit within easy reach.

• Soft-close drawers that won’t wake up sleeping partners.

• Valet rods to help store and organize your dry cleaning and help you plan outfits.

Most of all, make it yours. Further customize your walk-in closets with decorative details that make them flow into the larger space. Use your favorite colors. Make the contents of your closet stand out against a fabulous wall color. Try using casual, curtain doors in a flattering fabric to give the bedroom a graceful touch. Add lighting overhead or on the sides to make locating items easy while setting the right mood. And speaking of setting the mood, how about opening your closet and being greeted by your favorite fragrance? Floral sashes or scented oil diffusers get rid of musty closet smells and make your clothes smell wonderful. You’re creating this space especially for yourself, so use all of these little details to make it fun.

Utilizing Your Utility Areas

The utility areas of your home can provide more storage space for your family year-round— and look good doing it. By customizing your utility areas, you can make daily chores go smoothly. Not to mention, housework is more enjoyable when you’re working in a beautiful, orderly space. Here are several design ideas and storage solutions that create valuable space and give utility areas an updated, chic look.

• Garage storage systems: Many people use their garage as an entryway into their homes. So why is it so often such an unattractive space? You work at organizing and decorating your front door and foyer, and you should expect nothing less from your garage. Cabinetry with adjustable, heavy-duty steel shelves can help keep clutter out of sight, while double hooks, J hooks and loop hooks accommodate all types of tools and equipment. Golf racks help organize golf bags, shoes, extra clubs, and other gear in one place, and for those with a green thumb, garden racks and baskets keep your shovels, rakes, gloves, and other gardening supplies organized. And when your kids get home from Splash Down Waterpark, there’s a place to store their wet pool gear.

• Laundry room storage: Laundry’s already a chore. Don’t make it even more unpleasant by working in a messy, cluttered area that’s hard to keep clean. Instead, enjoy your laundry days in a cleverly organized space with a custom laundry storage system. Pick out some hanger rods on which you can hang delicates out to dry, and prevent wrinkles. Consider integrating countertop folding stations to create a dedicated space for folding sorting or mending. Or, install a hide-away ironing board to make chores simpler while cutting down on clutter.

• Mudroom storage: Mudrooms should be functional yet welcoming; an attractive portal that admits you into the rest of the home, and speeds you on your way when you’re in a rush. Lockers work well for storing both high-end business attire and sporting accessories. Meanwhile, polished chrome hooks are perfect for hanging accessories while double hooks are built to take the strain of weightier gear.

Now’s The Time to Get More Storage out of Your Family’s Closets

The Fairfax Historic Courthouse, Children’s Science Center Lab, Soak City. There’s so much to get out and see and do this year. Why not get your family ready by customizing your utility areas and closets? These areas of your home have so much untapped potential. Custom walk-in closets offer room for your important items, which could clutter up the bedroom if left out in the open. They serve as private dressing rooms which you can customize with a vanity or dressing table, or seating. Plus, they add value to your home.

If having easily accessible, year-round storage customized to your specifications sounds like a dream come true, give Closet America a buzz. To get you started, we’ll visit you at your home and create a design plan based on your needs, absolutely free. After reviewing your space and closet goals, we can create a quick mock-up right then and there using our cutting-edge design software. Then you’ll select the design components you want, allowing you to customize every element; including drawers, shelves, hanger rods, handles, and extras. Contact us to schedule your free design consultation with one of our design experts. And that’s it. Getting started on organizing your family’s closets is just that easy.

Lead image source: Pexels
Image 4 source: Unsplash user Igor Ovsyannykov