March 2013 – Ladies — and we’re going with the fairer gender here because nine times out of ten if there is a shared wardrobe then it’s SHE who is in charge — how would you like a more streamlined closet for your clothes, shoes, belts, scarves, jewellery etc? That is, a large wardrobe where, if you don’t exactly know where every item is you’ll at least be able to locate it within a minute or two – thanks to the brilliant way your wardrobe storage has been re-arranged. Educate yourself quickly by reading Martin Fox’s failsafe tips below:

First off, approach your wardrobe as you would a new business venture”

- Audit your current wardrobe

First off, approach your wardrobe as you would a new business venture. That means carrying out an audit of everything that’s currently in there and deciding whether or not to keep or bin it (you might want to take a few days to do this).

“The general rule is that if you haven’t worn an item of clothing for at least a year then it’s time to move on”

You don’t want any dead wood (ie stuff that’s been lying around for years that you’ve never worn) or fly-by-nights (ie a special occasion outfit that’s now hopelessly out of fashion). The general rule is that if you haven’t worn an item of clothing for at least a year then it’s time to move on — whether that’s by selling it on eBay and pocketing some spare cash, or dropping it off at your local charity shop.

- Smart storage

Now that you’ve weeded out the useless items, you can see just how much space you really have (or not). Think about clever storage accessories (such as those Fox specialise in putting together) e.g. a pull out hanging rail. This doesn’t just make finding clothes easier it also provides almost double the amount of storage space and, at the same time, ensures the fabrics won’t get crushed when clothes are doubled up on hangers. Happily, this smart pull out idea also extends to shoes and trousers.

In order to maximize corner space, you could consider installing a corner hanging rail. Or maybe you could get bespoke drawers or shelves built to accommodate the space you have?

“In order to find clothing and other items quickly and efficiently it makes sense to group them in a certain fashion”

- Re-arrange your wardrobe

In order to find clothing and other items quickly and efficiently it makes sense to group them in a certain fashion ie most-used items at the front of your wardrobe, trousers and dresses together etc. You may also want to have separate sections for work or leisure and further divide by colour so that it’s easy to co-ordinate first thing in the morning when you’re not at your sharpest. There’s no hard or fast rules here, just try and work out what’s best for you – and your other half.

For further advice on maximising your wardrobe storage or, if you’d like more information on Fox’s free wardrobe design and planning service complete with DIY estimating tool, then please don’t hesitate to contact Martin tel 0844 811 9812 or see http://foxltd.co.uk