What Exactly Is a Closet?
How would you define a closet?
Is it simply a compact space designed to store clothes? Or is it a smart combination of functionality, organization, and interior design?
No matter how you describe it, one thing is certain: a well-designed closet helps you stay organized, reduce clutter, and make daily life easier.
If you’re considering adding or upgrading a closet in your master bedroom or elsewhere in your home, you’ll quickly discover that there are many different types available. Each serves a specific purpose, and not every option works for every space. Below, we’ll walk you through the most common types of closets so you can better understand their features and choose the one that fits your lifestyle and home layout.
1. Walk-In Closets
A walk-in closet is often seen as the ultimate luxury in home storage—especially in master bedrooms with generous square footage.
Essentially, a walk-in closet functions like a room within a room. Depending on available space, it can be compact or large enough to resemble a private dressing area. Many walk-in closets even include windows to improve airflow and temperature control. The real appeal lies in how customizable they are, allowing homeowners to design storage around their personal needs.
Walk-in closets often include a combination of drawers, adjustable shelves, and hanging rods. Pull-out features are especially popular, such as shirt racks, trouser pull-outs, belt and tie organizers, or sliding shelves concealed behind sleek panels. Vertical space can be optimized for shoes, bags, and accessories.
Some homeowners prefer a clean, minimalist layout, while others enjoy detailed interiors with lighting, decorative hardware, or even a statement chandelier for a touch of glamour. Adding a built-in dresser or seating area can turn the space into a full dressing room. Think of your walk-in closet as a personal retreat—style it your way.
While not every home can accommodate a walk-in closet, those who can often find it becomes one of the most functional and enjoyable spaces in the house.
Key benefits of walk-in closets include:
Excellent organization for clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories
Flexible layouts that encourage creativity and personalization
A private, comfortable area for changing and styling
Secure storage with the ability to lock the space
Easy access and visibility for everything you own
2. Reach-In Closets
Reach-in closets are one of the most common closet types found in homes today. They’re smaller than walk-in closets but highly practical.
Traditionally, reach-in closets featured a single hanging rod and an overhead shelf. Modern designs, however, have evolved significantly. Today’s reach-in closets are typically arm’s-length deep and range from 3 to 8 feet wide. They may include interior partitions, shelves, drawers, and various door options such as hinged doors, sliding panels, or even fabric curtains.
Thanks to updated designs, reach-in closets can match nearly any interior style—from classic white folding doors to sleek wardrobes with frosted glass panels.
With smart organization systems, reach-in closets can offer impressive storage capacity. Hanging rods accommodate coats, dresses, and shirts, while shelves and drawers provide space for folded clothing, accessories, and personal items. Drawers are particularly useful for storing documents, undergarments, jewelry, and small valuables.
Door-mounted organizers are another great option, allowing you to neatly display shoes, cosmetics, or accessories while keeping everything within easy reach.
3. Armoires and Wardrobes
Armoires are freestanding cabinets designed primarily for clothing storage, and they differ from built-in closets in both form and function. While a closet is part of the room’s structure, an armoire or wardrobe is a piece of furniture that can be purchased, moved, or replaced.
Available in a wide range of sizes, finishes, and styles, armoires are incredibly versatile. Most include a mix of shelves, drawers, and hanging space, making them suitable for many storage needs.
Their timeless design makes armoires an elegant addition to bedrooms, especially those with larger beds and traditional décor. Recently, compact versions have also gained popularity for smaller homes and apartments.
Armoires aren’t limited to bedrooms either. They can be placed in living rooms to house TVs and electronics, used in children’s rooms for toys and games, or positioned in dining rooms to store cutlery, tableware, and decorative items. With thoughtful styling, they can also display heirlooms or décor pieces that enhance the overall ambiance of your home.
Because armoires are movable, they offer flexibility that built-in closets simply can’t match.
4. Storage Closets
If a closet doesn’t fit neatly into the categories above, it likely falls under the general category of a storage closet.
These closets usually lack hanging rods and may or may not include built-in shelves. As a result, they often become overcrowded with stacked boxes and bins, making items hard to reach and easy to forget.
That doesn’t have to be the case. Adding shelves or modular organizers can dramatically improve accessibility and organization. Once everything has a designated place, it becomes much easier to maintain order and even redesign the space based on what you store most frequently.
Benefits of organizing a storage closet include:
Significant time savings during busy mornings
Better use of limited space, especially in apartments
Reduced stress from a cleaner, more organized environment
Opening a neatly organized closet can instantly improve your mood—and your day.
5. Linen Closets
Linen closets are typically smaller and shallower than other closets in the home. They’re usually located in hallways or near bathrooms.
Shelving is essential in linen closets, as it maximizes vertical space and keeps items visible and accessible. With the right closet system, you can create designated sections for towels, bed sheets, pillows, and guest linens.
In addition to linens, these closets often store toiletries and household supplies. In modern apartments, it’s also common to find washers and dryers integrated into linen closets.
The efficiency of a linen closet largely depends on how well its shelves are designed and arranged.
6. Custom Closets
So, which type of closet is the best?
The answer depends entirely on how you plan to use it. That said, custom closets often stand out as the most effective solution because they’re designed specifically for your space and lifestyle.
Every home has unique architectural features—sloped ceilings, narrow corners, or unused walls. With a custom approach, none of that space goes to waste. For example, Hanse has designed custom closets that maximize awkward or slanted areas, proving that almost anything is possible with the right planning.
Custom storage solutions can also serve multiple purposes. Built-in shelving units can divide open-plan living and dining areas while providing valuable storage. Wall-mounted cabinets and shelves free up floor space and make rooms feel larger.
Unused walls can be transformed into functional storage zones with cabinets, hooks, or shelving systems. Even multifunctional solutions like wall beds can help you reclaim space during the day.
Custom closets can also conceal everyday necessities such as laundry hampers, ironing boards, or trash bins—keeping your home tidy and visually appealing.
На сайте Ганза, we understand that no two homeowners have the same storage needs. One person may need more hanging space, while another prioritizes drawers for jewelry or accessories. That’s why we work closely with you to understand what you want to store and how you use your space—then design solutions that truly work for your home.
