When I was a kid the phone was in the kitchen, corded and affixed to the wall. Your only hope for privacy when talking to your bestie about that cute boy in school was to stretch the cord and perch on the stepstool in the broom closet. The door almost closed so you could pretend that no one was able to listen in… sure…

Aside for doubling as phone booths, we all need closets. They always come up when touring a home, especially if the house is small and there are precious few of them.

Here are the top 3 complaints we hear about closets and the creative things we’ve seen to address the shortage.

1. Too narrow for a hanger.

Problem: I don’t know who hung the rod in these closets thinking it was a good idea but this approach went viral for some reason. Hanging a rod does not make the closet deeper and yet people still do this. It’s a very common problem with homes that have been recently renovated in order to flip them.
Solution: Instead of opting to always have the door open, installing two or three shorter rods perpendicular to the back wall works. For a little used closet, hooks and a few shelves could also do the trick.

2. Master bedroom, same frickin’ closet as every other bedroom.

Problem: Your master bedroom, your retreat, the biggest bedroom in the house. Potentially shared by two people. Insulted by having one single closet just like the inferior guest bedroom next door. Shame.
Solution: If you have one of the traditional Toronto layouts, you likely have a second bedroom sharing a wall with your master bedroom. That wall probably has both closets on in. See where I’m going yet? Open up that second bedroom closet into your master and wall it off on the other side. Now you have two closets in your master bedroom and the second bedroom? Well, buy a wardrobe or say no to long term guests.

3. The whole house is small.

Problem: Too-small-for-a-family small. It’s adorable for you plus a partner and even a new human, but realistically, it is the definition of a “condo alternative” or a “starter home”. And yet, three small bedrooms and a bathroom are all on the second floor.
Solution: The simple solution is to turn the middle bedroom into your new dressing room! How glamourous! However, you can take things further and split that middle bedroom in two. Really. Give half of it to your master bedroom for a walk-in closet and half to the bathroom. Presto, you now have both a glamourous walk in closet and room for that steam shower you’ve been dreaming of. Yes, the debate rages on about two bedroom vs. three bedroom homes and value. But when you have a small house and you aren’t putting on an addition, remodeling what you have into something that better suits your lifestyle could be the answer.