All the Storage of a Big Wardrobe, but Way Less Bulky

One of our most popular home DIYs on Food52 is also the most endlessly adaptable. Madelynn Furlong's hanging clothing rack, made from copper piping, rope, and a little glue, could also be a piece of driftwood suspended from manilla rope (similar to this one), or a wooden dowel hung from leather straps, like so.

All you need is a long bar, affixed to the ceiling to hang at eye level. (And some cute hangers, and some clothes you don't mind looking at all the time.)

It's smart because it makes use of air space, often neglected for its storage capacity, a something-from-nothing cure for the closetless (and clothes lovers). But a hanging rack all by its lonesome, fluttering in the breeze from your window with nothing under it but a pair of shoes, isn't the most efficient use of space, nor the most finished-looking.

True, it's more minimalist (and less expensive) than pushing a big bulky wardrobe up against the wall, which is why we love the look of it so much. But by that same token, a hanging pipe doesn't offer that much storage.

Thankfully, we found a fix:

Spotted in a home tour on My Scandinavian Home: a skinny brass pipe hanging from leather straps, raised so as to allow for a set of drawers underneath.

Acquiring a simply-designed, long, low dresser shouldn't be that tough: Here's a $100 one from IKEA that is probably the same as the one in the picture. But you could also stack old crates with their openings facing out, for holding shoes, or add a few small side tables with drawers, side-by-side, for a less uniform effect. Voila! More storage. Without the imposing heft of a single large piece, without DIY-ing an entire garment closet, without spending so much you want to cry.

Wherever you have a dresser in your life, this combo could fit! Especially in small spaces, when every inch of floor space matters, raising up your hanging rack to scoot some drawers underneath doubles its effectiveness.

How have you managed clothes storage without a closet? Share your tips (please!) in the comments.