What is the best way to store scarves?

This DIY Scarf Hanger is the best way to store scarves because:

• It is stunning
• Easy to hang scarves onto and take scarves off of
• Displays your scarves so you can see each one in your selection
• It is inexpensive and quick to make

This easy-to-make scarf hanger is the perfect addition for your closet.

I have all my light-weight scarves displayed on my new Scarf Hanger.  I rolled all the big bulky winter scarves on the shelf above, as its still in the 90’s here in Texas.   

 

How do you make a Hanger for Scarves?

This hanger is very simple to make and stores so many lightweight scarves.  It is wall-mountable so it can be attached anywhere in your closet.  It is easy to get the scarves on and off.  The scarves are displayed like you are choosing one inside your favorite department store.  

Scarf Hanger Supplies:

• Piece of 2”x2” wood 
• Round dowel rods 7/8″ diameter (I got 1 rod and cut it in half)
• Construction Glue
• Screws

Tools Needed:

• Stud Finder
• Level
• Drill w 7/8″ Paddle Drillbit– (same size as your dowels)

Optional Supplies:

• Wood Putty
• Paint
• Wooden Knobs for the ends of the dowels

Free Scarf Hanger Tutorial:

1. Cut the 2×2 piece of wood to fit in your desired location.  I just use my plastic miter box and handsaw for this.  I wanted ours to fit between the sides of the Ikea Pax Unit we hacked for this closet.
2. Check where the studs are and mark them on the drywall and the 2×2 wood piece.  Then you will know not to block those areas with the dowels so it will be super secure attached into studs.
3. Decide where you want the dowels to protrude & mark those places on the 2×2 piece.  Using the paddle drillbit drill a hole almost all the way through the 2×2.  Make sure your wood dowel fits nicely inside the holes.
4. Fill the holes with glue and put your wood dowels into the holes.  Make sure the dowels are straight as the glue dries.  One of mine seamed to be sticking up higher than the other so I weighed that dowel down as the glue dried.  (Optional Support Step:  I also drilled small holes & put small flush-head screws into the back of the 2×2.  These small screws hold the dowels in place with additional strength.  Although, I don’t think this step is necessary- especially for very lightweight scarves.)
5. If you want to add wooden knobs to the ends (for decorative purposes) it’s easier to do that before mounting it on the wall.  I went to Ace Hardware and bought 2 tiny dowel screws to attach the knobs to the ends of the dowels.  I  also added glue in between for good measure.
6. After the Scarf Hanger is assembled you can mount it on the wall.  Screw it into 2 studs, but remember to pre-drill your holes so you don’t splinter the wood.

Celebrate!

Now your scarf hanger is ready to use, or should you decide to- You can wood putty or caulk, and then paint it!

I painted ours the same color white as the Ikea Pax Unit.  It is painful to wait for the paint to dry… because the next step is the most rewarding…

Beautifully drape your scarves over your shiny new Scarf Hanger.  Now go ahead & stand back and gaulk!  It totally looks like a scarf display you’d see at a high end department store.

Why is this Scarf Hanger the Best way to Store your Scarves?

This scarf hanger looks like decor for your closet!  ..But it is also functional, easy to use, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.  Now, thats a scarf organizer that checks all the boxes!

If you’ve found yourself admiring the jewelry organization situation… come back next week and I’ll share all the jewelry organization ideas here!

You can’t grow your closet space, but you can make every inch of it useable!  Check out these Genius Closet Organizing Tricks:

Adding shelves to your closet can make your same amount of closet space more useable.  When you have a small closet, maximizing your space will make you feel like you have a bigger closet!  Adding DIY closet shelves is a way that you can transform every inch of your closet into useable space!

During my closet makeover I ended up adding shelves to our new closet design using 3 different methods.  Each of the 3 techniques vary in work & skill required.  From zero work/tools, to simple closet shelves (just attaching them), to totally custom closet shelves.

Here is the scoop for each from Easiest to the most Custom Closet Shelf Options- including materials required & DIY instructions for each!

• Easiest DIY Closet Shelves
• Simple DIY Closet Shelves
• Custom DIY Closet Shelves

Easiest DIY Closet Shelves

The easiest of all the shelves I installed in our DIY Master Closet Remodel required ZERO tools and ZERO skill!  The brackets that support the lower curtain rod have a flat top, like these:

I got this 6’x1′ pre-finished closet shelf and placed it on the support brackets.  That. is. it.  Really!

A couple things to check before you get your shelf:

• Measure the length to see that both ends will be near a support.  One side of mine rests on the wall support and the other end and extends just a few inches past one of the support brackets.
• Measure the width of the shelf to be sure it is not too wide.  If it’s too wide it will interfere with the hangers going onto and coming off of the closet rod.  You don’t want your shelf to extend over the closet rod.

This shelf holds all my jeans and hoodies!

Simple DIY Closet Shelves

The next level up on skill/effort level for closet shelves were these shoe shelves I added to both sides of the closet for our shoes.  These closet shelves allow us to utilize the empty space going all the way up to the ceiling.  I used primed MDF boards.  They are the proper width , but had to be cut to length & painted.  You also need 1″x2″ primed finger joint boards to run along the wall underneath the back and sides of the shelves.  These will need to be cut to length and painted as well.  I put L brackets for support at the same intervals as the original shelf, underneath them, had.  You will need 1″x3″ wood pieces to attach the brackets to.  Here’s a walk-through for these medium effort-level DIY closet shelves…

Supplies Needed:

• Primed shelf boards
• 1″x2″ Primed Finger Joint Boards
• 1″x3″ Wood pieces to support L Brackets
• L Brackets
• Screws

Optional Supplies:

• Glue
• Caulk
• Paint

Tools Needed:

• Measuring tape
• Saw
• Level
• Drill

How to attach simple DIY closet shelves to the wall:

1. Measure and mark the wall with a level of where you want your shelves to sit.  Then mark each stud along your guideline.  This line will help you install the finger joint boards in step 3 swiftly.
2. Measure and cut the 1″x2″ finger joint boards to fit underneath the back and sides of the shelves.
3. Apply construction glue to the back of the finger joint boards.  Line the finger joint board up under the guideline and attach it to each stud with screws. (Be sure to pre-drill holes into the finger- joint boards & studs to prevent wood-splitting).
4. Measure & cut 1″x3″ wood to fit vertically where you will put your L-brackets.  These wood pieces will butt up to the finger- joint board and run down the wall far enough to support the full L-bracket length on the wall.
5. Attach the 1″x3″ wood pieces into the stud (Add construction glue to the back for extra support.)
6. Rest the shelf board onto the finger joint supports.  Put level on edge of shelf and screw L brackets into the wall supports at the correct height to keep the shelf level from front to back and side to side.
7. Then screw the L bracket into the shelf boards with small screws.

Optional Cosmetic Step- caulk and paint seams and screws.  If your shelves above eye level you don’t have to paint the top of the shelves, just the undersides and edges.

Custom DIY Closet Shelves

I made 2 large shelves above the Ikea Pax, the small shelf to the side of the Pax unit, and the top to the DIY drawer unit all from one $32  sheet of 4’x8′ Melamine.  Melamine is very sturdy and doesn’t bow.  It’s a pretty & smooth surface that is easy to wipe off, and also doesn’t require paint!

I made these shelves 15″ deep to match the depth of the IKEA Pax unit that is underneath them.

One of the benefits of this custom closet shelf method is you can add shelves to any nook & cranny you’d like.  I added a shelf in the corner beside the Pax for my hubby’s bulky hoodies.

Once you measure and cut the melamine- Follow the same installation instructions as the simple closet shelves above.

The finishing step is to apply Band-it Veneer Edging to the raw edges.  This stuff is easy to apply.  The edging transforms these Custom DIY Closet Shelves to perfection!

Here is a video of easily it is applied:

After you add your closet shelves, you may find yourself wanting to add some closet drawer space.  Here are the 3 Brilliant Ways I added Drawers to this Closet.

Check out these other Genius Ways to Maximize every inch of your Closet:

DIY CLOSET ORGANIZER FOR YOUR WARDROBE

 

3 WAYS TO ADD DRAWERS FOR CLOSET STORAGE

FREE SCARF HANGER TUTORIAL

Drawers for closet storage are coveted but hard to come by in most closets.  If you want those sought-after drawers in your closet, you’ll either have to shell out thousands of dollars for a custom closet, or put your DIY gloves on and use one or all of these 3 methods to add closet drawers yourself!

Even if your master closet is tiny, don’t be dismayed. With these 3 methods to add drawers for closet storage you can make your small spaces efficient!

If you didn’t see last week’s post, DIY Closet Organizer Made for Your Wardrobe, check out the full transformation of our small walk in master closet there. As I mentioned in that post, the first part of planning out your new closet design is to decide how much of each: Closet Rod, Closet Shelves, & Closet Drawer storage your wardrobe requires.

The next question: How do I put drawers in my closet?

The 3 brilliant methods to add drawers to your closet are:

1. Floor Drawers for Closet Storage
2. Dresser Drawers for Closet Storage
3. IKEA Pax/Komplement Drawers for Closet Storage

Here are the details to add each of these 3 types of drawers to your closet:

1. Floor Drawers for Closet Storage

Do you have unused floor space in your closet?  That is the secret space to add drawers for closet storage.  The Uppfora sliding floor drawers from IKEA are ideal for that space!  They are not too tall, and the perfect depth to reach from the back wall to right under where the clothes are hanging above it extend to.  They have casters underneath, and are meant to slide out on the floor.  A frame with a shelf on top to slide them into is very simple to DIY..

 

Building the Frame for the Floor Drawers:

First, decide on the number of drawers, and lay them out on the ground in the closet.  Place separator in between the drawers to support the top you will be making next.  I used 2×4 pieces (I cut to size) to separate the drawers and support the shelf above.

I attached the L brackets the easy way and just screwed the L brackets to the 2x4s to attach them into the baseboards.  Turns out, to get your drawers to slide in perfectly flush- you’ll have to scrape out the shape of the L-bracket into the 2×4.

I will def make another floor drawer system for one (if not both) of the kids’ closets. I might use 2×6’s as the separators to be able to put more into the drawers.

There is a lip behind the faceplate of the front of the drawers on the sides of the drawer.  I placed the separators fairly tight so that they butt up to the backside lip of the front of the drawer.

Once you have the separators and drawers laid out in their space, measure for the shelf to place overtop.  Then cut a piece of melamine for a sturdy top.  Attach the top by screwing it into the 2×4 drawer separators.

The final step is finishing off the raw edges of the melamine top.  I did this with Band-it Edging.  This step was so fast, fun & rewarding.  I am now brainstorming what future projects I can use this Band-it magic on, ha!

Check out how easy it is to apply the Band-it Edging in this video:

Congrats, your closet floor space has been maximized to the fullest!  And even more amazing, you created much coveted drawer space in your closet!  High fives all around!!

2. Dresser Drawers for Closet Storage

The easiest way to add drawers for closet storage is to put a dresser into the closet.  We already had this IKEA Malm 6 drawer dresser.  It has the perfect amount of drawers for my hubby’s folded clothes. So, instead of building something to go in the open space under his hanging clothes- this dresser fit perfectly- Hallelujah!  All I had to do was paint it white. I primed it first, then used a Semi- Gloss sheen of Behr Marque paint in the color Ultra Bright White.

The top of the dresser is the perfect space for his accessories, hats, and other closet things.  I used these black metal trays to hold his accessories there.  The trays are in the desk accessories section but are so cute & perfect for men’s accessory storage.  The black trays have a raised lip all the way around and felt feet on the bottom to protect the top of the dresser.  I cut a cork desk pad to fit inside of each.

3. IKEA Pax/Komplement Drawers in Closet

After researching so many different drawer systems for closets, I kept coming back to the IKEA Komplement drawers that slide into the IKEA Pax frame system.  I like the clean, sleek look, and how you can customize how many drawers, accessory trays, and shelves.

The IKEA Pax frame is shown below. I assembled it without the back attached, so the wall behind it shows through.  I also did not use the “baseboard moulding” it comes with below the lowest drawer. While the baseboard moulding looks nice, our closet is tiny, and every inch is valuable.

In my Pax Closet Organizer, I’ve installed 5 drawers for clothes, 2 trays with a glass shelf over them for accessories, and 2 shelves.  This storage tower houses and organizes so much stuff in a such a small space. For longer necklaces, a Tie Butler attached to the bottom of one of the IKEA shelves is hung as a perfect necklace organizer.

My lightweight scarves are organized beside that on a scarf organizer I made.  Winter scarves are rolled & stored in between the shelves.  My purses are sitting out on the top shelf.  Above the purse shelf, I cut the top of the Pax unit off to fit flush under the shoe shelf running above it.  I installed wrap around shoe shelves all the way around the top of the closet.   Here are all the details on 3 different methods to adding shelves to your closet!

 

Check out These Other Great Space Saving Hacks for Small Closets:

Planning Your Custom DIY Closet Organization System:

How to add closet shelves up top as the ultimate shoe organizer: