Having a custom closet is the dream. But what happens when your significant other moves in and wants to take over half of it? Sharing a closet can lead to daily arguments and long-standing resentments, especially if one person is very tidy and the other is messy. If you’re about to start sharing your custom closet with the love of your life, here are some tips for keeping your relationship intact as you configure your storage:
Set Ground Rules
Before you start dividing space in your master closet, agree upon some rules. For instance, maybe you want to keep your dirty laundry separate or establish a “no clothes on the ground” rule. Having boundaries from the beginning may stave off passive aggressive behavior later on. You should also decide who gets how much space. If one of you is a clothes horse, it might make sense for that person to get an extra set of shelves. Don’t just take as much space as you want without discussing the rules first.
Purge Before You Merge
Despite how organized your custom closet is, it can always runneth over. A major point of contention for a lot of couples sharing a closet is that at least one person simply has too much stuff. Before you combine your belongings in your closet, each person should do a serious decluttering. If you haven’t worn something in two years and it has no sentimental value, it’s time to donate or sell it. You’ll avoid a lot of strife if you purge old stuff before you enter into a closet cohabitation experiment.
Keep Your Closet Seasonal
Keeping out of season items elsewhere in your home can also help you avoid an argument over your custom-built closet. If your partner is trying to find space for their new jeans in July and you’re wasting tons of closet space hanging cable-knit sweaters... a conflict is bound to brew. Put winter boots, coats, and sweaters in storage bins when they’re not in use; it’s easy to tuck them under a bed. Likewise, your swim coverups and flip-flops should be unseen during cold months.
Create Visual Boundaries
Another point of contention for couples is one person’s stuff drifting into the other’s territory. Thankfully, custom closets make it easy to divide the space with clear boundaries. Fill your custom shelves with baskets in different colors – white for one partner and black for the other, for instance. Use black wooden hangers for one partner’s clothes and dark oak for the other. These colors complement each other while also creating clear visual boundaries.
Are you about to start sharing your beloved closet with a significant other? It’s time to think about how you’ll mingle your clothes without losing your minds. A solid organization plan and some clear boundaries are a good place to start, but a custom closet can seal the deal on your peace treaty. Contact Closet World today to learn more about how to transform your closet into a custom space built for two.
