Lots of really good light is necessary. Trying to differentiate between the navy blue pants and the black pants and then trying to find socks that match is hard without good lighting. I'm always having to bring my stuff out of the closet into the bedroom where the light is better to figure it out. I have a mix of hangers - padded ones for blouses, clipped ones for skirts, my Dh likes wooden ones for suit jackets and I like really strong ones for my jeans - and those are really hard to find these days. Costco often sells nice packages of hangers. Think about what you are storing other than clothes - shoes, purses (I have a deeper shelf at the top for purses so as to keep those pesky straps under control and they are in cubbies that hold about 4 purses each), accessories such as scarves, belts.

The closet in my master is 29 inches deep. Then I have 3 other closets upstairs like this in my sons' rooms and the guest rooms. Those closets are 22, 23, and 24 inches deep. I'm standing in front of them now and thinking that if I had shelves on the sides and a bar across connecting them....well, if they were jammed packed like I have some of these closets then it might be annoying trying to move past the hangers to reach the shelves. It depends on how much stuff is in there. Looking at it now, I think I have actual "dead space" above my bar. There is so much room between the shelf above the bar and the ceiling that if I was to change my closet right now I might just keep the bar across and add cubbies above the bar for my bulky sweaters. I really don't find reaching into the side space to be that annoying. I noticed in my husbands closet he has his suits in the side space. He only wears suits at weddings and funerals. He also keeps the ironing board in there. We don't iron often. Apparently I never do bc I just now learned that's where we keep it. Lol. I don't think that little bit of "wasted space" is worth such a huge overhaul. As long as it's lit well and the doors are good (I can't say enough how much of a difference it was going from sliders and bifold doors in my last house to doors that swing open). And we have good lighting in the closet which makes it easier to see all the way into the side space. For the record, I hang 90% of my clothes. I only fold sweaters and undergarments. So having just hanging bar isn't so bad for me.

No time to respond to each post right now, but they are all great ideas. I'm going to be studying them all for the next few days and try to put something final together. Who knew that this little room would be the one causing me the most angst in the whole house? After looking at tons of mudroom photos, I've decided what I don't like about any of them - they are magnets for clutter! And military-esque organization (a la my mother's house - a place for everything and everything in its place) is what I long for in this new house. Ugh. But wait, isn't that what a mudroom is for, really? Containment of all the clutter? So, I guess whenever someone can't find the flashlight, camera, USB plug, tractor key, hair tie, field trip form, overdue book, Barbie's left arm, etc., at least now I will be able to just say "Look in the mudroom" rather than launch an all-out Search & Rescue mission of the whole house like we do now. Right? Right? Anyway, in my photo search, I came across a blog with some great design directions and ideas regarding mudrooms. Just wanted to share it with everyone. Link below. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Mudroom design link

Good evening, I am trying to outfit my wife's closet with closet evolution shelving from home depot. My problem is the size of the closet. Can anyone point me in the right direction if all of this would fit in the closet that is 77" long by 52" wide. I was thinking of doing both of these on the 52" wall https://www.homedepot.com/p/Closet-Evolution-Premier-25-W-White-Wood-Closet-Tower-WH30/311040603 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Closet-Evolution-14-in-D-x-25-125-in-W-x-72-in-H-Classic-White-Wood-Essential-Shoe-Closet-System-WH28/311040592 And then this on the 77" long wall. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Closet-Evolution-Deluxe-48-W-96-W-White-Wood-Closet-System-WH1/309956626 Would this work?