Like Jill's, our upstairs closets go from full-height at one end to about 3' tall at the other, I'd say there's maybe 3-4' of full-height section. We just have a regular swing door in the full-height part and I slide those big rubbermaid bins (which just fit lengthwise) down into the lower-ceilinged part. I really want to box in some of the wasted space under the slanted ceilings and put in kneewall drawers. I think they're a wonderful invention and am saddened that they're so rare these days! A local unfinished-cabinetry company makes kneewall drawer units ready to be built into the wall. I definitely think it would make the "half bedroom" more salable to future owners because it would mean that there was no need to have a dresser taking up any of the small full-height space. I could fit the equivalent of a triple-width dresser in there with no problem at all, which would translate to plenty of clothing and toy storage for a child, and still leave space for a twin bed and desk. Maybe you could put something like that into your bedrooms for more clothing storage. We do have two doghouse dormers to let light in but that's pretty much all they do, they're less than 3 feet wide so they're basically useless space, the windows are set too high for a window seat. Thankfully the roof on the back side of the house is raised so the house is more like a backwards saltbox, so one bedroom is completely full-height... but on the other hand we've had roof leaks on that side because of the lack of slope, so it's not all it's cracked up to be.

I just built option 3, not completely finished. I think wardrobes are typical in Europe but not in US so from the perspective of resale the traditional closet is best. So far we are happy with our choice as we had been considering sliding doors which at the length and height of our closet were priced at about what I paid for the unit. The room is small so it is difficult to get a good picture. We have triple and double height hanging and pullouts for ties/belts/shoes. A not finished piece is a vanity desk and shelves above. This post was edited by 5yearslater on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 18:28

You might consider the attachable or cascading hangers. Began using the Homz brand of these years ago from Target. Several manufacturers now make them, along with loop shapes alone for attaching hangers you have. They are flatter than the regular plastic hangers so take up half the rod space of those. They hook to each other vertically without crushing the fabric. Bed Bath & Beyond carries this type in 10 packs for $4, an average price. Ignore the prices at Amazon (too high in my book) but read the reviews, including one from another 1920's homeowner. Although we have a large walk-in closet now, still appreciate the degree of organization they offer, such as 5 summer-weight long sleeve shirts hanging in a line together with sleeves exposed so I can choose one easily, along with the hanging space they free up. My DH finally decided to try them & was surprised it's much easier now to locate what he's after. I put shirts right out of the dryer on these hangers & find they don't wrinkle hanging in the closet. There are also children's sized hangers like this useful for lingerie, as well as skirt hangers. Hang purses from them, too, stacking the hangers & enclosing the whole thing in a clear zippered dress bag. Shoes not worn daily go with silica packets in individual clear plastic shoe boxes labeled with ID that stack neatly, boots in larger boxes of double width & same height, feet at opposite ends & shanks along the outsides forming two interlocking L's. Two of the shoe boxes fit atop one of the boot boxes & it's easy to restack them for the season. They fit on a top shelf or floor & keep footwear clean & easily retrievable. Out of season sweaters are stacked into wider versions of the boot boxes, with arms folded across the front & the bottom folded to the neck in front. Keeps them from creasing & several fit in each box. Out of season pants & trousers go into the same size box, folded so the legs of one interlap the next pair, keeping them from wrinkling. After measuring my pants from waist to hem, found a dresser with drawers long enough to fit them without folding. Pants & sweaters are swapped out from dresser drawers to boxes each season. Inexpensive pretty hatboxes hold odds & ends, stacked or on shelves. Can you tell I've lived in homes with no or skimpy closets over the years? Some of those closets were 6" deep with single doors & hooks screwed to the wall or ceiing. Resorted to flat-top wooden trunks with & without legs that could be stacked to conserve floor space. Still have a 3-stack of those in the front room here, with others doing duty as end tables, coffee tables, bedtables, bedroom trunks & window seats in this modern home with plenty of large closets. Craft stores & places like Tuesday Morning & Marshall's carry inexpensive decorative cardboard & wooden nesting boxes in a variety of patterns & configurations, including book boxes that stack or sit upright. These hold desk papers, folders, magazines & catalogs, gloves, hats & scarves in the coat closet, even my brush in the powder room with a pedestal sink & no vanity. So fond of trunks & boxes, even the matching end tables flanking the LR sofa are hinged trunks on legs holding a stash of board games close at hand & out of sight... Here is a link that might be useful: Attachable hangers example This post was edited by vasue on Tue, Jan 6, 15 at 18:58

If the door to your closet can be centered in the 8' wall, you'll find reaching everything easier. You could build a couple of corner cabinets (for your accessories -- hats, purses, etc.) with 16" deep side walls (two 8" vertical boards on each side w/thick plywood triangle shaped horizontal shelves between them). You'd attach the fixtures (stainless steel is much stronger than the plastic ones) that would hold your rods to the sides of the vertical boards. At least on the wider wall, use two rods, one hung high enough so that shirts can be hung on it and not touch the floor. The higher rod should be above the lower rod the same distance as from the floor to the lower rod. You may need to support the longer rods in the middle with a hold drilled through a vertical 2"x4" board. On the shorter side walls, you could add a floor to ceiling row or two of shoe shelves beside the corner cabinet and then either a single high rod or double rods between those shelves and the wall to the bedroom. However. If your closet door is in the 6' end, you're likely going to find out very quickly that you can only hang clothes on one side of that and accommodate only 1' deep shelving on the other side and walking sideways between the shelving and hanging rods is awkward … and you're going to need a really good closet light because the light from the bedroom will not be enough. If you only have a few dresses requiring a single high hung rod, you might consider investing in a wardrobe so you can make all your walk-in closet rods double rods.