COLUMN: Gail Mayhugh

DEAR GAIL: The walk-in closet in the master bedroom of our new house is considerably larger than in our current home, and has nothing but a basic bar and shelf around the perimeter. We would like some type of organizer system, but aren't sure what would work. Do you have any suggestions? -- Holly B.

DEAR HOLLY: How wonderful to have a large closet, especially in a town where basements and attics are not common. An organizer can make your closet much more useful.

You have two options: contact a custom closet company that will come out and design one to fit your needs, or customize it yourself with one of the units available at a home center or organization store. Some factors to consider in determining whether you'll hire a closet company or do it yourself are: your budget, how handy you are, and if you have the time to design and install it yourself.

Whichever method you choose, you first want to inventory what you have and then determine what you need and want to store in your closet. Take time to really think about everything you would like stored in the closet and if there are items that you could keep in the closet. With an organized closet, you should be able to double or even triple your space.

If you are going to hire a closet company, they will inventory your items and provide a detailed drawing of what your closet would look like and how much it could accommodate. Make sure they know about any items that are not stored in the closet that you might want to add.

Since you have a large closet, would you like a full-length mirror? How about a safe, a fold-down ironing board, a place to sit to put on shoes, and a refrigerator for water in the middle of the night?

Once you know what you need and want to store in your organized closet, you need to count what you have and note their sizes, meaning the length of the items. You can really take advantage of space by grouping items together by size. Plus, the best way to maximize closet space is to use two rods, one above the other.

In a typical closet, the top and bottom rods should be about 82 inches and 42 inches from the floor, respectively. Of course this may differ depending upon the length of your items along with your height. It is best to measure the longest items in each group, including the hanger, and then add 4 inches.

Start by checking if you need more short hanging space for blouses and shirts. Then determine how much long hanging space you will need for dresses and pants. Again, I suggest that you measure your wardrobe as everyone has a personal style, as well as size.

A couple of standards are 45 inches to 65 inches for dresses; 42 inches for suits; 36 inches for skirts, shirts, blouses and slacks that are folded over hangers; 44 inches for cuff hung pants; and 48 inches to 57 inches for dress and garment bags.

Next count how many shoes and boots you have. Make sure that you make a separate place for them. Don't just plan on leaving an empty space on the bottom of the closet, otherwise you will end up with the typical shoe pile.

Now, do you have a passion for sweaters and need a fair amount of shelf space for them?

Then, check what types of accessories you have. All of the closet companies have great accessories components, and if you're going to do it, I suggest doing it right. Buying the proper products will make your closet so much more organized, which will save you time when getting dressed.

You also need to determine what type of hangers you like and how much room they take up. Wooden pants hangers are wider than standard plastic ones. Or, maybe you've decided to splurge and use only padded hangers. On average, you want to allot 1 1/4 inches to 2 1/2 inches in width for shirts and suits. Add some extra room so that you don't have to pack in your clothes tightly to give you the needed clearance space for taking hangers in and out, which helps keep clothes nicer and wrinkle free.

Finally, another thing to consider is if you want to add any drawers, whether closed or wire baskets.

If you really spend some time thinking about what you need and want in your closet and how you like things organized, it will be worth it in the end.

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 8170 S. Eastern Ave., Box 4-275, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.

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