Instead of closets, a wall of storage

Sunset, August, 1984

Instead of closets, a wall of storage

Even the socks have a special place in this well-organized clothing storage center. Conventional closets would have interrupted the open floor plan of the bedroom, so architect-owner Barney Smith of Albany, California, designed the adjacent bathroom to double as the dressing area, with enough storage space for a complete wardrobe.

Set against a 17-foot-long wall, the wooden shelving system is 7 feet high and 18 inches deep, divided by the supporting partitions into six 34-inch bays. The shelving is made of 3/4-inch birch plywood trimmed with 1-by-2 fir.

Upper shelves in one bay hold plastic bins for shirt storage; in another bay, lower shelves hold shoes. Socks are arranged along shelves canted like magazine racks. Three bays serve just for hanging shirts, slacks, and other garments on two levels, either from hooks or closet rods.

Photo: A place for everything: storage bins for shirts, hooks for jackets and pants, tilted shelves for socks, two-level closet rods for shirts, pants, suits. Long baffled skylight aids color choices