Wardrobe Closets

While at one time the term linen closet was used as an apt description specifically for storing and holding linens, the term is now used to describe the storage closet or storage area where ones stores not necessarily linens specifically, but any and all related items, such as towels and washclothes for the bathrooms, toiletries, and extra blankets and sheets.

Nearly every home is now built in with a linen closet by the bathroom. These are the tall, narrow closets you find in the hallway near the bathroom or sometimes the bedroom.

But what if your home doesn’t have a built in linen closet? This article will address this question by pointing to some helpful products and ideas you can use as linen closet storage.

Options for
Linen Closet Storage

Or “What Do To When You
Have No Built In Linen Closet?

You use a free standing
closet instead, most likely!”

If your home or apartment doesn’t have a built in linen closet, or any closet nearby the bathroom for storing extra blankets, towels, sheets, and so on, short of designing and building a closet into the walls (a topic for another article!), your options basically all revolve around buying a stand alone closet or a combination of closet organizer or closet furniture accessories to hold such items. The amount of storage closets and related accessories that fall under this category is immense, as just about every article on this discusses a different type of closet that fits in with this definition. So let’s separate the wheat from the chaff and recommend some products specifically for linen closet storage.

Since we want to be budget conscious about this, we’ll start with the cheapest items first and move on to progressively more expensive linen closet storage solutions.

1. The ever classy *wink wink* “over the toilet” storage option.

This option works in real life much better than it sounds in print. The term “over the toilet storage” is unlikely to be found on any company’s website as part of their sales pitch. Lucky for us, we’re not selling anything, so we can call it like it is!

Anyhow, an open “closet” storage item like this, with two legs and a metal frame (often wrought iron) consisting of multiple open storage shelves, works very well for holding many of the same items a linen closet is purported to be used for. It also ironically makes them even more accessible for someone who needs them.

For instance, if you realize you need a towel when you’re out of the shower, would you rather walk down the hall and get it from the linen closet or simply reach above the commode and find a fresh towel to dry off with?

By the way, the one featured here costs $89 from Target, is made of wrought iron, and can hold 25 pounds – more than enough for our purposes here. It’s not “really” a linen closet or linen cabinet, but for many people, it’s just as good and will save them money, so I wanted to start it off as the first one on our list!

2. Bath Storage Tower from Ameriwood

You can also buy a free standing storage tower like this one from Ameriwood, designed with bathroom and linen storage needsin mind. As you can see from the picture above, this bathroom storage tower lets you store items both openly and behind closed doors – perfect for keeping extra towels and wash cloths on hand while keeping more private needs nearby, like extra toilet paper.

Available from Target for $89. Assembly required. Note that some reviewers found this bath storage tower’s assembly instructions to be kind of hard to follow and/or flat out noting that assembly was a problem. I’m including this here now just to let others know who may have read this before and thought about buying it.

3. Bathroom Espresso Towel Shelf/Rack from X-Frame

Spending a few more dollars – $130 versus the two items above priced at under $100 – you can really get an awesome looking storage unit from Target for the bathroom.

This is my favorite one on the list – just look at that photo! It looks awesome.

I wish there was just one or two more shelves for storage, but with 4 swuare storage areas boxed in on this shelf, you can definitely hold a respectable number of towels, sheets, and linens.

And while this tower could stand to be taller or equipped with at least one covered shelf or drawer, it makes up for it with it slick looking design.

4. Bathroom Storage / Linen Cabinet from Ameriwood

Ameriwood is making it twice onto the list, and for good reason. Costing $150, for about twice as much as the item featured in number two, you can buy a fantastic wooden bathroom storage cabinet. This solid wood cabinet features both open and closed storage areas and tops it all of in an espresso finish.

Mimmicking the design of a real built in linen closet, it’s tall and narrow and provides enough space for all the things you’d normally hold in a linen closet, except now you will probably have them directly available in the bathroom – exactly where those items are needed the most!

This is a close tie with the previous item in terms of how cool it looks. What this cabinet offers in additional to looking great is twice as much functional storage space!

Black armoires can be absolutely beautiful in the right room. Just like the white armoires that were reviewed yesterday, black armoires definitely have a place in today’s more modern homes. Many of the new designs are totally black and white and the right piece can totally set off the room. An armoire is often the focal point of any bedroom, so you want to make sure that the right one is purchased.

Sonoma Black 2-Door Armoire, Prepac, $150
This very modern and very stylish armoire was once priced much higher, but for some reason people did not find it very attractive. While it may not be the perfect piece for a high-end adult room, it is perfect for the teenager that is just starting to grow up. It has very clean lines and a simple, yet elegant look about it. For the price, this is an absolute steal right now. Check out Amazon.com and various other online retailers for this armoire.

Camden Black Armoire, American Drew, $775
This is just a classic and very sharp looking black armoire. It is perfect as either a bedroom armoire or as the center piece in the dining room. There are not enough good things to say about this product as it truly a beautiful piece of furniture. The elegant bottom drawers and the long door top section set this apart from just about anything else in its class.

Series 200 Armoire, Status, $750
This piece wins out because of the very unique look that it has. It totally gets away from the traditional look and has an open space at the top where something could be displayed and then two very long doors that open into the wardrobe closet. While the space that is taken by the top features restricts this armoire to only one bottom drawer, the look is worth the sacrifice. It may not be for everyone, but whoever has this in their home has something truly special.

It’s winter time yet again, isn’t it?

I live in the south, and we’ve recently been hit with our sporadic dose of Carolina winter weather. You never know when it’s going to come – it may be November, it may be January, heck, it may even be February or March. But despite our winter season being quite mild, at some point those winter jackets are coming out of hiding and onto our backs.

Our home has no closet by the door. It’s almost an odd thing to notice – the house itself (not mine, my roommates) is very nice, and there’s ample opportunity as far as storage space to have had a closet built in by the door for us to store our coats.

But nope – no closet.

Which is what led me to look at shopping around for good free standing coat closets. I learned a thing or two about them in the process; important points about coat closets that I thought I’d share here with you, dear reader.

Coat Closets: What to Look for in a Good Coat Closet

1. There are a lot of options. It helps to know first what you are looking for.
What I mean by this is that there isn’t just a single type of closet furniture that you can point to and say “that’s a coat closet” that doesn’t have other uses, and vice versa. Many storage closets are sold to hold a variety of items, from office supplies to a persons wardrobe to coats. Some are wide open, like a wood garment rack, and others have closed doors, like a 3 door wardrobe armoire. Some are meant to be lightweight and basically portable. Others are meant to be heavy duty. The latter we are more interested in, which brings us to the next point.

2. It should hold a lot of weight since winter clothing is heavy.
A coat closet gets the most use when it’s the coldest outdoors, and this is precisely the time when the durability of a coat closet comes into play. When shopping for a coat closet, look for the maximum amount of weight it can hold. The more, the better.

3. You can definitely keep find a coat closet under $300.
The wide range of prices in coat closets reflects how willing we are to pay for a nice piece of furniture. But there come a point in which you don’t really get much more functionality for your money. Now by all means, if the coat closet is intended to add to the room as a piece of furniture in its own way, then feel free to leave the budget out of the picture. But if your main concern is simply having a solid wood coat closet, you can find something like this for about $300 or less that will do the trick. Any more than that and you’re paying for aesthetics, which may or may not be worth it for you.

4. Before you spend all that money, organize any nearby closet first that could function as coat closet.
If you’ve already got a closet by the front door, why not use that as the coats closet? If the reason is that it’s jammed pack full of clothes already, you might be surprised to learn how much space can be leveraged out of a messy closet by first organizing. For some ideas on closet organization, take a look at our articles on closet organizers.

5. High quality, durable hangers belong in a high quality coat closet.
After going to the trouble of buying, shipping, unpacking, and then assembling a coat closet, don’t bring things down a notch by using cheap hangers that will end up being more trouble than they’re worth. Coats are heavy, and if you use light, cheap hangers, they are going to either snap or hold the coat lopsided, or worse yet, let it slip off. It’s better to invest in a good dozen set of quality, strong coat hangers from the start than to buy bad ones and then replace them when they break.

When we generally think of armoires, a picture of traditional stained French style armoire will pop into our heads. Shockingly enough, not all bedroom sets have stained oak furniture or are antique hand-me-downs. Believe it or not, there are bedrooms sets that this traditional look would clash with and be totally unacceptable. For those with a more modern look, perhaps a white or black armoire would do nicely. Here is a quick look at a few white armoires to fill a variety of needs.

Cotton Candy Pure White Armoire, South Shore Furniture, $300
South Shore Furniture has several models available in this price range and color, but this one is recommended mostly because of the lower drawer space. If the wardrobe armoire is being used solely for clothing storage, this will more than do the job. It features an inside mirrored door with large shelving units that are ideal for sweater storage, a side hanging closet and 2 large pull-out drawers on the bottom of the cabinet. It is pretty tough to beat for right around $300.

Vista White Armoire, Sorelle, $770
This is obviously a much more expensive model, but it is quite stunning. Designed in traditional French Fashion, it can be used solely for clothing or in combination with a TV stored in the top compartment. The drawers are high and deep and the hanging space is perfect for a large television or to hold all of your finer garments. If shopping for children look elsewhere, as this is definitely an adult piece of furniture.

Children’s Products Shaker White Armoire, Delta, $200
White is a very popular color for children’s rooms and it would be unjust to leave them totally out. Delta has a simple, yet very cute white armoire that is perfect for the kids. It features three pull-out drawers on the bottom and actually sacrifices very little space in the top compartment to make this happen. The space that is available is perfect for small TV or to house some action figures or dolls.

Knowing full well that white will not go with all modern styled bedrooms, tomorrow will feature some of the best black armoires. This is something that you will not want to miss because these pieces are absolutely stunning.

The website Amazon sells millions of items – probably each day, if not ever week for sure – and one item that’s always in stock is various jewelry armoire. While they sell them in different styles and finishes, including cherry, oak, and others, in this article, we will review 2 jewelry armoires with a mahogany finish for individuals interested specifically in a mahogany armoire. The two featured in this article run between roughly $300 to $400.

Now, let us take a closer look at each one of these fine mahogany jewelry armoires.

First up we have what’s known as a Deluxe Jewelry Armore from Amazon, coming in right under $400 at $379. Here’s a picture showing what it looks like with all the drawers, tops, and sides closed down:

You can see that for a price like this, you get a nice looking piece of furniture. This item has 7 drawers from top to bottom, not including top upper area which opens into yet another storage space for your jewelry, as well as both sides, which swing open and allow you to access to the inside of the panel to hang necklaces and other jewelry in seconds.

Note that each drawer features a small handle design and at the top we have a nice looking abstract design as well to give the unit a bit of style and flavor.

Overall, a nice mahogany finish completes this jewelry armoire, which has all the features a normal jewelry collection would need to be stored safe and sound inside this unit.

Next up we have a second mahogany jewelry armoire from Amazon as well, which is strikingly different from the first. This is a wall mount jewelry armoire, which means instead of resting on its legs it’s actually installed into the wall. These are fantastic for individuals needs a jewelry armoire who are short on floor space or whom simply appreciate the look of a nice wall mounted armoire. (It also means you can place the armoire in some interested places, such as inside a large walk in closet or in the bathroom for easy access to your jewelry when getting ready for the day!)

Here is what this armoire looks like closed:

You cannot see it from this picture, but of course it opens up in a diverse jewelry chest, good for storing any and all jewelry items, including rings and ear rings, which are fastened in and won’t fall out.

If you’re after a mahogany jewelry armoire, I personally like this one here better than the first one above. I think having a nice sized mirror in addition to it being wall mounted makes this armoire look very simple yet elegant, which is the perfect contrast to have in a jewelry armoire worthy of holding a woman’s jewelry collection!

There are many different types of armoires on the market today. Some are designed specifically for use as a wardrobe armoire and others are made for different purposes such as jewelry or as an entertainment cabinet. So what classifies a wardrobe armoire as French/European style?

One of the reasons a wardrobe armoire is considered French/European is the way it is made and constructed. The classic French style of wardrobe closet will feature multiple drawers on the bottom of the armoire and a hanging closet as the top portion. While many people today will use this to house their televisions, it is actually meant as a place to hang their finer clothing.

Remember, when armoires were first created, homes more than likely did not have the closet space that is present in the houses that we live in today. Because of this, these large cabinets were used as a way to keep clothing organized and clean. Over the years, higher end models were made and actually considered a type of status symbol. The fancier and more expensive the armoire, the more likely that the owner came from class and wealth.

They can either be made in a simple style but typically they have carvings and embellishments that are made out of wood to decorate them. These can be purchased either as antiques or brand new ones are being made in the same French/European styles that were so popular centuries ago. Those who have a new one can easily make theirs look like an antique with just a few tricks that they can find online.

When looking for a wardrobe armoire that fits the French/European style, look for those that are made of wood. They should also have drawers on the bottom with a cabinet at the top. New ones can be made to look antique with just a few tricks that can be found online which are quite easy to do.

The creativity behind all the different armoire styles leads to some very unique, nice looking, and straight up clever designs for jewelry armoire.

Here we have a fantastic looking armoire that shows a blend of different styles and features, such as:

• An armoire designed for jewelry storage
• A mirror that run the full length of the armoire
• A locking mechanism to keep your jewelry safe and secure
• Rounded out With a distressed Oak Wood finish
• Wall Mounted to save space and look great at the same time
• All put together in a classic yet modern armoire design

No matter than if you’re simply looking for an armoire to store your jewelry collection, or the ability to do so but not take up any more cabine space, or the ability to do both these things while at the same time keeping the jewelry hidden away behind lock and key – well, this is a jewelry armoire that does it all!

Here’s a nice shot showing off it’s simple elegance as it’s mounted to the wall:

And here’s a second shot showing how easy it is to store many different types of jewelry with this armoire:

The only drawback to a jewelry armoire such as this is the lack of drawers or shelves. True, it will still hold items such as earrings and rings (see the picture above again), but it will take a moment longer to both put in and take out such items behind a vertical locked door.

However, this is a small price to pay for a nice oak armoire such as this, with a full length mirror (roughly 43 inches tall and 9 inches wide), a lock to protect your items, and a distressed oak finish complete wirth wormwood imperfections to make it even more “down to earth” and unique.

Total cost?

This locking jewelry armoire is selling on Ebay right now for just $200.

There are armoires and there are armoires. It has been mentioned several times that sometimes the pocketbook will not allow the purchase of a wardrobe armoire that is really wanted and something more practical should be purchased. However, when the time comes to add that signature piece to the bedroom, there are some exceptional bedroom armoires that will truly stand out.

The Lexington Cimarron Greenwood Armoire, by Lexington, $4,189.00
This armoire looks like it belongs on a movie set. To see pictures of it is amazing, seeing it in person is something magical. There are more expensive armoires out there, but this one has a look that separates it from everything else in its class. The stain in perfectly applied and there is nary a streak to be seen. It screams of English craftsmanship and the care that went into its construction is obvious. This is far and away one of our favorite pieces.

The Lexington Zacara Anatole Armoire, by Lexington, $3,379
It is no surprise that Lexington gets another entry into the top category of upper class wardrobe closets because their work is exceptional. This armoire will not be for everyone, but for those with a very modern bedroom set that has a slight Asian influence, it will set off the entire room. This is one of those armoires that is simple, yet extremely elegant. For those that are lucky enough to have a bedroom set that this blends with, enjoy!

The American Drew Grand Revival Armoire, American Drew, $3,360
We have one absolute classic, one modern and the American Drew rounds it off with a more antique look. The shading of the stain is very unique and while it has a definite antique feel to it, it can also blend in with some more modern furniture. This is a very sharp looking piece that is well made and will once again make the room. Whether it is used as a wardrobe closet or to house the TV, any bedroom is much improved the moment this piece is added to the décor.

Target is the king when it comes to value priced furniture. In the category of armoires and wardrobe closet furniture however, they don’t have as many items as you’d think they would carry. But what they do have is certainly well priced, such as the White Jewelry Armoire that we’ll review today.

First off, let’s just go ahead and take a look at what this white jewelry armoire looks like so everyone can see what we’re talking about.

This is what it looks like closed:

As you can see, it’s a respectable, classic armoire design, with two oversized bottom drawers complimenting two smaller drawers, and a top drawer that’s accessed from above. This gives you 5 drawers for jewelry in total.

But like all jewelry armoires, this one also opens up on top and on both sides to provide more jewelry space for those rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings!

This is what it looks like opened:

This second image gives us a better idea of how much jewelry this armoire can properly store, and how it goes about doing so.

Note the mirror on top – always a feature in demand when it comes to a woman and her jewelry! The drawers are lined with a soft faux suede to give the armoire a classy soft touch. Overall, this jewelry chest stands 37 inches high, 13 inches wide, and about 10 inches deep. It is made of wood and wood composite, which unfortunately means it’s not solid wood. But then again, for the price, you probably wouldn’t expect it to be made of solid wood.

Speaking of which, how much does this nice looking white jewelry armoire cost?

Target it no high class vendor, making elegant furniture that costs a ton of money. This armoire reflects there cheap prices, and costs only $160.

If you’re in the market for a cheap jewelry armoire, Target’s whitewash armoire for jewelry is certainly an option to keep on the table. It’s not the nicest armoire around, but it does properly hold jewelry, and lots of it – and desite some issue where many people received the wrong color unit when ordering it online, the online reviews for it are generally positive as it relates to its quality and craftsmenship.

The first time anyone goes out furniture shopping, their jaw usually drops at the price of the individual armoire. Even for a cheap furniture set, the price tag on that one item can be well over $500. While there are less expensive options, when someone is in the home that they plan on spending the rest of their lives in, they want everything in it to be special. When the time comes to get your permanent furniture, here are a few reasons to justify the purchase.

Many times, situations will dictate what anyone is able to purchase. The funny thing is that many people will still spend more than they can afford just to have a decent looking piece of furniture. If the future of the armoire is a garage sale, why spend the money now? Go with a cheaper alternative, like a portable armoire, until the time is right.

Looking at expensive armoires, the first thing that anyone will notice is the immediate jump up in quality. Many of the cheaper models will be nothing more than a fancy finish and particle board. This is something that will not hold up and will eventually have to be replaced. The better models will be made from solid wood and will last a lifetime. As long as there is no style change in bedroom sets, the wardrobe armoire will never have to be replaced.

In addition to just flat out being a better piece of furniture, they are usually much more attractive and richer looking. People will immediately recognize the quality of the piece because the stain will hold true and it will last over time. Cheap armoires will chip and deteriorate over time. As long as they are cared for properly, an expensive armoire will look as good in twenty years as it does the day it is brought home.

How about buying an expensive armoire because you deserve it?

Sometimes buying something nice just makes us feel better about ourselves. This is not a TV that will burn out or a phone that will be obsolete in a few years. This is something that will be featured in the home for the rest of our lives. If there was ever a room in the home that deserved the very best, it is surely the bedroom.