This week, as retail locations around LA are starting to reopen, I thought it would be a great time to take a look at some of our favorites for some retail inspo! Let’s face it - we all run out of space from time to time and resort to setting up a rolling garment rack (or ten)… Maybe you use yours for styling and packing, or perhaps it’s a more permanent overflow from your crowded closet setup. Today, I want to encourage you to rework your space to bring that retail experience home, and ditch the ugly garment rack like a designer! Maybe your closet can be upgraded to accommodate more clothes, or it’s time to accept the rack of clothes that is perpetually in your bedroom, and choose a more stylish permanent alternative! Whatever your scenario, I’m going to give you a rundown of some of my favorite playful, yet functional solutions.

PULL-DOWN RODS

If you suffer from a crowded closet with lots of wasted space, this might be the trick for you! Many standard closet companies don’t build all the way to ceiling, and if you’re lucky enough to have the luxury of higher ceilings, this becomes wasted real estate. I would encourage you to consider how much overflow clothing you have on rolling racks, and decide whether you can purge enough from your wardrobe to make it work… If not, it might be time to take a the closet up a notch! These pull-down rods allow us to design a third level of hanging in taller spaces, where you otherwise wouldn’t be able to reach. They come in manual and automated varieties, and are a real life-saver when it comes to maximizing in a tall space. You can store lesser used pieces up top, or cycle through seasonally, so that nothing is ever out of reach.

VALET HOOKS + RODS

Maybe your garment racks are a more transient technique for styling looks and incoming/outgoing pieces (dry-cleaning, tailoring, etc)? If this is the case, try finding a way to bring these pieces back into the closet. I personally love a wall-mounted hook or pull-out valet rod for keeping these items accessible. This way, you can free up your space of the ugly rolling rack, without losing your items among all your other clothing! Then when they aren’t needed, these can be tucked away.

CEILING-MOUNTED RODS

Another great retail-inspired solution, ceiling-mounted rods are the perfect way to create a permanent place for styling/staging. If you’ve found that your rolling racks have taken over another space in your home - possibly a spare bedroom, a corner of your office or bedroom - this is a nice way to create a custom look that is fashionable and functional, but can also be removed later down the road relatively easily! You can also create a mobile platform to live below the rod for shoes, bags, and more!

WALL-MOUNTED RODS

This is the ideal solution for maximizing, without installing a full closet of cabinetry! Maybe you have unused space below a window in your closet, or want to create a 2-level staging area — mounting rods directly to the wall makes for a more industrial, modern look that doesn’t require any additional ceiling supports or custom parts. You can construct something like this out of standard pipe components, while still achieving a very custom aesthetic!

FREE-STANDING HANGING

If you’re looking for a more glam way to keep the “garment rack” in place, consider a custom free-standing hanging area! This also looks very retail/custom, but without breaking the bank or making permanent changes to your space. Let’s be real, how often are you moving those racks around your space? A custom free-standing rack is like a furniture piece that dresses up your staging area, but it can be moved if necessary… If you’re someone who moves homes often, or uses the garment racks seasonally, this could be the perfect balance for a flexible but fashionable solution.