Closets are such lovely things. You don't realize how lovely they are until you don't have them. We have a great system in our master bedroom, though it is all out in the open for the world to see. (Then again, so's the blog. So I guess we don't mind).

We have a small coat closet in our front hallway, where we keep pretty much anything you can imagine: Stroller and car seat, laundry supplies, tools, luggage. No coats.

And we do not have a closet in Lou's room. There is a closet in there, but our homeowners are using it to store personal belongings, so we make do without it. But, figuring I could at least use the closet door, if not the closet itself, I checked out some options for a little hanging space for our little lady:

The options are many, especially if you think slightly out of the box. The first guy above is a hanger holder, and is designed to do exactly what I needed: hang up clothes on hangers on the back of the door. They're cheap and came in pairs, so that seemed like a pretty good option.

The second option is actually designed as a pantry organizer, I believe, but I could see hanging kids' hangers from the top and storing shoes below.

Then we have a towel rack, but you can see how far out the rungs are, especially the third. I thought kids hangers could work on something like this.

The Decko Chrome rack isn't over the door, but you could hang hangers or sleeveless dresses on it.

Having compared all these options, I armed myself with a coupon to a local hardware store and bought three hanger holders, like option 1 above. I headed home, thinking cheerfully of the organizing to come.

When we got to our apartment, there was  a pile of discarded stuff (ok, trash) outside, including a floor mirror and its stand. You know what I'm talking about? Like this?

Only broken. The mirror and stand were separate, and the stand looked like this.

Wanna know what I thought that looked like? A little kid-sized closet solution, a la this Emily + Merritt Wardrobe Rack, from PB Teen, but the right size and $299 + shipping cheaper.

So there you have it. I brought it home, put some hangers on it, and called it a day.

Oh, and that bike hook? Not pretty, but I found it on the same day at stoop sale for $1 and it is the perfect solution to get that bike off the ground. (I have no idea what it is or where it came from, but I'm thinking a wreath hanger or extra long door hook could work the same way?) Add in a command hook for the helmet (and I can't lie: our homeowners actually left that hook there; sometimes  you just get lucky) and a box for shoes and hats below ($5 from Ikea) and I am so, so happy with this little closet system.

When I found this, I thought that it might not make for a great blog post, because who else is going to run across a deconstructed mirror stand? And then I saw one at Goodwill. I kid you not:

For $10 bucks (my Goodwill has some serious delusions of grandeur) I wouldn't call this a crazy steal - but it does provide two levels of hanging possibilities, and its small footprint would be perfect in a small space.

And then I saw another one at a local salvage shop. So maybe this really is a useful object to offer up for upcycling possibilities. And if you don't have a tyke who needs a perfectly-sized closet, I also thought about using this as a closet extender in my closet, by sliding it under my shorter items. If you do have a tyke, she may also appreciate clothes on her level.

But in case none of those options appeal, or there's no good trash picking near you, other closet alternatives include:

1. Wardrobes & Armoires. Kind of a duh, sure, but it's a solution. This one, the PS 2014 from Ikea is pretty cool - the colored tabs are completely customizable. I don't know if I'd use any at all - I like the industrial look of the bare cage.

2, You can take the DIY route, much encouraged around here, and add an industrial bar to a corner to hang dresses from it, like this at Mint Love Social Club:

3. Or use ladders to create a killer DIY wardrobe like A Pair and A Spare's:

4. Install a rod (tension would be the easiest) inside a bookcase and use that as a closet, like this:

Any improbable transformations making your life easier these days? Thanks for reading!