40 Walk-in Closet Ideas That Are as Chic as Your Wardrobe

This ultra-glamorous closet in New York makes a convincing case for going to the dark side. ELLE DECOR A-List designer Danielle Colding brought in a round mirror, custom cabinetry, and Fromental wallpaper. When style begins with your closet, you’ve got the best starting point.

No shelving, no problem. In Mara Brock Akil’s Los Angeles home, an entire room is transformed into a showroom-like space that gives an impressive clothes collection the space to breathe. The midcentury sofa and Italian mohair lounge chair create a fitting place to perch, amid outfit deliberations.

Textured glass is an elevated way to bedeck closet doors to create the illusion of more space while provided blessed stuff-it-all-in-there-and-nobody-will-see potential. For those interested in giving their closet a similar touch-up, baking soda and paint create a similarly textured look. We especially love design duo Husband Wife’s use of beveled edges and curved window corners that add a softness to this all-wood space.

Leave it to an accessories creative director to make the most of a closet space. Marc Valeanu gave the walk-in closet of his posh Parisian apartment the chicest upgrade that didn’t hold back in any way when it comes to color. Ebullient yellow walls and curtains are set against a fire-engine-red rug that feels unexpected in the best of ways.

Looking for a creative way to conceal your colorful clothes? Artisan smoked glass, made from actual smoke residue, lends the closet doors of this Parisian apartment a refined finish. Give your closet a similar look with matte gray chalk paint.

We love a dressing room that has a decidedly handsome feel. In this San Francisco abode, Nicole Hollis brings a stately elegance to this closet. The open shelving allows for easy retrieval of items so your biggest worry is whether to pair that blazer with designer pumps or some low-key Doc Martens.

Forget walking a day in someone else’s shoes, we want to spend a day in someone else’s dressing room—especially if it looks this stylish. The closet echoes the rest of ELLE DECOR A-List designer Cliff Fong’s midcentury-meets-contemporary Los Angeles home aesthetic, complete with a generous use of warm wood shelving. “A lot of my inspiration comes from nature,” says Fong, who calls himself an “armchair botanist.”

Take inspiration from the greats and give your dressing room a sistine chapel-like energy. In this California home, ELLE DECOR A-List designer Ken Fulk swathed the ceiling and back wall in a Timorous Beasties wallcovering. A bright pink bench upholstered in a Pierre Frey fabric grounds the space while adding a touch of bedazzlement.

Guests of this elegant closet could easily assume they’re inhabiting an art-filled room—that is, until the closets panels open to reveal an entire wardrobe. Designer Anna Sui’s Greenwich Village pad makes the closet doors a design showstopper, complete with Venetian mirrors and hand-stenciled designs.

Are you a shameless antique addict? Consider reusable items for a creative and bespoke walk-in closet moment. In this San Antonio house, client Stacey Hill and architect Vicki Yuan of Lake | Flato collaborated to create a closet door stand-in from a handful of special vintage pieces. “These were Chinese folding screens that our client already owned (she found it at an estate sale), and it was her idea to turn them into closet doors in her new home,” shares the architect. “It was a great moment when we realized they would fit perfectly in the space, and we were excited to make them a highlight of her dressing room.” Estate sale shopping, anyone?

Designer Roger Higgins knows a think or two about designing a walk-in closet. And one of his latest projects is living proof. Here, the walls feature a gentle mauve botanical print that is sandwiched by dark wood hues for depth and dimension. It’s Carrie Bradshaw energy at its finest.

Needing one room in the house that is an escape? The dressing room of this Manhattan apartment is that and more. “The doors are covered with de Gournay Plum Blossom wallpaper, a design inspired by a painted silk Kimono—very fitting for a dressing room and beautifully tranquil,” shares designer Emily Todhunter. “This was a very multifunctional dressing room, so we wanted the closets to not just be practical but to create a beautifully romantic space where the client could both dress and work.” BRB, we’re living out our sartorial fantasy.

If ever you needed proof to click “add to cart” on the Schumacher site, look no further than this bold red walk-in closet, which ELLE DECOR A-List legend Martyn Lawrence Bullard swathed in the company’s red wallpaper. The rest of the space followed en suite, creating a haven of rich red hues—just the backdrop for those red-bottom heels.

Give your closet the ultimate transformation—with lacquered panels. In this SoHo residence, lacquered panels transform the cabinetry into a sleek statement moment. For an extra personal touch, designer Nicole Fuller used cabinetry made of carbon fiber—a homage to her client, a former race car designer.

For Minna Parikka, the Finnish shoe designer behind those playful bunny trainers you’ve seen on the feet of celebs like Cara Delevingne and Kylie Jenner, the closet is the most important room in the house. Little surprise, then, that stepping into hers is like being transported to another world. “I wanted to create a home that looks 100 percent like me and that does not follow the usual Nordic home design,” she tells ELLE DECOR. “I love creating worlds that are filled with fantasy and escape from the mundane.” We just might never choose to return to reality.

Lisa Adams, the CEO of LA Closet Design, has spent more than a decade crafting closets for celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Reese Witherspoon, Khloe Kardashian, and Tyra Banks. But her own closet space might be her most impressive project yet. Observe: clothes hanging upon guilded bars, a shelf for hats, and a chandelier that practically belongs in the new Tiffany store.