15 Attic Closet Ideas for Slanted Ceilings

Your home's attic can be more than just a place to toss boxes into in hopes of finding them later. The best attic remodeling ideas utilize as much floor space as possible without creating a difficult place to navigate—not to mention allowing you to find your stuff again when needed. That can be tricky in a space with heavily slanted ceilings. If you're looking to add style and function to your home's top floor, check out these slanted attic closet ideas. 

1. Think Minimalist With Wire Shelving

Whether your attic closet is already complete or still under construction, wire shelving from your local home center is excellent for maximizing storage space while giving your belongings a place to call home. Wire shelving is straightforward to install, and many designs don't require finding the wall studs behind the drywall or plaster. You can cut the shelving to fit and add hanging rods and additional hardware as necessary. 

2. Go Prefab With Modular Closets

Prefabricated closet collections come in a vast quantity of styles and designs. The benefit of installing modular closet components in a slanted-ceiling attic is you can mix and match the various shelving, drawers, and hanging rods until you achieve the perfect (or nearly perfect) fit. Stopping slightly short of the ceiling's height adds one more shelf without additional effort. 

3. Make Space With Base Cabinets

Custom-built or prefabricated base-style cabinets hide the lost space where the attic floor meets the slanted ceiling. Create or install base cabinets with drawers or shelving to act as a knee wall with function and style. Cut stock kitchen countertop material to fit for a custom look and added versatility.

4. Forgo the Closet Door

With limited floor space, installing a hinged door sometimes isn't practical without losing a ton of storage or impeding the closet's usefulness. One nice thing about an attic is that it's generally not a high-traffic area where a closet door would be a must. Dress up the inside of the closet with paint and trim work to incorporate it into the room's style and get rid of the door. 

5. Enjoy a Deluxe Walk-In Closet

Converting your attic to a living space, such as a bedroom or guest room, necessitates more storage space. Or turn it all into a stylish storage space. Smaller attics make excellent walk-in closets and dressing spaces. Add clothing rods, shoe shelving, seating, and a full-length wall or standing mirror at the gable end of the room. 

6. Integrate a Window

If you're lucky enough to have a small attic window or you have the means to install one, place a reading bench or comfy chair nearby. Sit back while you’re brainstorming your outfit of the day. Or place a floor-length mirror by the window to check out your clothes in natural light.

7. Utilize Stackable Storage Bins

While inexpensive and readily available, using cardboard boxes to store precious items in your attic is just asking for trouble. Whether your attic is a finished space or bare, plastic storage containers are safely stackable and typically watertight. Maximize storage capacity and protect your belongings with one simple solution. 

8. Incorporate Contrast With Creative Finishes 

Many attic closets don't have the luxury of space to accommodate a hinged door. Any disorganization in the closet area can be an eyesore when exposed to the rest of the room. However, creating beauty from chaos can be simple by adding rich-color paint, trim work, wallpaper, or cedar shelving and wall covering. Creative and bright lighting can also add a touch of elegance to an otherwise tricky home-styling problem. 

9. Add Knee-Wall Drawers

Knee walls in a low-sloped attic are excellent for hiding a few items behind them with an access door. The trouble is getting on your hands and knees to dig your possessions out. Ditch the hard-to-reach method and install a bank of drawers and shelves into the face of the knee wall itself. Now you have easy-to-access storage with increased function and style. 

10. Modify the Closet Door

You can add a closet nearly anywhere in an attic. Sometimes, the trick is that a door won't fit. Change all that by changing the door. Measure carefully and remove a top corner from a standard closet door to match the ceiling slope and make your closet possible. Fill the void in the cutout section with hobby wood and paint or stain if the door is hollow.

11. Install Custom Cabinets

If the cost of building a closet in your attic fits your budget, consider creating or hiring someone to create custom cabinetry for storage. Custom cabinetry isn't the least expensive option for adding closet space to your attic, but you may find that it's the most practical and useful solution for your odd-shaped top floor. There's really no limit to what you can create with this option. 

12. Stack Multiple Closet Rods

If you need to hang clothing and your attic is the only solution, you're in luck. The slanting ceiling can lend itself well to installing multiple closet rods at varying heights to maximize the room's capacity. Tuck one rod behind another on slanted ceilings, or span the angled surfaces to allow easy access. 

13. Add Bench Storage

Your attic is often one of the quietest rooms in the house, which makes a finished and well-insulated attic a great place to relax, cozy up with a book, or watch television. You'll need a place to sit for those activities. Why not add large comfy benches with hinged tops or sides to increase the closet space in your attic at the same time?

14. Incorporate Portable Storage

There are numerous storage products on the market and readily available, consisting of one or more storage bins or drawers on a rolling cart. While these aren't great for adding style to your attic, they can increase your storage capacity by a huge percentage, such as this portable closet unit you can move to another room as needed. 

15. Build Custom Shelving

Somewhere between a custom-built closet and inexpensive plastic storage bins lies custom-built shelving. While you're not likely to break the bank by hiring a local home remodeling company to install custom shelving to stylishly maximize your space, you also won't feel the need to keep guests out while hiding a practical but unsightly room full of stacked boxes.