I remember a friend in high school making fun of her mother for reusing tinfoil and thinking to myself, “What a good idea.” I grew up in New England and Yankee thriftiness is part of my DNA—which perhaps explains my love of doctored everyday objects.
I love suitcases that someone long ago improved with travel decals.
1. All-White Hangers à la Justine
Made from cotton muslin hand-cut in half-inch-wide, yard-long strips, Justine’s hangers have a ballet ribbon-like elegance.
Starting at the neck, the wrapped muslin is simply double knotted in place.
2. Pez Madrid’s Patterned Approach
<a href="https://pez-pez.es/">Pez</a> (which means “Fish”) has two locations in lively Malasana: one devoted to fashion and a newer outpost showcasing household design.
Beatriz and Patricia buy remnants at the fabric and sewing stores near Madrid’s Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. It’s hard to tell when they date from; some look like they’re from the eighties, some older than that.
The fabric is hand-cut in long, two-centimeter-wide strips and secured to the neck of the hanger with a few stitches: “We sew the fabric at the top, wrap it around the hanger, and sew it again at the neck making a triangle. If we run out of fabric, we stitch another length to the end of the first, and try to hide it.”
A tip from our book, Remodelista: The Organized Home: “Use matching hangers. You’ll fit more in and your closet will look much tidier.” (For more secrets to an organized closet, see pages 98-121.)
3. String-Wrapped Hangers at Do Design
Artist Lucia Ruiz-Rivas neatly winds twine around the hangers at <a href="https://dodesign.es/en/">Do Design</a>, her concept shop and cafe in downtown Madrid’s Chueca neighborhood.
Lucia uses a little piece of masking tape to secure the twine at the tip of the hanger, then tightly rolls her way around.
Lucia ties off the cord at the neck of the hanger with a simple knot. We’ve got plenty of closet organization ideas too, including: