10 Genius Ways to Store Handbags in the Closet

Don’t let limited closet space stand between you and your ever-growing handbag collection. Whether you’re looking for ways to display your dream designer clutch or searching for practical organizing solutions for your everyday shoulder bags, crossbodies and totes, we’re here to help.

The Best Handbag Closet Organization Ideas

We’re sharing the 10 best ways to reduce chaos in your closet and organize your handbags like a pro. Read on to learn the tips you never knew you needed to bring you one step closer to your dream closet.

1. Ditch the Doors

Make this well-appointed closet your muse. Keep your prized purses on display using a wall-mounted upper cabinet. This door-free design features adjustable open shelves that store handbags of varying heights and accommodate the owner’s ever-growing collection. Our advice: Personalize your purse cabinet with a punchy paint color or playfully papered shelves.

2. Keep It Color Coded

Grouping items by color is one of the fastest ways to reduce visual clutter and create a sense of tranquility in a packed closet. We see this method at play with stacked sweaters and shoes, but it also applies to handbags, too! Take notes from this tidy dressing room and organize your purses by size, type and color. Here, neutral bags sit on a roomy, open shelf for easy daily use. Quilted flap bags, turned to their side, line the middle shelf and are arranged by scale and color. The top shelf houses the owner’s extensive black bag collection in one place.

3. Create a Handbag Docking Station

Transform your existing shelves into a dreamy dock for your beloved bags. Use partitions to create cubbies for your favorite convertibles and crossbodies on one shelf, and employ mail organizers to moor your clutches and oversized wallets between outings.

4. Embrace Negative Space

Let this custom closet remind you to embrace negative space when organizing your handbags. It’s natural to want to maximize all available shelving, but paring back results in a closet that looks cleaner and feels peaceful. This built-in closet features three upper compartments that serve as stylish storage for the owner’s largest handbags. The purses are placed in the center of each compartment, ensuring plenty of space to spare for a clean look. A row of clutches, organized by size, is accessible from one of the shelves below.

5. Keep Clutches Within Reach

Corral your clutches and wallets in one place using an envelope sorter. Place your tallest bag in the back slot, then work your way to the front, placing bags in order from largest to smallest. Bonus points are up for grabs if you color coordinate your collection while you’re at it.

6. Bring the Boutique Home

Psst! You don’t need to splurge on custom built-ins to enjoy dreamy closet shelving. Transform an empty nook in your closet with boutique-inspired shelving, like this gold-framed etagere. The stylish display offers ample open shelving for totes, shoulder bags and seasonal clutches, and still has room to spare for luxurious jewelry storage.

7. Opt for Glass Dividers

Transform your closet shelves into a luxury shopping display by installing sleek glass dividers. This impressive closet features floor-to-ceiling shelving divided into compartments with glass partitions. The upper shelves house three medium-sized handbags each, while the lower shelves feature six compartments for clutches, totes and shoulder bags.

8. Organize With Acrylic

Skip the dividers and invest in acrylic storage boxes like this chic setup. Slide your go-to bags into the organizer and display your treasured clutches, wallets or evening bags on top. Don’t forget to accessorize! Lean a pair of glossy coffee table books against your organizer and add a glamorous vase or candle to the mix to make your closet as inviting and interesting as the rest of your home.

9. Stick to the Season

You swap your wool sweaters and for cotton blouses each spring, and it’s the perfect time to rotate your handbags too. Put your fall and winter bags into storage with the rest of your cold-weather essentials, and put your summer faves in their place. Removing out-of-season handbags frees up your shelves, minimizes visual clutter and makes accessorizing a breeze.

10. Hang Hooks

Working with tight quarters? Wall hooks are your best friends. This space-saving handbag storage idea minimizes clutter and keeps your crossbody, tote and shoulder bags within reach. Tiny hooks are installed on the slim bit of shelf in between the cubbies in this beautifully organized closet. They're the perfect spots to store your most-used bags, or hang up tomorrow's outfit. Opt for decorative hooks to play up the boutique look.