Small Walk-In Closet Design: Making the Most of 25 Square Feet

Some homes don't have a walk-in closet. Some have a walk-in that's too small and a spare room that's sitting empty. The question comes up regularly: should you upgrade your existing master closet, or convert a spare bedroom into a walk-in dressing room?

Both options work. Here's how to decide which one makes sense for your situation.

Option 1: Upgrade Your Master Closet

Best when:

• Your closet is at least 5×6 feet (25+ square feet)
• You don't have a spare room to give up
• You want to keep every bedroom in the house functional
• You're working within a tighter budget ($2,500–$8,000)

What you get

A custom system maximizes your existing closet space. Even a modest reach-in or small walk-in can hold 2–3× more with the right layout. No construction, no permits, no multi-week renovation. Install takes a single day.

Limitation

You can't add square footage. If your closet is genuinely too small for two people's wardrobes — say, a 3×4 reach-in that needs to serve a couple — no amount of organization design will overcome the physical space constraint.

Option 2: Convert a Spare Room

Best when:

• You have a spare bedroom adjacent to (or near) your master bedroom
• The spare room isn't used regularly — or could be replaced by another room
• You want a luxury dressing room experience
• Your budget allows for a larger project ($8,000–$15,000+)

What you get

A full room — 100+ square feet — becomes a dedicated walk-in dressing room. Floor-to-ceiling systems on every wall, a center island with drawers, seating, full-length mirrors, and potentially an integrated vanity or ironing station. This is the dream closet most people envision.

Things to consider

Resale impact: Removing a bedroom can affect your home's listing. A 4-bedroom home that becomes a 3-bedroom home with an amazing closet may appeal to some buyers and not others. In the $300K+ range, master closet upgrades generally add value. Below that, the bedroom count matters more.

Construction scope: If you want to connect the spare room directly to the master (by adding a doorway through the wall), that's a construction project beyond the closet system itself — framing, drywall, potentially electrical. If the room already has a door from the hallway, you can simply install the closet system in the room as-is.

The Hybrid Option

Some homeowners do both — upgrade the existing closet for daily essentials and use a portion of an adjacent room for seasonal storage, shoes, or accessories. This works well when you don't want to give up the full spare room but could spare a wall or corner of it.

Cost Comparison

Not sure which option is right for your home? Schedule a free measurement and we'll assess both possibilities. The 3D design is free regardless of which direction you go. We serve homeowners in Madison, Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Waukesha, and Northern Illinois.