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Post by jojam on Jan 2, 2016 20:52:26 GMT
I've been watching a lot of HGTV lately, and noticed there are a lot of closets with windows. Do you have a window in your closet? (I do not and don't want one.) Do your clothes fade? (I worked in a downtown clothing store, and we had to be very careful about what we put in the windows because so much faded, which we couldn't then sell.)
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Post by ntsf on Jan 2, 2016 20:56:11 GMT
we did when we bought our house (1927 house)..but we took them out.
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J u l e e
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Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Post by J u l e e on Jan 2, 2016 20:58:19 GMT
I have a super large walk in closet. I would think a window in there would be a negative for fading clothing. And also because I get dressed/undressed in my closet. I'd have to cover up my window which means I may as well not have one in the first place.
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Post by Sparki on Jan 2, 2016 20:58:21 GMT
I have a narrow strip of those clearish blocks in my closet. Yes, things fade. It took a while to figure it out. We will be doing something about it, but I don't know what, yet. If it were a window, I could hang blinds or curtains, but this is kind of odd.
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twinsmomfla99
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Jan 2, 2016 21:06:06 GMT
We had a window in the master closet in our last house. The inside layout was great with the placement of the closet, and the outside would have looked weird with no window there, so I understand why they put a window there.
I just put up a room darkening shade to block the light, and since the closet was right off the master bath, we never used it for getting dressed.
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smartypants71
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Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Jan 2, 2016 21:07:25 GMT
Yes, and I think it's dumb. It also takes away the 3rd wall for more storage. We have a curtain over it.
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Post by anniefb on Jan 2, 2016 21:27:01 GMT
I have 2 small windows in my walk in closet because you walk through one end of it to get to the ensuite. One has the kind of opaque glass you find in bathrooms. The other one nearer the clothes has a venetian blind I always keep closed. I haven't noticed any fading.
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Post by Crazyhare on Jan 2, 2016 21:46:54 GMT
Our house was built in 1952 and it has a window in one of the closets. I just have a curtain over it. It's a weird feature. But I'm happy we have tons of closets and storage for a house of this age. So I can deal with the window.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:53:34 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 21:57:47 GMT
Sometimes closets have windows because it helps the outside of the house look more symmetrical. Older houses may not have had a closet originally but a closet built around a window meant being able to see in it during the day. I remember when the very idea of putting a light socket in a closet was a radical innovation. Hang some blinds in the window and that should solve the problem of fading.
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Post by littlemama on Jan 2, 2016 22:01:46 GMT
Our bedroom has three closets. The largest walk in does have a window, but there are blinds on the window, so it doesn't matter.
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Post by Merge on Jan 2, 2016 22:03:25 GMT
There is a small window in our master bedroom closet, set high up on the wall. I like it for the extra light during the day time. It doesn't let in enough light to fade anything, and 3/4 of the wall is still available for storage.
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M in Carolina
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Post by M in Carolina on Jan 2, 2016 22:09:30 GMT
In my interior design classes, we were taught that the optimal position for closets was not on an outside wall at all. The change in temperature wasn't the best for storage.
Obviously that's not practical in real world situations.
I like a lot of lighting in my closet, but I wouldn't want a window. If I had one, I'd put blackout curtains and extra insulation during the winter. Moisture would be my biggest concern.
The KonMari organizing method has some great ideas about wardrobe storage. It would make it easier to store clothing and other household items so more clothing could be stored in a smaller area.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jan 2, 2016 22:09:42 GMT
I had a window in my closet in a previous home. It limited the options for arranging the closet layout. And due to privacy, I couldn't really leave it uncovered. If I had a choice, I'd skip having any windows in a closet.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jan 2, 2016 22:10:35 GMT
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georgiapea
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Post by georgiapea on Jan 2, 2016 22:38:54 GMT
I had a house in Portland, OR (on Grant Court) with a window in the closet. It was a small window, up high, but I still worried about fading.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 2, 2016 22:40:31 GMT
There is a small window in our master bedroom closet, set high up on the wall. I like it for the extra light during the day time. It doesn't let in enough light to fade anything, and 3/4 of the wall is still available for storage. This is what we have too in our master BR closet. I wouldn't put anything on top of the shelf in front of it if I was concerned about fading, but I like having some natural light in there when I'm getting dressed. If I was really concerned about something else (hanging) in there fading, I would hang it in the cedar lined closet with no window in the hallway outside of my bedroom or put it in a garment bag. I could put up a curtain or shade, but really that would be more effort than I'd want to expend on it since I have other options.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2016 22:59:04 GMT
A friend of mine posted a picture of a sweater that had a sun-faded spot on it with a caption of "now I know why you don't want a window in your closet."
If you don't rotate or cover up the window, clothes can fade
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Post by darkchami on Jan 2, 2016 23:10:48 GMT
We have a window in our guest bedroom closet. Since we don't have any clothes in there, we don't worry about it. I would just put in blinds if it bothered me.
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Post by melanell on Jan 2, 2016 23:19:30 GMT
I have had windows in walk-in closets in older homes. In fact, each older (as in pre-WWII) home I have spent a lot of time in has had at least one walk-in with a window. I agree that in the best situations closets are not on outside walls. When they are on outside walls I have always tried to keep any heavy, tight storage to the interior wall(s) due to moisture issues. Where I live is very humid, and exterior corners are prone to mold if they don't have good air circulation, so having a ton of stuff stored there could be a big problem. However, in several of the homes, the walk-ins were the size of a small room, like a nursery or a bathroom, so there was typically plenty of room to store things on interior walls only, or at least out of the corners, and the windows were actually helpful for air circulation most of the year. We always had blinds or a curtain on the windows, so fading was a non-issue. My childhood closet was so large that I used half for my clothes and half as a play space.  I loved the window in there.
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 2, 2016 23:29:28 GMT
We have a Sun Tunnel in our closet, which is essentially just a very small skylight with a diffuser shade on it. It lets in enough light to see by during the day but it's diffused through the whole closet area rather than focused on one area the way it would be with a window. I am sure my clothes are fading faster than they would with no light at all, but it isn't happening noticeably or to specific items in certain locations, so I'm not worried about it. I like not having to turn the light on every time I go in.
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Post by lisae on Jan 2, 2016 23:39:57 GMT
I have two windows in my walk in that are the same size as the bathroom windows so it looks good from the outside. For years, I didn't cover these windows as we are in rural area and there is not a privacy issue. I did have two items, both rayon, that faded. These were things that I hardly ever wore so they stayed in the same spot all the time. The windows only get direct sun for a couple hours in the afternoon.
I have had a high quality window film put on those windows as most of the windows have in the house. I also added draperies that I draw at times. I've never had any other fading issues. I love the windows because I like not having to turn on the light every time I go in there. The windows don't interfere with storage as they are perpendicular to hanging space. I wouldn't be able to use that wall space anyway.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 3, 2016 1:56:37 GMT
When I was a kid we lived in an old house, 1940's, and it had windows. We covered them with cardboard. Classy, right? hahahaha
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Post by gryroagain on Jan 3, 2016 2:05:00 GMT
We have a weird Korean house and it has a window in the "closet". The closet is a small room off the bathroom in the master with large cupboard/dressing closets, because most Korean homes don't have built in closets but use these instead. We have a wall with the 3 large cupboards, and put a dresser against the other wall that covers the window almost completely because of a tall mirror. Otherwise I guess I'd hang curtains in there, which seems weird, but we would have to.
The rooms function is a closet, just without the built in parts, and it is very odd to me to have a window in it!
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Nicole in TX
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Post by Nicole in TX on Jan 3, 2016 2:05:24 GMT
I wouldn't want one.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Jan 3, 2016 2:17:37 GMT
We have one but it is really small. I open at night in the summer to get fresh air if it is cool outside. I wouldn't made getting a shade for it. I am thankful it is small. All the new houses here have them and I always thought it was dumb.
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Post by melanell on Jan 3, 2016 2:30:57 GMT
Sometimes closets have windows because it helps the outside of the house look more symmetrical. Exactly. A few houses I am familiar with have a walk-in closet directly above the front door, so the window in the closet is a real focal point on the front of the house. And my childhood house was set up so that the only windows upstairs on one side of the house were the closet windows.
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Post by polz on Jan 3, 2016 2:32:13 GMT
No thank you. I don't have many clothes, soI don't want the ones to I have to fade.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 3, 2016 2:43:05 GMT
I have one - it's positioned pretty high up - I can just see out of it, so privacy is really not an issue. I've never noticed any fading. Our closet is longer than it is wide, and the window is directly opposite the door to enter - so there aren't any clothes there to fade. Directly under the window is a set of drawers. I like having natural light in the closet.
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Post by ScrapsontheRocks on Jan 3, 2016 7:21:38 GMT
I have one - it's positioned pretty high up - I can just see out of it, so privacy is really not an issue. I've never noticed any fading. Our closet is longer than it is wide, and the window is directly opposite the door to enter - so there aren't any clothes there to fade. Directly under the window is a set of drawers. I like having natural light in the closet. I live on a different continent, the one with the harshest sun. Our walk-in is exactly like this. In addition, my husband and I each have one closable door within the walk-in which is positioned down the end with the window. We keep our least-worn clothes / best in that part.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2016 8:19:13 GMT
My walk-in closet has a small window. It's not huge but is a nice feature. No, clothes don't fade. There are pine trees outside the window and it never gets direct sunlight.
Perhaps it has a window because, in case of a fire, one might need to exit through it.
I have a lovely little sitting/dressing area in my closet, right in front of the window. It looks out across my yard and down to the lake.
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