First, let me be clear: I am not wishing summer away. I see my friends post absolute nonsense every day, wishing for "sweater weather" and "cozy season," but I do not support them in any way. I'm only telling you about smart summer clothing storage now, in early August, when we have weeks left of warmth and happiness, because it may take you some time to accumulate the necessary organizing items. For now, wear your shorts, your tank tops, and your open-toed shoes with abandon and don't dwell on the inevitable chill that will come, as it always does, to steal our hot dogs, lobster rolls, and tans. Just be prepared, is all I'm saying.
Vacuum-sealed bags
If you're short on space but don't want to rent a storage locker, you're going to need to make your summer clothes as small as possible. What's nice about that is that summer clothes are already smaller than the larger winter garments you have to creatively store during the warmer months. You can fit a bunch of summer attire into vacuum-sealed bags, which is what my mom always did when I was growing up. Granted, she just stuck our stuff into actual garbage bags and used her vacuum hose to suck the air out, but that wasn't the sturdiest option. You're better off getting bags designed for this kind of thing, like these:
I like these because you get a variety of sizes. A jumbo bag is better for, say, beach blankets, while a small one can keep swimsuits organized. As with any kind of organization, you should opt to keep similar items together in the same container, so the variety here is helpful. These bags get unbelievably small when you suck the air out of them; you can stack them on a shelf and take up much less room than if you were stacking the clothes there on their own.
Small hanging shelves
There are a few different ways I organize my closet. I always do it by color, but I also do it by need, with the things I need access to during a certain season or event up front. There's no reason to dig around in the back of the closet and create a mess for myself when I'm getting ready, so I swap things around every once in a while. Something that's been helpful for me has been getting a small hanging shoe organizer and keeping it at the back of the closet for holding things that don't need to be out at a given time. It looks like this:
This doesn't take up much space, but gives you a several shelves and compartments on which to pile smaller-sized items, like shorts and sandals. It's an especially good option if you are going to take any warm vacations over the winter and don't want to wrangle the appropriate clothing out of a vacuum-sealed bag. The items are within reach, but still contained in a small section of the closet.
Storage furniture
I'm a huge fan of storage furniture, which is well-documented at this point, but where I find it shines the most is when I need to stash away something I won't look at for months. I recommend picking up a simple storage ottoman—which can be small like a footstool or long like a bench, depending on your needs—and rotating your seasonal clothes in and out of it. Some things just don't need to be in the closet all year long, but it's hard to figure out where else to put them. Why not hide them away inside something that provides a secondary use? Try something like this:
Your luggage
This is a go-to hack of mine that I've mentioned before and I stand by still: When you have out-of-season clothing, why not store it inside your luggage? Your suitcases and duffel bags are already taking up space and they're one of those necessary evils that you can't really condense, but also can't get rid of. Put them to work. If and when you take a trip, just remove whatever is inside, but during the colder months when you're more likely to head somewhere warm, sometimes you don't even have to take everything out. You're just packing (well) in advance of your trip. How smart of you!