If you’re looking for closet design inspiration, look no further than Instagram and Pinterest for tastemakers’ beautiful walk-in closet spaces. With built-in lighting, pristine glass doors, sparkling chandeliers, and bouquets full of flowers, these closets are sure to inspire you. Of course, expert closet design requires far more than putting together a few clippings of your favorite spaces. Use these tips from our professional designers to better organize your closet:
1. Treat your closet like any other room.
“A lot of people go wrong by not thinking about the closet as another room, and instead just using it as a storage unit,” James Tabb, an interior designer for Laurel & Wolf, tells Elle Decor. Instead, level up your closet design by giving it the same considerations as your bedroom or living room. Consider paint colors or custom wallpaper, area rugs and furniture, and even luxury details like crown moulding and stylish hardware.
2. Dream big and use classic interiors for your inspiration.
Interior designer Betty Lou Phillips’ custom closet is absolutely stunning, with mirrored panels and hardware inspired by the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, a luxury five-star hotel. Take a page out of her book, and consider the most beautiful residences you’ve seen—what features make them stand out, and how can you make them part of your boutique closet?
3. Add an island for a work space inside your walk-in closet.
Working with a spacious walk-in closet? Consider installing an island with pull-out drawers for extra storage. “I travel a lot, so when it comes to packing for a trip, it’s a great surface for laying out and organizing my things,” Mark Moussa, the founder and creative director of Arteriors, tells House Beautiful. You can use yours to fold and iron clothes and even display your favorite magazines and fashion books.
4. Customize shelving down to every item in your inventory.
When you buy box-store shelving, often you end up folding over boots or placing multiple items on the top shelf because they simply won’t fit the shelves or cubbies you’re now stuck with. Your tastemaker fix? “Customize shelving to work for you and your things, not the other way around,” professional organizer Jeni Aron tells Real Simple. At Strickland’s Home, as a part of our design process, we take note of your entire inventory in order to make sure every piece has its perfect-fit place.
5. Allow your selections to shine with all-white closet organizers.
Interior designer Kara Mann decided to make her closet less about the beauty of her organizers, and more about her pieces on display. If you’re looking for a fashionista-friendly closet for your sizeable shoe collection, you can’t go wrong with crisp white shelves that “show off each pair’s artistry” and allow you to see your options, as she says. Another popular yet understated color you may want to consider for your shelves is gray.
6. Base your design on your organization habits.
Be honest: Do you love hanging up your bags and belts, or are you more of a toss-it-in-a-basket person? The best organization system is one designed with your habits and personal style in mind. Alicia Lund, the blogger behind Cheetah is the New Black, recommends labeling drawers and baskets for different types of accessories, rather than worrying about a prim and proper display for each.
Discovering Your Closet Design
Ready to design your dream closet? Contact us or visit our showroom to get started. Our designers and installers will help you create a custom-organized closet even tastemakers will envy.