Closet Comforts

Closets have become an American obsession and far more engaging (in some circles) than the recent political dialogs. A well-designed closet can be much more than Le Corbusier’s “machine for living.” A well-designed closet can be a retreat, a glamorous respite, an enveloping cocoon, and a dressing room escape bathed in privacy and surrounded by all of the beautiful vestments that one has so thoughtfully and meticulously selected.Designer Tara Kates enthuses, “The dressing closet can be so much more than just a bland room with closed doors. It can be a room filled with personality and color.” Ms. Kates designs closets with large beveled glass sliding doors so that clothing can be prominently displayed and arranged by color or occasion. “I also light the closet from within with an LED, frosted-glass ceiling and an LED-lit, frosted-glass platform floor so that my clients’ closets look as enticing as a Bergdorf window!”

I suggest lining the backs of the closet with ultra-suede, felt or an inexpensive, light-toned velvet that sets off the clothing. These few yards of fabric, contrasted with either lacquered or wood-veneered vertical stanchions, serve several purposes. The fabric absorbs scratches better than a painted surface and enhances, by contrast, the lacquered veneer. Frankly, this is a luxurious trick borrowed from the most seductive clothing displays on Madison Avenue.

Current trends favor the creamier, pale gray tones or diluted pastel lacquers for women’s dressing closets. For men, the wonderful world of exotic cerused veneers holds fast. Personally, I still prefer a pale textural background for the closet backs, very well lit, versus a dark closet back.

Recent years have seen closet rods lit from beneath with LED strips. This clever trick bathes the top of suits and dresses with a subtle glow that carefully directs one’s selective eye to the proper decision but also lends a sexy, low-key attitude to the closet.

For the display of shoes, we have wrapped slanted shelves with a thin, textured carpet and strung a brass or polished nickel rod to prevent slippage. If the ceilings are high, a rolling ladder can be provided to reach the upper shelves, especially for those who prefer to keep their footwear in shoe boxes, and below one can provide attractive square baskets for flip-flops and sport sneakers.

For shelves, Ms. Kates advises ordering more than you think you might need and insists that they be adjustable. “With more shelves, you don’t have to stack as many folded sweaters and knitwear on top of each other and it prevents you from messing up the stacks. And purses on higher shelves look so much more attractive and do not flop over on each other when they are separated by vertical panels.” Ms. Kates also points out that “the purchases also create great visual appeal, vertically showcased by color, material or style.”

Enhancing the dressing and accessorizing experience for the client, one can draw inspiration from the great jewelry and notions boutiques where shallow drawers lined in fabric or wallpaper display watches, necklaces, bracelets, cuff links, tie pins, earrings, gloves and handkerchiefs. In fact, I find closet counters and islands are a wasted surface if not covered in glass so that you can see through to your treasures, beautifully displayed in the lined top drawer below the glass counter. Designer Linda London uses beautiful glass cases with a soft, satin cushion inside on which to place delicate jewelry.

Closets always contain tight spaces, and belts, ties and scarves fit in these cramped quarters. Thin vertical panels with belt or tie hooks can be slid conveniently out of these skimpy vertical spaces and the walls behind the doors can be fitted with a horizontal stack of towel rods over which scarves can be hung conveniently, layering atop each other. Ms. London creates extremely organized spaces, with tiny cubbyholes for every belt and pair of sunglasses one could own.

Wall-to-wall carpet not only quiets the dressing closet, but it also visually expands the floor surface, so often chopped up by the ins-and-outs of cabinetry, islands and shelving. To boot, carpet provides a soft, tactile treat to weary, sensitive, bare feet.

A well-lit space is essential, but a ceiling perforated with a host of recessed lighting is not quite the most sensuous nor glamorous ambiance. A central pendant or chandelier, accompanied by sconces, peppered with a smattering of down can lights, is a gentler solution.

Other essentials I always provide for the closet are recessed telescoping valet rods for displaying one’s outfit, or holding items for dry cleaning before dispersing them. If space allows, we always supply a comfortable ottoman or bench for slipping on shoes and stockings.

Sometimes, if cramped for space, a perfect solution is a stool on wheels that remains stable when you step on top of it to reach the upper shelves. Somehow, I always manage to sneak in a three-way mirror (perhaps part of the entry door), so that when you dress for the ball, you can check to see if you’re zipped up all the way!

Most of us do not have the greatest luxury of a spacious dressing closet, so forethought in allotting space for every item of clothing and accessory pays rich dividends in an organized, as well as inspiring, dressing closet. Thinking like a ship builder, or an airplane designer, where every item must find its designated spot and no space is wasted, is a terrific approach. But thinking like a haberdashery display designer, where every clothing rack and showcase entices, thrills and seduces the beholder, elevates the dressing closet to an entirely new experience. Imagine: a closet display so enticing that you want to repurchase your own clothing and can’t wait to try everything on.