GETTING MY NEST ON WITH CALIFORNIA CLOSETS

Thank you California Closets for sponsoring this post.

There are a whole lot of exciting things happening over the next few months, one of which is getting our home ready for baby. My need to “nest” has been in full-blown over drive lately, so when California Closets reached out to partner on a home project together, I was thrilled to say the least.

Let me paint the picture for you: we moved into our home just under 4 years ago and 4 years ago, I had two bitty babies that didn’t come with much stuff. I mean, they did have stuff, just not as much stuff as two growing boys have now. My home organization has slowly met a downward spiral and in no other home have I had a closet space done professionally to appease my OCD of everything needing to have a place. There was really no other time than now when it came to getting our life in order when getting ready to add another child to our daily chaos (err circus). I’m hoping this puts an end to the piles of crap we just throw behind a door and leave heaped up everywhere and so does my husband.

Here’s my Pinterest-worthy inspiration for the closet:

I was thinking somewhere to roll our beach towels, a place to hang items, an area large enough to store our vacuum and/or strollers and cubbies that can potentially hold things like well-kept bins of miscellaneous household items (ie. light bulbs, manuals, etc.), bottles of SPF + bug spray. So ZEN, right?

Well, *drum roll*  here’s the current raw space (embarrassing!):

Enter the best in the biz at organizing your chaos, California Closets. Working with them was a breeze – from start to finish the entire process was seamless and fun! It started out with a local consultation from our home store in Charleston, SC with the sweetest women named P.K. She came into my home with a bubbly smile and incredible knowledge about closet organization. She listened to my every wish (and believe me, I did have a lot) and really helped me bring my vision to life. We had a look at a few different closet spaces that could use some help – my pantry, my mudroom closet, our laundry room, and a linen closet. After reviewing our options, I felt that we could get the most out of what P.K. was offering us by focusing on our mudroom.

She had a look at our current mudroom closet situation (which btw as you can see in the photos, was at max capacity and was a nightmare to ever keep organized) and was determined to give us the closet of our dreams. We went through all the amazing amenities that  California Closets has to offer and P.K. was even able to keep me within my budget.  We were on the fence about making the purchase and what pushed us over was her no pressure sales and amazing design plan. There wasn’t much I had to do to convince my husband that this is what we needed in our life right now. He was SOLD.

Final renderings:

I’m excited to get to the next step, which is installation. We’re scheduled for the team to come back in the next 6-8 weeks (right before baby!) to get us all situated with the perfect system to help us reign it all in for all of those endless Summer activities, beach days, and the start of the new school year. I’m already looking forward to adding my touch to California Closet‘s system. I have my eyes on these adorable baskets to put on the shelves and these hangers + deep basket to help keep the coats, beanies and scarves organized in the winter.

 

Working with California Closets has definitely exceeded my expectation on what I could do with this space. I highly recommend exploring a consultation with them for any organizational needs you might have – they do so much more than just closets! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Their design consultants will collaborate with you to create a custom design that meets your needs, reflects your personal style and works within your budget. Many of the locations run seasonal promotions or financing options, so be sure to contact your local California Closets for more details on what discounts they’re currently offering, if you’re on the fence. Stay tuned for our big closet reveal later this summer! It will definitely be an amazing before/after photo. 😉

While working with our designer, P.K. Kryder, I talked to her about her tips and tricks for the process of designing a closet:

What are some of your favorite tricks, products, designs and ideas for closets today?

As always, California Closets dedicates our business to relational worldly trends in design. For me, it is all about the details. Incorporating color, texture and functionality is key.  On-trend items I tend to focus on right now include custom islands, seated benches, shoe storage, elegant finishes, dramatic lighting displays and work/live spaces. Designing spaces that provide multiple functions give the customer more dramatic design and a wider usage of space, like office/sitting rooms, mudrooms/storage rooms or craft/guest rooms. With our wide array of offerings like built-in murphy beds, custom storage benches, and ironing stations, we can repurpose almost any space in the home.  Clients love the idea of getting “two for one” room space. This allow us to bring more textures into the room like beautiful reclaimed wood finishes, glass door cabinetry, open shelving, pull-out basketry, polished hardware and accent lighting.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you think people make when doing their closets?

What we find most often when we enter a new customers closet is design that is not well thought out for the items that are actually stored in a closet. Not only is the space where the clothes go matter, but the space where the clothes do not go matters just as much. How you fit and function in your closet is absolutely just as important and I believe that it is often missed. Spaces may look fine, but they are not measured out for actual clothes and shoe sizing. We measure all clothes from how many pieces to what size. We count every bag, every pair of shoes and each stack of clothing in the closet along with all of your hanging pieces.  We note the smallest details like how you hang your pants on the hanger, where you store your watches and jewelry, and how the light shines on your items. Not only are you ordering a custom closet, we like to say that California Closets offers custom-custom closets because this space is uniquely designed for you and no two closet in the world are alike.

What are the keys to planning and designing a functional closet?

For me, number one is listening to my customers. Understanding their goals and expectations is the foundation of excellent design. Spending the time with customers in the closet and at the kitchen table is so important. Once I know what my customer needs and want, then I can use my expertise to make it a reality. This means developing a positive energy flow in the closet. This is achieved through designing with intentional functionality; easy to access hanging and drawer heights, accessories that create a focused storage space and  a dedicated space for everything. When you know where an item belongs, it is so much easier to put it back where it came from when you are done using it. Also, I achieve a sense of balance and calm with beautiful and rich textures, on-point design styles and impactful atmospheric lighting. Before my customer walks into their closet, I want them to have a momentary sign of relieve and a miniature adrenaline bump with the anticipation of the ease of use and inner joy they are about to experience.

So yes, they do know how to do their closets really, really well. You can also check out this video from California Closets and Marie Kondo on how to create order and spark joy in your own home. I’m loving and incorporating all of Marie’s tips as we speak!

xx,

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.