A tailored fit for your cluttered closet

It's that time of year again when shoes and boots are tossed haphazardly over the floor of your closet and it's tough to squeeze those sweaters and new pants onto the rod next to your older clothes. What's a neat freak to do?

Why not try a closet makeover to reduce clutter?

Although your mind may scream that you don't have the time and money to do this, guess again. Redoing your closet may be cheaper and easier than you think.

Gone are the days when closets merely had a rod with a shelf on top. Today's closets can have drawers, pullout bins, hampers, tie racks, and any number of other custom accoutrements.

"Custom closets are almost expected in a lot of homes now," said Kristina Ferrigan, sales and marketing director for Closet Works in Elmhurst. "It has come down in snob factor and is essential, whether it's a wire system or something else."

Choices abound, from modular systems available at big box home improvement stores to modular systems such as Elfa, featured at The Container Store, which can be cut to fit your needs. You can also buy completely customized systems with wood or laminate facing and components made to order.

Determining your needs is the key to making a customized system work. That's why Rich Kuban, owner of Closet Experts in Addison, takes a full inventory of a client's needs.

"I measure the space and take an inventory of what they have," said Kuban, who along with his wife, Laura, have been in the custom closet business since 1986. "I ask questions to get a feel for what they're looking for."

Sometimes what a client wants simply won't work in the space they have, so Kuban must steer them away from their original concept. Kuban returns to his office to design the space and returns several days later with a three-dimensional computer presentation that helps the client visualize the design. Once approved, the components are put into production at Closet Expert's on-site production facility.

Closet Works operates in much the same manner regarding design and manufacture. Generally, components are available for installation in about a week to two weeks, although Kuban noted that some components such as doors with raised panels must be manufactured off site and can take longer.

Although many suburban homes have standard sizes for master and secondary bedrooms, no two custom applications are alike because of customer needs. There are some components, however, that apply to every situation.

"You never do hanging on top with shelves underneath," Ferrigan said. "For one, the lighting is better if you put shelves on top and it's ergonomically easier to reach the clothes you hang if they are underneath the shelves."

Shelves should also have some kind of designated purpose to maximize their function. This idea is on a par with what Kuban does, a concept he calls "divide and conquer."

"Instead of one big space, I like to create individual areas and assign purposes," he said.

When designing a closet space, three factors come into play. These are:

Maximizing the capacity of the space.

Looking for a more efficient way to put things together.

Creating an appearance.

With those basic design elements, the sky is the limit as just about anything can be included in a custom closet. Nevertheless, a basic customized 8-foot lineal closet at Closet Experts starts at about $900 while Closet Works' Ferrigan said her company's prices are about $100 per lineal foot. Larger master bedroom walk-in closets are a little trickier to design, but Ferrigan noted that a typical 8-by-10-foot closet showcased in Closet Works' showroom costs about $3,000.

On the same point, she noted, "My own walk-in was about $2,000."

While the sky is the limit as far as customizing today's custom closet installation, there are some definite trends in the industry. One decorative item that both Closet Works and Closet Expert are seeing is crown molding being placed in installations to give the area a more refined look.

Another trend is glass doors inside the closet, but as Kuban noted, this feature is a double-edged sword.

"I have had customers tell me that you need to keep everything really pretty inside with glass doors," Kuban said.

One of the latest innovations has been "soft close," which comes from the kitchen cabinet industry, whereby stoppers are installed so drawers and cabinets don't slam shut. Raised panel fronts for doors and drawers are another trend as are a combination of wood and laminate applications. The latter is something that has sold well at Closet Works.

"We have done a lot of these in the last two years where the customer combines read wood front doors and the inside is laminate," Ferrigan said. "It cuts down on cost this way, but preserves the beauty."

What is included in your closet is a matter of taste, as well as what you need. Scott and Debora Painter purchased closet organization systems for two master bedrooms, one in their former house in Bartlett and their current one in Addison, from Closet Experts. The Painters have options such as tie and belt racks, as well as a flip-out ironing board located inside the closet.

"What I like is that we were able to put our folded clothes in there so we wouldn't need dressers," Painter said. "It makes the bedroom look bigger."

Kuban noted that virtually all clients say they have a lot of things. One particular problem area is shoes, which he likes to hide from view in his designs. But even here, not everyone wants to keep their footwear with their clothes.

Angela Aspinwall of Aurora, who has had her home as well as a Chicago condominium outfitted by Closet Works, prefers to have her footwear in a separate location, leaving the master bedroom closet solely for clothes.

"We have a tilt-out hamper with a canvas bag for dirty clothes and there's a foldout mirror, which I really like," she said.

The Aspinwalls also have a chest of drawers in their master bedroom closet, as well as lots of double hang rods and shelves with clear dividers where they can put folded clothes. The result has been nothing short of miraculous for them. "We were able to condense two closets into one," she said.

While not everyone will experience such stunning changes, have a custom closet designed and you will find storage room you never knew you had.

"Generally, I can increase hanging space by roughly one-third and shelving space by one-third to one-half," Kuban said.

Once you have a closet redone, other areas of the home will follow.

"It's quite addictive," noted Aspinwall, who has had multiple closets done in her home as well as a computer center in her home's study.

"They don't just do closets, but other areas of the home, too," she said. "We put everything against the walls and have space for three computers. There are shelves in the middle and glass doors."

Another typical application is laundry rooms, which the Painters have had finished complete with multiple hampers and a pullout ironing board. Painter has even brought Closet Experts into his auto repair business where he had them install lockers for his employees.

Lockers are a particularly good application for the rear entrances of suburban houses, which Kuban noted have been ignored by builders in the last few decades. The cubbies give everyone individual places to store their outerwear, allowing the front closet to be kept solely for guests.

Once you've decided to redo your closet, you may think that your home will be disrupted for days. Again, that's not the case. Closet Works and Closet Experts guarantee installation will be done in one day, usually spanning just a few hours. Closet Experts accomplishes this by doing a lot of pre-assembly at its warehouse. On the other hand, Closet Works works with you during post installation by providing the services of a professional organizer, which is included in the overall price.

No matter what you choose, however, your closet will become an oasis in your home.

"Closets have become a place of luxury and sanctuary," Ferrigan said. "It's where you start the day and end the day."