Luxury Closets

Eva Longoria-Parker’s Closet photo courtesy of Instyle Magazine (celebrity closets)

I go gaga over closets like this one. And who wouldn’t? Having an exceptionally beautiful closet with customized shelving that displays your fashion treasures is the ultimate indulgence. Imagine drifting into a closet like this one every morning! It feels like your own personal boutique. Perhaps I love closets so much because I have a bit of a shoe/purse/clothing obsession and I adore how all these gorgeous items are displayed. Or maybe it is because a luxury closet is a complete extravagance. It could be that the main attraction is the sense of calm and order that these closets embody. For all of these reasons, a luxury closet is one of the best things you can treat yourself to!

Photo courtesy of decorpad

As interior designers, we are being asked to design custom closets for our clients more and more frequently. A lot of thought and ingenuity goes into luxury closet design. When we begin a closet design project we spend time finding out how the client likes to store their clothing, how much space is required and what kinds of items they have. It is ideal to have a place to sit, a counter space for folding, a mirror, some natural light and a variety of drawers, shelves, hooks and rods. Special attention is paid to the length of pants and shirts and the heights of the rods especially for taller clients so that the clothing hangs nicely. Over the years, we have designed several amazing closets that include packing islands, built in bench seats, cherry or walnut cabinetry, coffee stations, and specialized storage for unique items. Some have been massive and others are small but well-organized. All of them turn out wonderfully, and I am always in awe of the space and efficiency that is created with good closet design. Here are a few images of my favorite inspirational closets.

Closet design by Corea Sotropa Interior Design

One of my favorite websites to visit for inspirational closet designs is Clos-ette. They have some wonderful examples of gorgeous closets of all styles and sizes.

Photo courtesy of Clos-ette.

This photo illustrates how you can have fun with the design of your closet. The cabinets are fairly simple and clean lined, but it’s the gilded mirror, the chandelier and faux upholstered wallpaper that give the glamour.

Photo courtesy of Clos-ette.

The lit glass shelving is terrific in this closet. I also adore the attention to detail in the coved ceiling and the clever peg board storage solution.

Photo courtesy of Clos-ette.

Clever storage for jewelry and accessories is featured in this closet. The drawers are divided into smaller compartments to keep everything organized.

Photo courtesy of Clos-ette.

This modern streamlined closet feels crisp and gallery like. The glass details add drama and sparkle.

Check out the beautiful leather handles on the double dresser islands and the sculptural glass lamps. This closet it ultra chic! This closet is by SR Gambrel in New York City.

This closet also by Steven Gambrel is accented with large upholstery tacks. This detail is so unexpected and unusual, but very fitting for a closet. It is reminiscent of a piece of antique luggage.

Of course, there is no reason why you have to keep the cabinetry to a neutral color or a wood finish. Here, Christina Aguilera shows off her pink closet complete with sliding ladder, leopard print rug and sumptuous silk drapery. It is over the top, but it is totally her!

Recognize this closet? The iconic closet from the series Sex and the City is large by New York City standards, but has lots of well thought out storage. When I went to see the movie, I actually gasped when Carrie’s newly renovated closet has revealed! What a dream!
Hope you enjoyed these marvelous closets!
Cheers!  http://coreasotropa.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/luxury-closets-2/

Stars Show Off Their Closets

Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Tisdale's contractor father, Michael Tisdale, built her 3,500-square-foot home, and everything went smoothly until they clashed over creating the closet, which occupies two of her four bedrooms. "I wanted color to pop off the hangers, and I wanted it clean. I insisted on marble. My father said, 'It's going to be cold. You're going to want carpet.' We're both headstrong. He ended up being right. But it's still beautiful!" One peek inside and it's no wonder pal Vanessa Hudgens dubbed this Barbie's Dream House. She organizes her wardrobe by item (pants, tops, etc.) and groups denim by wash and hue. "I have a lot of clothes but still have days when I feel like nothing looks good."   

Inside Ashley Tisdale's Closet

SHOE CLOSET An entire room is devoted to her collection of more than 250 pairs of brightly colored boots, peep-toes, and flats (from Louboutins to Dolce Vitas). "I hang out in here with friends—there's plenty of seating!" she says.

SHELVING "I leave my bags out for display—I definitely have a soft spot for my Chanels and Louis Vuittons, especially the Murakami bag."

ORGANIZATION Jewelry and accessories are stored mostly under glass on a central island in the clothing closet. "If I don't see something, I won't remember I have it," she explains. "In my last place I could never find anything."   

Christina Aguilera

In the Los Angeles mansion she shares with her husband, Jordan Bratman, and their 21-month-old son, Max (shown here), Christina Aguilera has not one but two expansive closets. First stop: Shoes. "Everything on my shoe wall is grouped by designer—Louboutin, McQueen, YSL—all in their own little family," says Aguilera. "And there's room for boots up top." The hyper-organized singer also has zones for her jeans, jackets, coats, skirts, sweaters and jewelry in the ultra-glam room, complete with a chandelier and leopard-print rug.

Go inside So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley's closet!   

Olivia Wilde

Recently, Olivia Wilde and her husband, Tao Ruspoli transformed the guest room and sitting room of their Venice, Calif. townhouse into a walk-in closet and a refined, comfortable office for the actress. The dramatic change was sparked by the Wilde's godmother, Laurie Frank, a well-known L.A. gallerist and decorator, who convinced her to construct a sophisticated cedar-lined closet—outfitted with translucent panels, a plush rug from Cantoni, and a black-glass chandelier from Lawson-Fenning. A perfect home for her many red-carpet dresses and favorite red shoes. The walk-in's decadent centerpiece is a 19th-century mirrored vanity (flanked by two mirrored chests from Anthropologie). "It's from the South of France and has never been restored," she says.  

Fergie

When Fergie moved in with new husband, Josh Duhamel, she jumped at the opportunity to create a brand new closet. "We knocked down the wall between two rooms and Josh named it Fergieland!" she says. "I designed it myself, so there's a boudoir-boutique feel." The large room is just for Fergie's things (organized by color and category of course), while Josh's clothes are kept in his own closet in the master bedroom. "Before Josh and I moved in together my stuff would be over flowing into piles in the living room at his house." she says. "Now I love the process of picking things out."

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CLOSET! Download our wardrobe worksheet.   

Eva Longoria Parker

The 133-square-foot master closet in Eva Longoria Parker's L.A. home is full of gorgeous gowns, shoes, shirts—and a coveted Hermes hot-pink crocodile Birkin bag. Taking a glance through her impressive shoe collection she calls her Christian Louboutin espadrille wedges "a beautiful pain" (she sprained her ankle wearing them in Paris) and says she has "always dressed for comfort", which is easily confirmed by the 50 pairs of jeans and more than one pair of Ugg boots. "Tony loves me in Uggs. He says, 'Wear your Hugs, honey'—that's how he pronounces it with his French accent."
  

Nicky Hilton

The Hilton heiress and designer of fashion lines Chic and Nicholai grew up in hotels, but Nicky Hilton now calls a 1950s two-story ranch above the Sunset Strip home. It boasts two "very organized" couture-filled walk-in closets. Her shoe collection, which isn't raided by her friends or family because of her size 10.5 foot, is organized by designer."My Manolos are together, Chanels are together, Louboutins together." Besides the 200 or more handbags she owns, one of Hilton's prized pieces is a Roberto Cavalli beaded butterfly minidress that the designer gave her for her 24th birthday. "I was in Milan and he told me to pick whatever I wanted from his showroom!" she says.
  

Kimora Lee Simmons

Kimora Lee Simmons, head of Baby Phat clothing line, combined two bedrooms in her 49,000-square-foot Saddle River, N.J. home to create her expansive walk-in closet. "I wanted my closet to look like a boutique," she says. It contains over 500 pairs of jeans, 35 custom-made Hermes Birkin bags and an extensive collection of jewelry. The closet, which is decorated with leopard-print carpet, marble columns, a mini-bar, and flat screen tvs, only holds some of her clothes—the overflow is stored in other bedroom closets. Everything in her closet is photographed and stored on her computer so she can easily put together outfits, "I'm very neurotic is what my closet says about me," she says. "It's always in great order."
  

Paula Abdul

The former American Idol judge has an impressive walk-in closet in her 5,000 square foot Mediterranean style home in the San Fernando valley. All her outfits and coordinating accessories are numbered with tags so she can easily pack for trips and events. Her impressive shoe collection is made up mostly of high-heels—"I always wear heels unless I'm working out," says Paula Abdul, who is just over five feet. Even with all of those shoes the former choreographer claims, "A comfortable pair of jeans, a great belt, and a leather jacket is all I need."
  

Mariah Carey

The five-time Grammy award winning artist has an enormous, climate controlled closet in her 12,000 square foot Manhattan triplex. However, the vast space still can't contain all of Mariah Carey's shoes. "I have about 1,000 pairs of shoes. But lots are in storage," she says. Carey designed the sweeping space with gold-leaf and bleached-wood floors. "Like Louis Vuitton luggage," she says, "it will only look better over time." Few girls would be able to fill the closet, which is arranged by color and material, as well as in event-specific groupings. "If someone else ever bought it [the apartment], she'd have to be a total diva!"  

Jamie-Lynn Sigler

The Sopranos' actress has completely made-over a 2,700-square-foot Tribeca duplex. "Tribeca is very cool. There's a lot of old architecture and a sense of mystery too." Jamie-Lynn Sigler's 200-square-foot closet was created by Anthony's Custom Closets in Long Island and the new setup helps keep her designer dresses, bags, countless pairs of Genetic jeans, and over 75 pairs of shoes organized. "For years I have not been able to find anything in my closet," says Sigler. "Now I see all my clothes shoes and accessories, even some stuff I completely forgot I had .. with the tags still on them!"
  

Maria Menounos

The 28-year-old actress and television correspondent has set up house in a white, Georgian-style home in Hollywood, CA. It was decorated with the help of designer Clayton Asher Doyle, of L.A. furnishing store Plantation. She transformed a massive upstairs space into Maria Menounos' "office/hair-makeup-and-dressing room," which houses her Azzaro and Calvin Klein gowns, 50 pairs of jeans, blazers, sweaters, and a cedar walk-in closet devoted mostly to rows of shoes and boots. Even with such an impressive closet, Menounos claims, "I hate shopping. Really. I used to go to the mall once a year and just stock up on white T-shirts, tanks, socks and necessities. Now I need nice clothes for my career."
 http://www.instyle.com/instyle/package/general/photos/0,,20302958_20180970_20415804,00.html

Gender Neutral Nursery

Design Dazzle reader Cat Moore baby's room was featured in Southern Living. Way to go Cat!! Cat and her husband John transformed an office into a baby nursery/big boy room. They waited until the birth day to find out if they were having a boy or a girl. Their goal was to create a gender neutral nursery. And boy, they sure did!

Wall paint color is Willow Branch by Valspar. Color above wall ledge is a bright white. I'm loving the display ledge to display your favorite plush animals, toys or your own toys from childhood.

Southern Living feature

Cat has a complete write-up on her blog...Constant in Chaos. Check out her post for tons of details about the room.

Gund 16 - Inch Manni Bear

Kidsline - 8" Unpainted Wood Wall Letters - J

Fieldcrest® Luxury Matelasse Coverlet - White (Queen)

Carolina Cottage Upholstered Oxford Club Chair, Beige

Westport Light Green Braided Rug Size: 5' x 7'

Home Dynamix Area Rugs: Green Stripes Rug 4'11"x6'10" Rectangle   http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/search/label/rooms%20with%20paint%20colors?updated-max=2011-02-07T08%3A02%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=20

How To Paint An Argyle Wall

Madelyn Ridgeway is awesome! She and her hubby painted their sons bedroom wall with an argyle pattern and she emailed me the directions for our readers! I'm loving this wall - can't wait to see the finished room! Here's the sweater vest that was the inspiration for the room.
Madelyn:
"I originally painted the room grey in anticipation of a little girl’s grey and lavender room only to find out I was having a boy. Although I was disappointed at first, I found this sweater and was instantly smitten by it and used it to design the nursery around. One of the best things about the inspiration is that it had grey in it because we didn’t want to re-paint the room again if we could help it.



Directions:

1. Paint the base coat of paint on the wall and let it dry completely.
2. Next I figured out how many rows of diamonds I wanted. We decided on 4 rows but wish we had done 3 instead just for personal preference.
3. Using the calculator given on Silver Spoon Murals, I figured the measurements of each row and column.
4. Once you have calculated the width and height of your diamonds it is time to draw your lines vertically down the wall where your diamonds will be. Measure the width of each diamond and using your level (I used a laser level), draw a straight line the exact width of the diamond all the way down the wall vertically. Keep going until all vertical lines are drawn. I marked my lines using a chalk line so I wouldn’t have to worry about erasing the lines. You can adjust the width of the diamonds slightly, but don’t adjust the height.
5. Draw horizontal lines the height of your diamond the entire length of the wall (again, I used the chalk line). Now you should basically have a bunch of rectangles on the wall.
6. Find the middle of each rectangle and mark the top, bottom, right and left side. Then connect the dots by drawing lines to form your diamond pattern. Keep in mind that all these lines will have to be erased at some point if you are using pencil, so you may not want to make too dark a line with your pencil. Chalk, however will wipe off easily with a baby or clorox wipe. It is possible to connect the dots with tape without drawing lines but I didn’t want to risk messing up so again, I used chalk. If you do not feel confident, DRAW THE LINES that will form your diamond. Don't attempt to tape all the way down your wall in one line as it is impossible to keep the tape straight enough on the wall without a partner, and even then, it may be difficult. Rather, tear off a piece of tape just long enough to cover each side of your diamond.
7. Once the diamonds are all taped off, you paint them. I painted alternating rows since I was using the same colors for the entire column however the website directions direct you slightly differently.
8. Bleeding may be a problem when taping the diamonds I suggest using a flat end trowel or your finger nail to run down the side of the tape of each diamond . This usually prevents any paint from bleeding through. If you still manage to bleed through the tape, you can always go back with an angled artist brush (available at craft stores) and steady hands to touch up the bleeds.


9. To mark the diagonal lines, we measured the center of each diamond diagonal for a diagonal row. This may sound confusing so I’ll try to explain better with an example. For the first diagonal strip I marked the center point of the diagonal for row 1 diamond 1, row 2 diamond 2, row 3 diamond 3 and so on until I completed one diagonal row. I did this for all the diagonal rows until I had created diagonal lines for each diamond. I once again used chalk lines to mark the diagonal stripes.


10. I used a make- your-own stencil kit I purchased from Hobby Lobby to make a dash stencil. For the dashes I found a ready made rectangle shape I found in the art department of Hobby Lobby as a template. I decided on the spacing I preferred for the dashes and made a comprised of a stencil of dashes.


11. After completing the stencil, I put painters tape on each side (you’ll need to periodically change the tape to make sure it will stick to the wall) of the stencil and placed the stencil directly over the center of each line - using a stencil brush, I stenciled the dashes on! Go over each diagonal line until all are completed. I went back over with a painters brush and touched up any dashes that may have been inconsistent because of bleeds.


Update: Directions step-by-step - how-to paint an argyle wall.

If you have any questions, leave a comment. Madelyn mentioned she would be happy to answer any questions! Thanks for sharing such a detailed project!
  http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/search/label/painting%20techniques