LA Closet Design creates BUZZ in the Wall Street Journal
LA Closet Design and Lisa Adams were featured this week (January 13, 2011) in The Wall Street Journal’s Personal Journal section article “The Closet Comes Out of the Closet: Coffee, TV, Flowers: Why Walk In, When You Can Live In?”
The genesis of this article was inspired by LA Closet Design’s philosophy and work, which caught the eye of the Wall Street Journal’s Anjali Athavaley. Lisa’s vision for LA Closet Design is to do with closet design what has evolved in kitchen design in the last 20 years, producing stylish but welcoming living spaces where people want to socialize. Lisa Adams contributed heavily to the article, working with journalist Anjali Athavaley to bring her up to speed on the tips and trends in today’s closet. Lisa’s tips are featured and illustrated in the article.
In the article, LA Closet Design client, Barbara Savage-Schiller mentions that her revamped closet adds real value to her home, as she realized first hand when she went to sell her house last year. “As it should!” Lisa confirms. “Closets are one of the top three rooms in a home (kitchen and bath are the other two) that potential buyers consider when purchasing a new home. We are seeing homeowners pushing developers and contractors to put completed closets—not just shelves and rods—into new construction homes.”
In addition to Barbara, some other LA Closet Design clients that were kind enough to be interviewed and feature their closets for this story include Robert Cort and Rosalie Swedlin, and Colin and Rina Strause. Lisa’s designs for her clients are featured in this article, which uncovers the rising trend in closets as a living space and true household amenity. Lisa designed separate HIS and HER closets for Robert and Rosalie, incorporating a refrigerator/breakfast nook/putting green in HIS, and full spa capabilities in HER closet. Colin and Rina’s closet became a shared HIS/HER closet including a vanity, with full LED dimming capabilities and a layout worthy of a boutique.
With the Wall Street Journal laying out LA Closet Design’s vision for closet design, there was a breakthrough in spreading the awareness to change the perception of closets. “We are interested in creating well-designed, living spaces for people—no matter the size of their closets,” says Lisa Adams. LA Closet Design has a leg up by pushing the envelope, but has more ground to cover – which they will do one closet at a time.
View the Wall Street Journal article “The Closet Comes Out of the Closet: Coffee, TV, Flowers: Why Walk In, When You Can Live In?” here.
View Barbara Savage-Schiller’s closet here:
View Robert Cort and Rosalie Swedlin’s closet here:
Here are some of the design elements highlighted in their closets, as included in the article:
- Natural light comes in through a skylight;
- A corner carousel;
- Shelves of bags for visibility and access;
- Mirrored doors create a dressing-room feeling and reflect Japanese garden outside;
- Island, made of maple, serves as a planning space and a flower holder;
- Folded clothing displayed as in a store;
- Integrated shower, bath and toilet create a spa-like atmosphere. Ms. Swedlin takes less than half an hour to shower and dress;
- Mr. Cort and Ms. Swedlin have coffee and fruit in this breakfast nook. Their dog, Hogan, joins on occasion;
- Mr. Cort keeps some shirts on a corner carousel. ‘Corners are killers in closets because they’re dead space,’ he says;
- Behind each shoe is its mate.
View Colin and Rina Strause’s closet here:
