CHAIRISH PODCAST
Last week I had the pleasure of being featured in the latest episode of The Chairish Podcast, alongside other industry leaders in discussion with host Michael Boodro about the ever-changing world of luxury closets! Today, I’m sharing a few highlights from the episode, where we discuss the evolving definition of “luxury” closet design, as the space becomes an ever more integral part of the home and clients’ expectations grow.
Proper organization and storage are crucial to any successful home. In this episode, I join designers Melanie Charlton Fowler and Maria Castro in revealing our secrets for transforming overlooked spaces into useful assets, ingenious ways to upgrade existing storage spaces, and why closets are quickly becoming the most glamorous room in the house.
“A few years ago, everyone was adopting the Marie Kondo mentality of decluttering… Working with high end closets who can turn a bedroom into a closet, they don’t have to get rid of things! How do you deal with the amount of stuff people have?”
Inevitably, no matter the space you have — 2 story, 3 story closets, your space is always full! We aren’t magicians, but we can outfit the space to really maximize and use every square inch effectively. I like the idea of displaying — so that if you can see what you have, you will be more likely to use it. If you don’t see it, you won’t use it.
“Now, people are putting their closets on Instagram! I think it’s such an interesting change that people are proud and want to share their closets!… Why do you think this is?!”
I think the Kardashians and main-stream media have definitely influenced this. Seeing aspirational pantries and closets on IG and Pinterest make this feel more accessible and attainable. It’s about everything having its place, and this is what feels attractive to people!
“How do you handle a couple, when one partner is tidy and organized, and the other is a slob?!”
Even as much as valuing the closet space, you inevitably run into differences in lifestyle in client couples! I look at this as a challenge — everyone has something in their closet they get excited about, and I look at this as an opportunity to get them on board! It’s the same as designing for a child — if they don’t know where to put things, nothing gets put away, but if everything has a place it will be much easier for a messy client to stay organized!
“All of you are specialized — do you find that more and more interior designers are looking to you guys then before? Do you pair with a lot of other designers?”
I would say at the start of my career, it was a lot of interaction directly with homeowners who cared — because this hadn't really caught on. Now that the expectation is to have more specialized consultants for various aspects of the home, the norm is now that other designers will bring you on to collaborate. When you’re doing something day in and day out, you get good at it! “Team” is always better than “I”.
“Do you do any other spaces?!”
I just want to honor that there are specialists for many spaces — I obviously want to look at the client’s lifestyle as a whole, in considering the design of the master closets, and the definition of the functions that space has to perform has absolutely grown from what we expected 10 years ago. But, I only do closets!
“What’s one trick you think will upgrade the functionality of any closet?”
I think we all need a staging area — it doesn’t have to take up a ton of space, but we all need a place for incoming pieces, packing, putting together outfits. It’s a game-changer in making the space more merchandised and functional for you!
