From House To Home

Q: Dear Christopher: I’m at a boiling point with my closets or the lack of them. I live in an older home that has historical significance and I want to stay true to its period design and building in more closets would be too disruptive to the architecture and our household. What should I do? Karen in Williamsburg

A: Dear Karen: Having grown up in period homes or newly restored houses, I truly do understand how a closet-deficient home can drive you nuts. It’s a constant fight each and every day to even get dressed and undressed. I’ve heard this complaint so many times and it always amazes me that people are so fixated on built-in closets that they forget that closets don’t have to be built-in.

Here’s a little history lesson. In many period homes, closets—even in bedrooms—were not for actual wardrobe but in fact, strictly for utilitarian purposes. They stored linens and sheets or many of the things we now store in our garages. Hanging clothes were placed in external freestanding armoires and wardrobes. Armoires provided greater air circulation for complicated clothing worn by folks who showered once a week versus everyday—if you get my drift.

In the old days, these furniture pieces were gigantic, heavily decorated with ornate moldings and beveled mirrors, and weighed a ton. They soon fell from vogue and were considered old-fashioned.

Soon, the style of clothing became more streamlined and regular cleaning and dry-cleaning became the norm—not to mention more frequent bathing. Builders became smarter with clothing space design as demand for it increased. Today, many closets in master suites of new homes are almost the size of the bedroom itself.

However, the armoire slowly returned. First they were the solution for hiding one’s TV and we called them entertainment centers. Then as self-contained offices within the home, armoires were called workstations, like the ones I design for Office Depot. But with the advent of the flat screen TV—mostly wall-mounted or set on tables, the furniture industry is now returning to the original armoire name for the original purpose—hanging clothes in space-challenged rooms. And because of technology advancement in manufacturing and the global resources now available to us, the clothing armoire has come full circle. Today, even the once suspect ready-to-assemble designs of the past that wobbled, leaned and never survived more than one move from room to room let alone from home to home—are now built to last with more structural integrity at half the price. These pieces come in a wide array of traditional styles in both wood and paint finishes. Furthermore, they are now replacing the conventional closet in many of the up-scale boutique hotels being built as we speak. These pieces can act as real room focal points. So instead of complaining that you don’t have an “innie” closet—get an “outie” one! Come out of the closet and into the room!

Q: Dear Christopher: I’m about to hire one of those closet companies to come and organize my closet. What do I need to know before they arrive? Marcie in Austin

A: Dear Marcie: The most important thing to know first, is how many articles of clothing you’re looking to accommodate. I don’t mean, how many clothes you have, but how many you ACTUALLY wear. So first purge your closets of anything you haven’t worn in a year. Bye-bye now.

Next, figure out how you want your closet to function. What order do you dress in? Ask yourself if you want a drawer for socks, stockings and undies or are they better in a dresser next to the bathroom where you get out of the shower? Logistics are everything to getting the closet you really want.

Next, what is the ratio between folded and hanging clothes?

Once you have these questions answered, then the next topic is adjustability. The more flexibility to move shelves and hanging rods, the better. When finished, it will still take you months to get every article of clothing exactly where you want it.

Check out Ask Christopher next week for ALL NEW questions and answers.