From House To Home

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Beautiful bedrooms literally convey peace and tranquility. These rooms are usually minimally furnished. While what’s visible is beautiful, it’s what isn’t seen that makes these bedrooms so attractive: It’s the absence of clutter. In most clutter-free rooms, there is a bed, perhaps a night table, and a chair or sofa. Dressers are either absent or small. Clothing, shoes, and other personal items are nowhere in sight.

“People are trying to eliminate the use of furniture in their bedroom,” says Becky Newman, vice president of Internet sales and business development for EasyClosets.com. “People want all the drawers in their closets and for their bedroom to look more like a sitting room with a bed in it.”

Clutter = Anxiety

The lack of an organized closet for clothes and shoes opens the door to chaos. “Haphazardly placed shoes and clothes are hard to find and create a closed-in feeling,” says Newman.
This clutter can threaten a person’s peace of mind. In a recent study from the Australian Institute, “Stuff Happens: Unused Things Cluttering Up Our Homes,” 88 percent of the 1,002 people poled said they had at least one cluttered room. Forty percent of these same respondents said clutter made them feel very anxious.

Countless other studies have already proved that anxiety and a good night’s sleep are not compatible, so eliminating bedroom clutter makes sense.

“Access to our things when we want them also impacts the amount of time we have and affects our mood,” says Kathryn LaBarbera, executive vice president of Closet Factory in Los Angeles, a member of the National Closet Group. “When we can find things quickly and easily, especially in the morning, it’s a pretty good start to the day.”

Closet system solution

The solution for many is the personalized closet system. If everything has a place, then people are more likely to return each item to its designated space. Closet companies and their designers have made it their business to assist homeowners in creating personal, beautiful, and functional systems.

The common denominator remains the removal of clutter and organizing what is left. “The end result, if compatible with the individual, is all clothes—including underwear and socks—shoes, and handbags are tucked into neat drawers and compartments in the closet,” says LaBarbera.

Way beyond beauty and function

Lisa Adams, designer and CEO of LA Closet Design, wants to reshape the way we think about closets and goes so far as to suggest revising our vocabulary. “We’re moving away from closets,” she says, “much like how our kitchens have changed in the past 20 years. Then, they were places to grab food and eat in the dining room or elsewhere. Now, it’s the heart of the home. Closets aren’t just a place to stack and store things neatly,” she asserts. “They can be beautiful—‘wardrobes’ instead of just organized shelves and shoe racks.” That’s why this designer incorporates such amenities as perfume refrigerators and even designs complete dressing areas that include showers, commodes, and sinks, “so they’re more like personal spas.”

If everything has a place, people are more likely to return each item to its designated space.

Doors come in a variety of styles, including glass, for a more stylized look, and pulls can be classy, timeless leather. Slanted shoe racks showcase the entire shoe versus just a heel or toe. Slide-out belt and tie racks organize with a very small footprint.

The jewelry drawer is another versatile accessory. Designed to organize necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings, these trays also eliminate the clutter of personal items—such as a wallet, money clip, and keys—on top of the dresser.

More than what’s on the outside

Exterior beauty is rivaled only by creative storage solutions—or is it the other way around? The ultimate goal is to give people more space and better access to what they already have. Adams says homeowners should look to the design first and then to the product when making decisions about this important, often-overlooked space—a place that reflects “a unique blend of your sophistication and ease of accessibility.”