Add value to your home with custom storage that suits your style!
Although you see people share projects on Pinterest, closet design and building is not something that the average homeowner has much experience with. Designing a functional custom closet is not a project to tackle on your own without being prepared to spend a lot of time to commit to the process. If you want a custom closet for your master bedroom, guest room, and you try to do it yourself, your design could be plagued by issues that could have been easily avoided by bringing in a pro like C & C Cabinets.Let’s take a look at some cabinetry design mistakes that could turn your dream custom closet into a nightmare!
Design Mistake #1: Dead Space Above the Top Shelf
The number one mistake in most custom closets is not taking advantage of the dead space above the top shelf in the closet. Sure, you might be able to put some stackable storage up there, but they might be hard to access, and there will still be some dead space and missed opportunities for more organization.Easy Fix: It’s best to design the top shelf 12” from the ceiling. This will allow space to store suitcases, a stack of clothing, or a few shoeboxes.
Design Mistake #2: No Adjustable System
Many closets are made of wood or MDF ( multi-density fiberboard) which is painted and has a mix of shelves and double hanging space. You might think to yourself, this is great! Look at all this space!However, what you might find is that your long dresses or suit coats may be too long for the provided space. Your unique mix of clothing changes over time and your closet should be able to adjust and change with them. If your closet rods are all at one level and can’t move, your custom closet is not designed for all your storage needs.Easy Fix: Ensure that your closet is designed with flexibility in mind. Choose a closet system that has side support rails with “increment” holes. These holes on the side allow you to adjust rods, shelves, and drawers up and down.Closet feeling like it’s bursting at the seams, but not sure where to even start with custom closet design? Call on the Cabinet Chic, Miriam Johnson, to help you bring your vision to life. We offer custom cabinetry from affordable, shoe-string storage options all the way to the highest of high-end materials. Get your free custom closet design estimate today - (813) 876-6780!
Design Mistake #3: Your Shelves Aren’t Deep Enough
Most closets are designed with 12” shelving, which is cheap for the manufacturer, but will make your closet look sloppy in the long run. 12” shelving works if you have small shoes, but when you stack t-shirts, pants, or longer shoes on the shelf, they will likely hang out. When your clothes are hanging over the edge, they look sloppy. Not the look you want with custom cabinetry...Easy Fix: When designing your custom closet, ask for 14” or deeper shelving and enjoy a closet with no sloppy clothes hanging over the edge![caption id="attachment_1201" align="alignnone" width="564"]
Design Mistake #4: A Dark Closet
It’s hard to get dressed in the morning when your custom closet does not have adequate lighting. Although creating a custom lighting system can be pricey, there are a few options to brighten up your closet with the hefty price tag.Easy Fix: Use rechargeable LED motion-activated lights. This simple, yet cost-effective solution will make your dark closet a great place to get dressed in the morning. A nice chandelier may be an elegant touch for your haute couture closet too!
Design Mistake #5: Non-efficient Shoe Storage
While a fancy Carrie Bradshaw style shoe closet with angled or raised shoe shelves might be lovely, chances are you don’t have enough room to make that a reality.If you are a shoe collector, it can be a challenge to store them in an organized fashion. The problem with angled or raised shoe shelves is that they create dead space, which is something that you can’t afford when you have a lot of shoes and limited space.Easy Fix: Save money and store more shoes using flat adjustable shoe shelves. These shelves are either made of thick laminate so they won’t bow, or steel, and allow you to store more pairs in the same vertical space.
Design Mistake #6: A Trim Carpenter or Builder Made Your Closet from Wood or Painted MDF On-Site
Building a custom home? Perhaps you opted for a wood or painted MDF closet for the design options. However, your builder may have used a trim subcontractor who cut and installed your project on-site. While it may look prettier than the standard wire racks, there maybe are a few problems that you might notice once you move in:
- No increment holes, so you can’t adjust rods and shelves.
- The painted surfaces can get nicked and scratched and need to be retouched
- A trim carpenter is not a professional closet designer, so other problems might arise like hangers encroaching on doors.
Easy Fix: Hire a custom closet professional like C & C Cabinets and choose a laminate closet system. New textured laminates feel and look like wood, and won’t need to be repainted or refinished in the future.
Design Mistake #7: Drawers Were Not Incorporated Into Your Closet Design
Instead of having a stand-alone dresser in your bedroom, where you might wake up your partner in the morning by turning on an overhead light, it is wise to include drawers in your custom closet design.With drawers in your closet, and the LED lights mentioned above, you can get “fully ready” in the morning without disturbing your partner at all!
Design Mistake #8: Fighting Through Clothes As Soon As You Enter The Closet
If you have a smaller, more narrow closet, it can feel like you are pushing your way through a jungle of clothes as you enter. If you have a lot of clothes, this can make use of your closet almost impossible.Easy Fix: If having hanging clothes on one or two sides of the entry to your closet is suffocating, simply replace them with shelving. The most logical items to place on these shelves would be your shoes since shoes are often taken off and put on by the closet door.
Design Mistake #9: You Don’t View a 3D Rendering of Your Closet Before Installation
A 2D floor plan just won’t cut it. To see and feel how a closet works, you need another viewpoint than just 2D. You need to be able to ask the important questions like: Is it roomy enough? Can you use deeper cabinetry on a feature wall? Will the doorway be open and inviting?Easy Fix: 3D technology helps you get a feel for your custom closet design before you get it installed.
Design Mistake #10: Not Bringing Beauty Into Your Custom Closet Design
Generally, you use your custom closet every day. Closets don’t have to be ugly, wire-filled rooms! Instead of being just a storage space, closets have moved from drab, boring spaces, into becoming wardrobe rooms where you get ready in the morning or for a big night out, which calls for them to have a touch of design and beauty infused in them!Don’t accept a boring, lifeless closet! Call the Cabinet Chic for the custom closet of your dreams!
Create a Great Custom Closet
Create the custom closet of your dreams, and call on C & C Cabinets to help design and build it! Here are some of our Cabinet Chic’s top tips:
- If space allows, create a dramatic feature wall that will welcome you in every time.
- Add drawers to the design. They not only look amazing, but you can store 2-3 times more clothes in drawers than on hangers.
- Vary the height and depth of cabinetry for a truly haute couture look!
- Use decorative back wall panels or your favorite artwork to accent the space.
- Drama doesn’t stop at the ceiling. Paint a cool hue or add a dramatic wallpaper or vinyl art to draw your eye up. This looks fantastic on taller ceilings!
Have a custom closet in no time. High style at an affordable price point. Add value to your home with custom storage by C & C Cabinets.Utilizing 30 years of craftsmanship and cabinetry experience, C & C Cabinets in Tampa Bay combines foundational “old school” quality, expertise, and work ethic with today’s cutting edge technologies! Contact us for a design consultation today - (813) 876-6780!
