The Joy of a Fresh Closet

​Yes, your closet can bring you joy!  Organizing and figuring out how to stash your belongings is a common challenge to all my residential clients, so this week I want to tell you about the Elfa Closet System - which is a fantastic place to start.  
 
Here is a photo of the Elfa System I just designed and installed this week (with the help of the closet design experts at the Container Store, the local retailer for Elfa) in a walk-in closet in a new apartment that one of my clients is moving into.  Don’t you just love the look of a fresh well-designed and efficient closet?  I can’t say enough good things about the Elfa system…but read on, I’ll surely try.

To back up a bit…three of my current clients are working with new-build construction, and they all have the “golden opportunity” to start fresh with a closet system like Elfa.  One project is a gut renovation and expansion, one is a two-bedroom luxury apartment, and the third is a whole-home new build.   
 
Thinking through how they wanted to use their closets was the first step in my design process with them.  We then progressed to detailed planning sessions to refine their storage needs, pinpoint critical design factors like who would be using the closets and their physical height and reach, and of course measuring the closets in detail to get every last inch of space working in an efficient manner.
 
Because of my client’s needs I’ve recently looked at several of the closet organization options on the market, and for my apartment clients recommended the Elfa system. Now that the Elfa system has been installed in the apartment, I can happily report I am even more impressed for the following 5 reasons:  

• First, fantastic engineering.  You can see how everything attaches off a top horizontal bar. Note that this horizontal bar needs to be installed really well, into studs preferably, as all the weight of the closet system and your items will be borne by this horizontal rail.  This photo shows the closet after horizontal rail was installed, and before all the shelving and accoutrements were attached to the vertical pieces. 

• Second, the closet was very cost-effective in terms of both cost and utilization of the precious space.  Who doesn’t need to get every last inch out of their closet??
• Third, the system is easily reconfigurable and adjustable after the fact.  Moving your toddler into the room recently vacated by your college student?  Need to make sure the new resident of that room can access the clothing bars?  No problem; just move them on the vertical rails..
• Fourth, I was seriously impressed with closet design professionals at The Container Store and the installer who was hired and scheduled by the Container Store for this project. I was amazed at the sheer number of components the installer (Anthony) had to sort through…as evidenced by the recycling trash after the fact.  I highly recommend taking the professional installation with the system – it was well worth it!

• Fifth, the resulting closets are beautiful and functional.  

You can check out the Elfa system on-line at:
                      https://www.containerstore.com/elfa/index.htm
 
If you have a Container Store near you, I suggest you visit them to check out the displays in the store.  You can get a better sense by seeing the system in person, and you can get an idea of the cost for what you need from the sample displays. And for your shoe lovers, check out these cool shoe trays…I love it!  Now couldn’t your master bedroom or mudroom closet benefit from a makeover?

Please note: I am not affiliated in any way with Elfa or The Container Store, so this is NOT advertising—I am just a happy designer/consumer.  This blogpost is a product review.  But I can help you figure out a closet system like Elfa for your particular storage needs.