3 minute read
Hidden Showplaces | By Roger Grody
Once consigned to simply keeping possessions hidden from view, closets now benefit from the styling skills of firms such as LA Closet Design.
LUXURY RESIDENCES now incorporate many showplaces, from soaring foyers to elaborate media rooms, and once-cloistered spaces such as kitchens have become centers of attention. Once devoid of aesthetic value, closets have emerged as spaces requiring design expertise, even if guests rarely see them. LA Closet Design views the closet as having unlimited potential, rather than as simply a utilitarian space for organizing—or hiding—things.
LA Closet Design was founded in 2007 by interior designer Lisa Adams, its CEO and lead designer, to capitalize on an unexplored specialty. Closets were long overlooked by designers, she explains, with renovations relegated to cabinet makers. “Every house has closets for storing all kinds of things, including prized possessions, but even in luxury residences they were treated like stepchildren,“ Adams says. “Meanwhile, the kitchen suddenly became the heart of the home."
In the luxury sector, couples tend to want his-and-her closet/dressing rooms more akin to chic designer boutiques than traditional closets, but LA Closet Design reimagines more modest walk-in spaces as well.
“The closet is where we usually spend the first and last moments of a day,“ Adams notes. “Unfortunately, many of us deal with universal closet issues—clutter, overstuffing and disorganization. My mission is to create wardrobe and storage spaces that are balanced functionally and aesthetically.
“Because you’re in this space a lot, you want it to be one in which you feel clarity and peace,” she continues. “Whatever the size, it should inspire you to get dressed in the morning or ready to work out.”
She also points out closets' multifunctionality. “It can be the place you run away from the kids to or invite girlfriends into,” she says.
Adams, who accommodates a clientele including Christina Aguilera, Tyra Banks and Khloé Kardashian, notes that women’s closets frequently incorporate amenities such as vanities, “glam stations” for makeup and hair styling, wine refrigerators, and video screens. Stripper poles are among the more exotic items women request.
Men might suggest putting greens, sneaker or hat displays, and watch winders for their closets.
According to Adams, who has designed a three-story closet in BelAir and a six-room dressing suite in Abu Dhabi, budgets can exceed $1 million.
Adams begins her design process with an inventory of the client’s wardrobe, then conducts a spatial analysis to determine exactly what is possible. “I look at both your room and your life, then create a space of peace, beauty and even glamour,” she says.
“I’m committed to making the space look beautiful, but not at the expense of function—I tend to lead with functionality,” Adams explains. She enhances closets with the same high-end finishes, hardware and custom designer lighting one would find in other rooms in a luxury home.
The pandemic was an unexpected catalyst for LA Closet Design; people spending more time in their homes recognized both the deficiencies and possibilities of their properties.
“Everyone has a closet,“ Adams notes. “While it may be an indulgence to redesign it, I've discovered that people want to feel good in that space."
LA Closet Design
310.289.1311, laclosetdesign.com By appointment only.
