Organization is half the battle – especially in the clothes closet. These storage space solutions are a stylish way to stow away clothes and accessories.
Remember Sex and the City? And the time Mr. Big was showing our favorite “shoeaholic,” Carrie Bradshaw, an uptown luxury apartment? It wasn’t the breathtaking view of Manhattan or the classy wood parquet floor that made her squeal in delight, no, it was the dressing room with its backlit opaque glass doors. All she could manage to utter was, “Oh my god!” It was love at first sight. Only after she had placed her newly-bought high heels on the shoe rack was she sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Not only women but men as well think walk-in closets are great. Finally a place where everything has its place and there’s a place for everything, for all the shoes, dresses, pants, ties, handbags, blouses, belts, and, yes, even the ironing board and cufflinks. Lucky is the person who can spare a room just for that, preferably with its own natural light source so looks can be assess in the mirror in the proper light. But it is possible to fit a walk-in closet even in just a few square meters, thanks to clever wardrobe systems. “With the help of three sliding doors, for example, a corner of a room can be sectioned off, creating a three-cornered wardrobe,” says Uta Bergmann from the firm Raumplus. Inclined walls under the roof or alcoves can also be turned into storage space.
The be-all and end-all of creating storage space is proper planning. A number of firms offer digital planning aids for downloading on their websites. These can be used to make an inventory of exactly what needs to be stored and where. The stacks of towels are measured, clothes to be hanged are counted and finally useful accessories and organizers can be included in the design of the wardrobe, such as pullouts for belts and coat hangers, boxes to sort underwear and socks, or a narrow compartment for an ironing board. Your physical size is also taken into account for a sensibly ergonomic design for the closet. You shouldn’t have to bend or stretch excessively for the things you need most often.
One of the best-known interior designers of the world, Pierro Lissoni, is convinced that the wardrobe will go through an image change like the bathroom, which in recent years has been transformed from being just a “wet cell” into a personal spa. Thanks to emotional materials, like dif- ferent types of wood and mood lighting, the wardrobe can also become a place you like to spend time in. At the same time, functionality is not given short shrift. For example, Lissoni designed a walk-in closet system called Hangar for the company Lema and one called Storage for Porro. With these modular systems, an ordinary closet can be transformed into a walk-in wardrobe with minimum effort, which could be of interest when moving.
But it doesn’t always have to be wood. The Italian company Lago came up with a system they call Et Voilà that conceals clothes behind a fabric wall. This has nothing to do with a loosely hanging curtain. A magnetic mechanism holds the fabric down taut on a frame. Depending on the room design, the wardrobe can either be made to invisibly blend in with the wall or consciously add an accent. The fabric is robust, water and dust resistant and easy to care for at the same time.
Also originating out of Italy is the elegant storage solution Backstage by B&B Italia. Antonio Citterio took his inspiration for his straight-forward design from contemporary architecture. He uses only precious materi- als like fine woods, lacquered surfaces or leather in his fully walkable wardrobe. Thanks to a space-saving door opening system, the interior space can be utilized to perfection. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City would be thrilled. ––
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Text first published in celesQue issue 06/2015
Text: Judith Jenner
