A custom luxury closet can offer homeowners a 56% return on investment if they have plans to sell their home in the future. In fact, most homebuyers don’t just say custom closets are important; they’re becoming an expectation in a new home.
Even if you have no plans to sell your home anytime soon, you deserve the benefits of a luxury closet.
You might be exhausted from clutter and chaos in your closet. You might want your clothes hanging and ready for you when you need them instead of wading through messy piles.
Custom closets in Dallas can help you create the closet of your dreams. Wondering where to start as you consider planning your luxury custom closet? Read on to learn what you should consider when planning your custom closet.
Consider Your Wish List
Before you even begin the process of planning your new closet, it’s essential to spend some time considering your closet wish list.
Search the internet and social media for luxury closet designs. Study photos and think about what you like and don’t like in some existing designs.
Designing custom closets means this closet can be created to meet your particular wishes and needs.
There might be things you could include in your luxury closet that you have yet to consider. Look at the unique features of other closets and start to imagine how you’d design your closet if the sky were the limit.
Consider Your Closet Needs
You should consider your closet needs once you’ve brainstormed a dream list of closet ideas. What must your closet have to make it a worthwhile investment for you?
Consider your current closet arrangement. What in that closet doesn’t work for you?
What do you need more of? What in the closet causes reorganization or clutter?
Also, it’s important to consider your clothing. You or your spouse may need to dress in business attire for work. This means places for suits or dresses in the closet.
You may have an impressive shoe or purse collection that needs a home. It’s helpful to list your closet’s priorities before you see a closet design specialist.
Plan Your Budget
There can be a vast range in the design costs of high-end closets. You could build a closet that is 100% custom. The closet has custom cabinetry and custom rods and storage.
You could have a custom closet installed using a closet system. Using a closet system means you can customize it for your needs but must work within the confines and sizes of the system pieces.
Obviously, a completely custom closet is more costly than one using a closet system.
As you consider your closet, you need to know your budget. A completely custom closet could cost as much as $50,000, while most closet systems run around $3,000.
Prioritize What’s Most Important
You’ve hopefully spent some time dreaming up what you want in your luxury custom closet. You also spent some time looking at your specific needs for your closet.
Now, it’s time to prioritize those lists. This will help your closet designer better understand your closet’s desired outcome.
This list will also help when you look at your closet space in a practical light. You might hope for many things in your closet, yet not have the space to achieve all those closet goals.
When you meet with your closet contractor, this list of priorities will be helpful in the design process.
Insist on a Mock-Up
One thing that’s important in the design process of luxury closets is a 3-D mock-up of the space. Most people don’t have the visual perception to imagine how things will look or fit in the space.
A 3-D mock-up helps you imagine what will become of your closet space.
It can also help you to see flaws in the plan or areas of concern before the closet is a reality. Something might feel too crowded, or the space isn’t used effectively enough; the mock-up can help identify issues.
Closet Design Considerations
Now that you’ve done some planning, there are some things to remember when planning your custom closet design. Let’s take a closer look at some of the considerations you need to remember when working with your closet designer.
Know Your Clothing Dimension Needs
This is an important place to start in your luxury closet planning. You don’t want to design a closet that can’t effectively contain your clothing or have clothes sliding off shelves because they aren’t deep enough.
First, you need to consider the depth of your closet organization. Most closet areas need a minimum of 24 inches of depth to contain hanging clothing.
You also want to consider vertical space. If you have coats or dresses in your closet, they will need up to 68 inches of vertical space. Pants, jeans, or skirts need between 45 and 50 inches of vertical space.
You also want to consider shelving space so it has enough depth to hold your folded items like sweaters and sweatshirts.
Hanging Clothes Spaces
Now that you’ve considered dimensions, you also want to consider how you divide space for hanging clothes.
How much space do you need for full-length hanging items? Do you own many dresses and long coats?
It’s important to carefully divide up your single-hang and double-hang sections so the closet meets your needs.
Blouses or men’s jackets will need more vertical length than pants.
Consider how much double-hang space you need. Is this more of a priority than shelving or drawer space?
If your closet is a shared space, make sure you account for both people’s needs in the space. More on shared spaces shortly.
Use Your Vertical Space
One thing about effective closets is that they use all the space. You shouldn’t find a custom closet space with many blank walls or open spaces. There’s no reason not to use all the available space in your closet.
This is especially true of vertical space. You want your closet design to take full advantage of vertical space.
Imagine cubes or cubbies at the top of your closet space. This type of space in a closet can be used for things like:
- Purses
- Shoe box storage
- Hats and hat boxes
- Out-of-season clothes
- Luggage
Even if it’s out of reach for day-to-day use, take advantage of the vertical space all the way up to the ceiling.
Pay Attention to Corners
You probably already know how tricky corners are in places like your kitchen for kitchen cabinetry. Corners are especially problematic in closets.
You need the storage to have the utmost efficiency in the closet and not waste space, either.
Talk to your closet designer about how to best manage corners in your closet. If space allows, you might use a rounded corner installation so clothes flow right with the corner.
Sometimes, that space isn’t available. You might have one area that overlaps another with sections. While it isn’t ideal to have one area slightly cover another, you’re assured no area of the closet is getting lost to wasted space.
Closet Island
For most people designing a luxury closet, an island is part of their dream list. An island is a luxury feature that allows for additional unique storage and often a seating area in the closet.
An island only works, though, if you have enough space. Most experts suggest you need 36 inches on each side of the island for movement and accessibility.
If you’re willing to forego some clearance space, you can add a closet island with only 30 inches of clearance.
This is one area where a mock-up of the closet can help visualize how the space will be used and how crowded it might feel.
Shoe Storage
Many people don’t just imagine their dream closet space for clothes but also their shoe collection.
Shoes can occupy a significant part of your closet space, especially if you have many. It makes sense to start your closet plan knowing your shoe storage needs.
When planning for shoes, many people get hung up on putting their shoes on display. While this is a fun option, it can also use more space. Be cautious about creating impactful shoe storage, not just luxury shoe storage.
It’s also important to account for shoes that are a unique size. If you have boots, especially tall ones, you must account for the space to hold them.
Accessory Storage
Beyond clothing and shoes, your closet likely needs to hold some of your accessories. For most people, accessories include:
- Purses
- Jewelry
- Hats
- Ties
- Belts
If you’re lucky enough to include an island in your closet design, drawers can be a great place to include storage for jewelry and belts. You might also have a tie drawer or a tie rack built into the closet.
The previously mentioned vertical space is a good spot for storing hats and purses.
Purses can take up a fair amount of space depending on your numbers and collection. Again, some people create true luxury closets where the purses are displayed. If you don’t have the space for this type of display, you can use open walls and custom hooks for hanging purses.
A Place to Sit
Another nice feature of a truly custom closet is a place to sit inside the closet. This can be nice when you’re getting ready for the day or putting on your shoes.
Seating can range depending on the space you have available. If your space is a little tighter, you might include a bench in the closet. Many custom closets include large ottomans in the center of the closet.
You can include a small custom bench at the end of the closet or sitting at the edge of your island. Have it upholstered for a lovely custom look to coordinate with the rest of your space.
Lighting
You probably know the importance of lighting in the other rooms of your home. Consider your closet another room in your home, and don’t forget to plan for the lighting in the space.
Your closet design should include the four general types of lighting, including:
- Task lighting
- Ambient lighting
- Accent lighting
- Decorative lighting
Task lighting will allow you to light up a specific closet area. Perhaps you’ve included a makeup vanity and seating in your closet. You’ll want task lighting to light up around the mirror.
Ambient lighting is the lights that bring bright light to the whole space. This is typically overhead lighting.
Accent and decorative lighting are closely related but not the same. You might include accent lighting on shelving to light up a specific closet area.
Decorative lighting is, as the name suggests, there for decorative purposes.
Consider Your Aesthetics and Style
Once you get past function in your closet, you’ll also want to consider the design aesthetic you wish to achieve. Like designing any other room in your home, closets can vary greatly in their style.
You can have a closet design that’s very formal with custom cabinets, marble, and chandeliers. You can have an open-space closet that feels very urban and chic.
Be sure to consider the design style of adjacent rooms to the closet for inspiration.
His and Hers or Shared
Finally, you need to consider if you’re creating multiple closet spaces or shared closet spaces.
Knowing whether the closet will be used solely by you or will be shared will impact how you design the space since you have to account for other people’s needs.
Custom Closets in Dallas for Your Home
Creating a custom luxury closet can be a dream come true. Most homeowners dream of having a beautiful and well-organized closet for their clothes.
For custom closets in Dallas, we can help. We’re ready to help you design the closet of your dreams. Contact us today to get started.
