THE PROCESS OF MAKING THIS CLOSET
A boutique-style closet with brass clothing racks, a custom marble-clad island, and marble shelf for accessories.
”For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”
Benjamin Franklin
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BOUTIQUE-STYLE CLOSET
It’s done—I am happy to finally have a real closet! In this post I show you all of the organizational features and special design tricks we used to make this boutique-style closet that, despite a few twists and turns during the process, has really turned into the closet of my dreams.
WHY THE REVAMP?
When our house flooded at the beginning of the pandemic, we initially planned to fix the areas that were affected. That meant the kitchen, family room and upstairs bathroom. As we delved into the repair work, it became more and more evident that this was the time to repair all of the funky things that weren’t quite right with the house. Perhaps it was time to update the 80s-era pink and grey bathroom that haunted me each day… Maybe it was the perfect opportunity to rip out the carpet in the kids’ bedrooms and put cohesive flooring throughout… We had two enormous closets in our primary bedroom— did we need both? It was an emphatic YES to all of the above questions.
We happily remodeled each room, excited to put a new vision into action. Everything fell into place, but when it came time to do our closet, progress slammed to a halt. Our cabinetmaker got very ill and we decided rolling racks from Amazon would suffice, at least until our carpenter healed and we could tackle the job again.
So for three years, we lived with those Amazon racks crammed full of clothing. My usual 1-inch between each hanger rule (I know, very fussy) was thrown out and I lived with messy piles, teetering racks, and general disarray. Until I just couldn’t. I started planning for the revamp.
THE PLAN
I got a few bids for the closet and prices had increased exponentially. I decided I would test my design skills, get clever, and work with tighter budget and design constraints. How could I make this closet beautiful, functional, organized and not exorbitantly priced?
THE INSPIRATION— A BOUTIQUE-STYLE CLOSET
During my travels, I often admire boutiques and how they display their clothing in unique, but beautiful ways. I wanted to do the same thing in my home. How could I achieve the minimal look, but still house not only my clothing, but my husband’s, too. How could it look like a boutique-style closet?
DETAILS
CABINETS
Built-in cabinetry is the norm for most closets, but I didn’t want the expense nor did I want the long wait time. So I opted for ready-made dressers. I ordered four that were the same and then ordered a different style to serve as an island.
CLOTHING RACKS
The ceilings had a strange slant to them on two sides, so ready made poles wouldn’t work. I had an ironworker make U-shaped racks that are suspended from the ceiling. I found an automotive parts refinisher who plated the racks in brass (not an easy process, but they look fabulous).
BUILT-IN SHELVES
The area where the closet drawers used to be was now a gaping hole in the drywall. We decided to make that a built-in cabinet and shelf to showcase my handbags and other decorative pieces. Why not make it beautiful? So we chose a marble slab with a white background and splotches of tannish colored crystals (it looks much more grey in photos). We bought strong metal L-brackets to hold up the heavy marble shelves.
IRONING DRAWER
I initially planned on having an ironing station in the laundry room, but decided it would be far more practical to have it in the closet. So I ordered a flush-mounted furniture drawer plug and had my handyman install it in the back of the drawer.
The drawer has everything I need for getting my clothing ready. It holds a folding ironing board, my favorite steamer , and iron (click for links). Everything plugs in inside the drawer. I have a clothing rack above the drawer for hanging the clothing while I steam and/or I can put the small ironing board on top of the dresser. I have a battery-operated pill remover for my cashmere sweaters and lint roller inside the drawer, too. At the end of steaming/ironing, I put everything back in the drawer. It works perfectly!
MARBLE ISLAND
The closet is large enough that we needed to fill some of the space in the center. A narrow, but tall island was the perfect solution. We took a small dresser and had it clad in stone. Now it’s the perfect place to set out accessories or clothing for the day, plus its three drawers store other necessities. It also elevates the look of the room. We love it. I added a luxe touch with the 70’s Murano glass chandelier that hangs above the island. A chandelier in a closet? Why not?!
ACCESSORY DRAWERS
I LOVE accessories. Jewelry and handbags are my thing. So I needed and wanted to have everything easily accessible, organized, but still pretty. These jewelry trays keep all of my pieces separated by category and are easily locked in a safe or drawer.
HANDBAG ORGANIZATION
Finding a way to organize and store my handbags took a lot of planning. I have a lot of oversized pieces and wanted a way to store them so they wouldn’t lose their shape or get crushed. That’s where the marble shelf came into play. I measured my tallest bags and made sure to place the shelf so the bags would fit. I organized the bags from tallest to shortest along the shelf. Smaller bags are filed inside of a drawer.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This project is one of my favorites so far. I love that it is very organized and that it doesn’t look like everyone else’s closet.
An organized home leaves more time for other things… like traveling! If you are planning a trip soon, please look at our travel guides for design-focused suggestions… Click here for our travel guides. From the US to Europe, explore the world with Brenda Burdette Design.
