Matching Closets for High Rise

basement wall bed with queen bed storage

horizontal wall bed design by closet works

Reach In Closet Makeovers

The clients live on the 48th floor of a 35-year-old Chicago high rise with spectacular views, but limited storage space. The home features separate “his” and “hers” reach-in closets, but the storage was not working for them and couldn’t hold their extensive professional wardrobes. The condo was an extremely tight area to work in without much natural lighting. Both closets were equal in size and built in an odd L-shaped configuration, with hanging on one side and shelves on the other.

There were ceiling variances in both closets. The L-shaped closets were originally covered by two sets of bifold doors. The problem with them was that they had a lot of under-utilized dead space in the corner of the “L,” since the bifold doors tended to block access to the back corner of the closet. We needed to open up that space to increase the storage potential of this home. Additionally, each closet functions both as hallway plus storage space for the bedroom, so appearance was just as important as functionality. The clients wanted to keep the original L-shaped footprint of the closets, hiding all the clothes and maintaining the hallways as a place to display part of their art collection. They just needed the closet spaces to perform better. The main concept for the closet was to make the area brighter and appear larger.

By eliminating the bifold doors and maximizing the storage all the way to the back wall, we were able to triple the amount of storage in each of those closets. We put every inch of space to work, utilizing a combination of cabinets with shelves, drawers and hanging. Each closet is customized to its owner, although laid out in a similar manner. The longer section of each “L” is used for hanging and a shoe tower. The hanging area is now accessible all the way to the back wall, more than doubling the functionality of that space. The shorter base of each “L” was reconfigured into an attractive wardrobe closet with cabinet doors covering the upper shelving and several wide drawers below. “Her” closet features five drawers with velvet and acrylic jewelry drawer organizers. “His” closet includes three drawers, a tilt out hamper, plus a secret access panel to a small hidden storage space above the closet. The hamper bags lift out and the client uses the space behind the tilt hamper to store luggage. We also installed a closet lighting system in “his” closet to illuminate all the dark suits and sport coats. The LED undershelf lighting goes all the way to the back wall ensuring that it is easy to find and retrieve clothes stored back in the corner.

His Closet