Revealing stories behind closet design: before and afters
 
Effective space planning and design are crucial to successfully-designed closet spaces. 
 
As we work with clients, they want us to “use every inch” because they have so much stuff. On top of that, many have their own grandiose ideas (often garnered from HGTV) about the best way to use the space. And they do that with no understanding of effective space planning and the buildability of the solutions.
 
One thing I know many of us come up against is clients who want to take a reach in closet and turn it into a vanity space or an office space. And they think it should be simple when it’s actually quite complex. 
 
When I’ve had to design storage solutions in these scenarios, I always use fillers and make sure they are from the same material as the doors/drawers for a really finished look.  
 
I also have detailed discussions with the clients about depth and level/square accuracy as well as lighting and accessibility to corners. 
 
And many of those projects require cabinets versus parts since the client will be looking at the wall and often “sitting” inside the closet. 
 
Sometimes, you actually end up taking out an existing melamine system and replacing it with something much closer to what the client identifies as their “dream closet”. Here’s the before (which we tore out) and the after.
 
Before
After
It’s these kinds of scenarios that people seem most interested in when I’m talking closet design. People often ask me about specific closet design projects - the what, where and how of the design solutions I create. 
 
Which brings me to the launch of  “Closet Design Challenges: Solved”.
 
During this live session, I’ll share with you the specifics of some closet design projects (from real life) so it will feel like you’re walking through the experience with me. And you’ll have an opportunity to ask me questions in order to make sure you understand the information covered.
 
So whether you’re an experienced designer or new to the field, this session provides great value. And inspiration. So I invite you to join me - 
 
We’re going to go behind the scenes of four different closet projects. I’ll share:
  • Design insights. 
  • Take aways to put into your own design practice.
  • Drawings of designs in the software and project photos
  • Answer questions as we go
Here’s a chance to go behind the scenes of real-life closet projects and see not only the before and after photos, but the drawings, the design challenges solved and the lessons learned (sometimes expensive lessons learned). 
 
 

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About the author
Denise Butchko

Denise Butchko is a design and marketing expert who teaches these concepts with the intention of helping people grow their businesses (particularly those in the design/build industries). She’s been a contributor to Closets magazine since 2003 and is a judge for the closet industries “Top Shelf” Design Competition. She's also a member of the first graduating class of Registered Storage Designers. Her design work has been featured in national publications like “Better Homes & Gardens” and The Chicago Tribune and she works with some of the top interior design firms in the country. She’s helped cabinet companies launch closet product lines and trained sales professionals in both design and marketing, including ways to leverage social media and design to increase opportunities and brand themselves as the “go to expert”. If you want to have fun while you learn and bring your “A” game to your business, Denise is the one to partner with to make that happen. You can find her at denisebutchko.com or at the above links.