Spotlight on design professionals
_michaelle.jpg

Design goes beyond just making spaces look good; it’s about creating environments that work for those who live in them. Skilled designers combine creativity with functionality, and their work is influenced by the homeowner’s desires for the space, as well as their own personal influences and philosophies.

By understanding a client’s needs and lifestyle, they can craft designs that reflect an individual’s personality while ensuring the space, whether a closet, home office, or pantry, remains practical. These designers take on the challenge of maximizing storage without sacrificing style. They use innovative layouts, materials, and storage solutions to create beautiful and functional designs.

Designers can draw inspiration for these designs from various sources, from pop culture to current fashion and even the past. Cultural trends, like Barbiecore and the rise of pink closets, can also significantly influence designers’ ability to create custom spaces.

Most designers’ guiding philosophy is “form follows function.” Although rooted in architecture, this principle emphasizes that a space’s design should prioritize its purpose. In closets, this means custom storage solutions that make organization easy and accessible without compromising style.

Technology and smart home innovations offering new ways to customize spaces will shape the future of interior and closet design. At the same time, the push towards sustainability will continue, driving designers to create spaces that function for people and nurture the planet. Designers are increasingly focusing on eco-friendly materials and practices, aiming to create spaces that are as environmentally responsible as well as beautiful. Energy-efficient lighting, eco panel products and decorative surface materials are all becoming more common.

Interior and closet designers’ creative process blends artistry and practicality. Guided by diverse influences and philosophies, they craft designs that look good and enhance everyday life. In the September/October issue of Closets & Organized Storage, we celebrated the creative minds behind innovative closets, interiors, and architecture. Profiles in Design highlights closet designers and organizers, interior designers, and architects. Get a glimpse of what inspires them and defines their unique design outlooks.

Jenna Gaidusek, Jenna Gaidusek Designs 

Stuart Narofsky and Jennifer Rusch, Narofsky Architecture

Allanna Bell, Optimization Dolls

Sandra Swieder, Sandra Swieder Interiors and The Closet Builder

 

.

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Profile picture for user michaellebradford
About the author
Michaelle Bradford | Editor

Michaelle Bradford, CCI Media, is Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine and Woodworking Network editor. She has more than 20 years of experience covering the woodworking and design industry, including visits to custom cabinet shops, closet firms and design studios throughout North America. As Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine under the Woodworking Network brand, Michaelle’s responsibilities include writing, editing, and coordinating editorial content as well as managing annual design competitions like the Top Shelf Design Awards. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media.