‘Contained, Organized and Beautiful’ Master Walk-in Closet

Maria Johnson’s 1940s split-level home served as the model when her neighborhood was being developed. It’s got an extra bedroom and large closets compared to what was common at the time. But none of the closets in her house were working effectively for her family.

The walk-in closet in Maria’s master bedroom is L-shaped, and acts as a passageway from the bedroom to the master bathroom. This dual purpose means the closet needs to work efficiently and stay organized so people can easily pass through the space.

The previous homeowners had built two reach-in closets in the space that made it feel cramped and created an unused “dead” area at the end of the closet. Maria knew the space could work better for her and her husband, so she enlisted professional help.

To create a more efficient walk-in closet, Maria worked with The Closet Works Designer Jen Molinelli. Jen first assessed the space while the reach-in closets—and the walls that framed those closets–were still intact. Maria wanted to remove the walls and open up the walk-in closet, but needed to ensure they could be easily removed by a contractor.

Jen and Maria discussed Maria’s vision for the space: plenty of room for hanging clothes, shelves to store mementos and sentimental items, and drawers in the walk-in closet to store folded clothes. They wanted the look and feel of the space to coordinate with their master bathroom, which was also being updated.

“Jen really took the time to talk through what I had envisioned.”

Jen created a Plan A for the space if the extra walls could be easily removed and a Plan B if they couldn’t. Luckily, a contractor was able to remove the extra walls and open up the space several months later to help Maria fully realize her vision.

“She was so patient. It literally took a year for us to give her the go-ahead.”

Choosing Colors and Accessories

Once Maria and her husband were ready to move forward with their new custom walk-in closet, they visited The Closet Works showroom to look at color options and accessories. Because Maria and her husband were also renovating their master bathroom, they sought a color palette that coordinated with their bathroom color scheme.

They chose a warm tone called Summer Breeze for the closet, paired with highlighted antique brass hardware.

“Jennifer showed us lighter options that would coordinate with our bathroom and we relied on her expertise.”

The Final Product

Maria’s new custom walk-in closet includes a mix of hanging storage and clean, modern inset drawers for storing a variety of clothes, which allows them to store everything in their walk-in closet instead of relying on additional dresser storage in their bedroom.

“Our walk-in closet is now a serene place and not a big cluttered mess. It’s contained, it’s beautiful, it’s organized.”