Get Organized!

“Although it sounds simple, having the proper places to put things encourages people to clean up,” explains Roger Courtois of Closets by Courtois in Sarasota. If you can see what you have at one glance, he says, you can store belongings in the areas specifically designed to hold them. The right number and size of shelves, racks, cabinets, drawers and hang spaces discourage the stacking, shoving and mashing behaviors that lead to garage grunge, loathsome laundry rooms and closet chaos.

Something as simple as a wall-mounted pegboard with hooks to display your drills, saws and hammers can transform the garage. Wire baskets that roll out of a shallow cabinet hold everything from paintbrushes to potting soil. Ceiling mounts hold bicycles and snow skis, providing storage space out of thin air. Cabinets on casters contain all of those pesky nuts and bolts and roll easily to wherever you are working.

“Today’s superior products can solve just about any storage dilemma, and new products are more durable and better-looking,” says Larry Hollander of Contemporary Cabinetry and Closet Concepts in Sarasota. “We can do cabinets with shelves that go around corners and drawers that tuck in above and below so you eliminate dead space. We’re utilizing hydraulic pull-downs for the new higher ceilings to create a third tier of racks and shelves. Laundry rooms are made more functional with fold-away hang racks that swing out of sight when not in use. And in garages we’re doing pantry units with swing-out double doors; drawers for auto parts; horizontal storage space with rear drop-down doors, large enough to accommodate that artificial Christmas tree; and library ladders on rollers to allow access to high shelves and racks.”

Hollander was recently challenged to design a workroom for a septuagenarian woman who builds dollhouses for her granddaughters and a sewing room for a surgeon who relaxes by stitching fabric. His design team crafted a workspace for Grandma that included solid oak work surfaces, custom cabinets for materials and tool storage, and halogen lighting. The surgeon got a 15-foot sewing wall with an appliance garage for her machinery, one very long table that folds away, and storage cabinets that can all be tucked neatly out of sight within an existing home office.

The organization process typically begins with a home visit. “I ask my clients very specific questions,” says Jason Mekush of Closets Unlimited in Bradenton. “The client’s job is to be very clear in what they want and to answer honestly. Every closet is custom-built to suit the client’s exact needs. We are not creating storage space from pre-manufactured puzzle pieces. So the more information the client gives to me, the better closet I can create.”

Nicholas Gleason, salesman and designer with Inndesign, Inc.,

actually asks clients to count the number of shoes they own and to consider whether they hang more dresses than blouses. “Good design utilizes space in the best possible way,” explains Gleason. “When deciding whether to use shelves, drawers, hang rods or shoe racks, it’s imperative to know what the

client really needs.” It gets personal. “A large man’s shoe is going to demand a certain shelf depth or rack width, while a petite woman could probably fit four pairs of shoes in that same amount of space,” explains Tawney White, vice president of California Closets, an international company with a new Sarasota location. “A very tall man is going to need a different hang rack to hold his suits than a man of average height. And a very short woman is going to require special help in accessing high shelves.”

To create the design, innovative software programs offer quick action. “With my years of experience both as a designer and a licensed contractor, I can sit down with clients, feed the measurements and other data into my laptop and present them with a three-dimensional drawing on the spot,” explains Courtois. “I can turn it over, rotate it, show aerial views and really give them a feel for what the new space will look like. The drawing can be tweaked and altered with ease. Then, once we’ve discussed product choices, I hit one more button and the price estimate is complete.”

Hollander treats clients to a three-dimensional plan with even more bells and whistles. “We have spent a fortune on software that allows us to walk clients right into the closet and see everything from their eye level,” he says. “If a woman is five feet, five inches tall, the camera height presents each view as she would actually see things. The virtual tour lets clients see different colors and textures and even animates drawers to open and close, racks to move up and down, doors to slide back and forth.”

Next it’s time to select products. Organizational experts know there is a wide disparity in customer preferences, so they offer everything from inexpensive wire racks, shelves and baskets to fine polished hardwoods. “We do everything from pre-finished laminates to exotic imports like high-gloss zebra woods and polished wenge wood from Africa and South America,” says Hollander.

Inndesign can create a closet with wire, chrome and wicker or help customers spend like sailors on closets with the look and feel of Old World craftsmanship. “Some clients just keep asking, ‘What else do you have?’” says Gleason. “And if they want platinum rods with canary diamonds, we will try to find those for them. Dovetail drawers, solid wood drawer fronts, gorgeous maples, whatever they want.”

California Closets has completed several projects for Sarasota customers who wanted it all. “We can do crown moldings, solid-wood backings, fluting and rosettes,” says White. “If they want more, we offer built-in wooden dressers, dressing tables, upholstered benches, chandeliers and doors featuring frosted or clear glass. Clients can create closets that are furnished more beautifully than the living room.”

Product materials drive the price, along with the size of the space and complexity of components. “I can do a 30-inch-wide single-door coat closet with shelves, hang rod and drawers for a budget price of about $300,” explains Gleason. “That same closet can easily cost more than $2,000 with just a few changes in products and materials.”

“People who spend some or all of their time in Florida tend to have some very intense hobbies,” says Hollander. “Sometimes it takes our entire team of designers, with 150 years of experience among them, to find solutions.” That same team has been called on by clients to actually put things away in their new closets. “I have helped people organize their clothing into sections for formal and casual wear, winter and summer wardrobes, even categorizing unmentionables that made me blush,” laughs Halloran. “But we are pleased to offer the complete organizational experience, even if it means hanging up their clothes for them.”

Ready, set…

Take inventory. Invade those closets, cabinets and cupboards to see what is inside. Assign a value to each item and keep only those with real meaning.

Let go. Hanging onto monogrammed high school sweaters, broken lawnmowers and stacks of National Geographic is not healthy. Make piles of items you have not used since moving to Florida. Pitch the worthless, donate the functional or stage a giant garage sale and haggle over how much that crocheted toilet paper cover is really worth.

Choose between form and function. You can get a beautifully organized space on a budget, but to create a truly beautiful space you will probably spend more. Visit showrooms to see, touch and compare products and finishes. If wood-grain laminates look and feel just like the real thing to you, save your pennies. But if only hand-polished mahogany will do, go for broke. Ditto with add-ons. Fancy gadgets are fun, but experts agree that a smart design is the key factor in creating storage space solutions.

Figure out how much. To avoid misunderstandings, ask your designer if she charges a consultation fee. Most offer a complimentary initial visit and design.

Ask around. References are an excellent way to compare companies. Reputable designers with delighted clients are typically eager to make those kinds of connections.

Confirm the turnaround time. Custom closets vary in completion time. But companies that do their own design, manufacturing and installation are typically the most efficient. Ask your designer to explain.